Vanderbilt HC Clark Lea has perfect take on the scuffle between Commodores and Tennessee

After the game, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea was asked about the scuffle. And the third-year Commodores head coach had a perfect take on what happened. 

"I don’t think that it was close to being out of control," said Lea. "I think on both sides the coaches and staff were in position to help keep things tamped down. I think it was just an emotional moment in an emotional game and at the end of an emotional season. I trust our team and I have a lot of respect for our guys. They know the lines not to cross I thought on the whole for the moment both sides did a good job getting things leveled out."

Lea is spot on. It was just an emotional moment at the end of an emotional season. Vanderbilt only won two games this season. Tennessee came up short of their goal of winning the SEC East after dropping a couple of games they felt they should've won. Emotions were high. And things got a little chippy. Ultimately, things didn't get out of hand and things settled down. 

Plenty of coaches would've tried to make that situation a bigger "deal" than it really was (like Missouri's El Drinkwitz). Lea, however, didn't go that route. He understands that football is an emotional game and while coaches don't want those "chippy" moments to happen, it's something that's always going to be a big part of playing in the SEC.