Soaking in the glow of his team’s stunning upset of No. 1 Alabama on Saturday, Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea was asked to reflect on just how much change he’d witnessed in his program.
It was less than a year ago that Vandy had lost its 10th straight game, finishing a 2-10 season (0-8 in the SEC) that left Lea with a three-year record of 7-27.
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