What Clark Lea said about Vanderbilt football fans chanting for Jared Curtis
· Yahoo Sports
Vanderbilt football coach Clark Lea played both quarterbacks, Blaze Berlowitz and Jared Curtis, against Austin Peay. Lea was complimentary of both players during his postgame press conference after a 28-9 win in the season opener on Sept. 5 at FirstBank Stadium.
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Berlowitz was 11-for-16 passing for 149 yards. He also ran 11 times for 45 yards and one touchdown. Curtis was 7-for-9 for 60 yards passing and ran three times for 22 yards.
Lea acknowledged that the offense looked different with both quarterbacks. Berlowitz was more run-heavy and Curtis ran more tempo and was able to throw the ball more. Two of the three touchdown drives were led by Berlowitz, while the third was a punt return touchdown.
Fans at FirstBank Stadium showered Curtis with support, cheering loudly whenever he entered. They also chanted "let's go Jared!" when Curtis ran for a first down and trucked an Austin Peay defender in the process.
Lea did not condemn the fans for chanting for Curtis, but he emphasized that fans' opinions would not play into the quarterback decision-making.
"I appreciate the passion, I appreciate the energy, the interest. I don't ever, ever put any stock in the external parts of this," Lea said. "This is my job. ... I want our fans to show up, I want them to be passionate, I want them to have opinions."
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What Clark Lea said about Vanderbilt football fans chanting for Jared Curtis