Clark Lea: 'We'll have more opportunities' after hot start vs. Georgia

Clark Lea and Vanderbilt got off to a hot early start against No. 1 Georgia, taking advantage of an early coverage bust to go up 7-0 before a defensive stop gave the Commodores the opportunity to do even further damage.

Unfortunately for the ‘Dores, they couldn’t take full advantage of a Carson Beck fumble on his own side of the field, ultimately missing a 47-yard field goal.

“Well we’ve just got to keep playing,” Lea told CBS’ Tiffany Blackmon after the first quarter ended. “I mean there’s obviously a lot of football left. I would have loved to seen us take advantage of the short field. But we’ll have more opportunities as we go.”

Vanderbilt nearly got another one of those opportunities on the Georgia drive following the field goal miss, as a botched snap between center Sedrick Van Pran and Beck temporarily put the ball on the turf.

Instead of a Commodores player being able to jump on top of it, though, Van Pran scooped it up and stumbled forward for a handful of yards, picking up a first down on third-and-3.

The Bulldogs would finish off the drive with a touchdown moments later, early in the second quarter, making it 14-7 Georgia.

Still, Vanderbilt will feel like it has some chances against Georgia after the strong first quarter. Lea encouraged his players to stay locked in and keep taking it play by play.

“We just have to be in the moment and play snap to snap, that’s going to be the formula for us to keep this thing tight and have a chance to win it late,” Clark Lea said.

Brief Scoring Summary

Vanderbilt began the scoring on its opening drive when the offense marched 75 yards in five plays. The drive was capped by a 49-yard touchdown pass from Ken Seals to receiver London Humphreys.

Georgia scored on its ensuing drive to answer the bell, capitalizing on the Van Pran rumble perfectly. The Bulldogs drove 71 yards in eight plays and capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Beck. That leveled the score at 7-7.

The Bulldogs would add a second touchdown on a drive that began late in the first quarter. The team drove 77 yards in seven plays and finished the scoring effort with a 3-yard touchdown run by Kendall Milton. That made the score 14-7 Georgia with 13:42 remaining in the first half.