Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea addressed the media for his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 23. Vanderbilt will host its final non-conference opponent of 2025 this weekend, facing Utah State (3-1) on Saturday, Sept. 27 — the first meeting between the two teams in program history. Lea began his conference with an appreciative mention of Utah State’s head coach, Bronco Mendenhall, who has been a mentor for Lea through his time as a coach. Lea emphasized how most of Barnes’ rushing is designed into Utah State’s offense on set plays. It’s really challenging.”The key to stopping Barnes and Utah State’s offense lies within a formulaic approach to defense — something which Lea emphasized in the press conference.