First year head coach Clark Lea and the Vanderbilt Commodores are 2-3 and coming off of a win over UCONN. Lea was hired to do the nearly impossible task of taking perennial doormat Vanderbilt and make them a respectable member of the Southeastern Conference.

The task is first to get a team to buy in, then learn to win, something Vanderbilt has done twice this season. The losses, however, have been hard to watch. Vanderbilt’s three defeats have been by an average of 33.7 points (including a 62-0 loss to No. 2 Georgia). The Dores have also been outscored 51-9 in the second half of those losses.

This weekend presents a new challenge, playing in The Swamp against a Florida team looking to take out its frustration following a loss at Kentucky.

Lea knows that winning will be an uphill battle this weekend but he's eager to see where his program is on the road.

“I think they’re physical upfront. They run the quarterback, which makes you defend all 11 positions on the field. They have really creative design and really a creative personality offensively. Coach Mullen does a great job with that offensive staff. They’re going to stretch you out. They’re going to force you to defend the quarterback. They’re going to have a physical run game. I think their O-line has played really well and I think the combination of those things makes for a tall task. We have to keep focusing on us and our improvements and make sure our eyes are in the right place, that we have proper alignment and technique post-snap and try to close the space down on the perimeter physically. That will be the starting point but it’s a unique offense. They do a great job in design and we’ll have our hands full.”

“We’ve struggled. We haven’t played well on defense constantly. I think we’ve stepped up in big moments where we’ve made stops in short-yardage situations, goal line situations and had to play on short fields at times because we haven’t played complementary football in all three phases. It’s a point of concern particularly going against a team that is so adept at running the football. Our front needs to step up. We have to win. We have to win at the line of scrimmage. We have to be confident where our fits are at the second and third level. We have to be able to anticipate and beat the ball to the spot so that we have a chance to collapse space around the football. If you’re hesitant against Florida. If you’re slow to fit. If you’re standing five yards off, pounding the ground, they’re going to be able to get a push and they’re going to be able to open up spaces and that’s where explosive plays exist. We have a challenge ahead of us. I’m excited for it. Our players are excited for it. We’re clear that it starts up front for us and we have to be ready to play our best football at the first two levels to have a chance to limit this run game and be in a position to win."