Despite coming in as big favorites to the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Year’s Eve, the Vanderbilt Commodores were unable to close out their season with a victory. This, even though the team’s star player and Heisman finalist, quarterback Diego Pavia, played up to the standard fans have become accustomed to.
HAWKEYE W 🔥🏈
Iowa defeats Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl 💪 pic.twitter.com/5q5Kflm6RH
— ESPN (@espn) December 31, 2025
The 34-27 victory by the Iowa Hawkeyes disappointed Vanderbilt fans, who blamed head coach Clark Lea.
“Vandy letting Iowa dial it up on offense like this is diabolical. Clark Lea should be embarrassed 😭,” lamented one Vandy fan.
“Clark Lea should be fired effective immediately,” demanded someone else.
Some argued there was a clear coaching mismatch in the ReliaQuest Bowl this year.
“Clark Lea flat out isn’t a good in game coach, yes Ferentz is one of the best in the country, but it’s like high school vs pro out there coaching wise,” explained someone.
“Are we sure Clark Lea is a good coach?” wondered one individual.
Even though there could be a clear mismatch in coaching prowess, fans argued Vanderbilt had more than enough tools to beat the Hawkeyes.
“I get Vandy is without the Mackey Award winner Eli Stowers, but Diego Pavia is playing. Shocked by how poorly Clark Lea’s bunch is playing so far,” explained another fan.
It’s just a sad story for the Commodores.
“iowa finally wins something and vanderbilt can’t catch a break smh,” wrote another fan.
It just hasn’t been a good year for the SEC said some.
“Whew, someone check on all of the SEC homers. How are Clay Travis, Pate, and Finebaum holding up?,” joked another person.
When Was Vanderbilt’s Last Bowl Victory?
Just last year, the Vanderbilt Commodores, under Clark Lea, managed to get a victory at the Birmingham Bowl. That year, they finished with a 7-6 record and were pitted against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at the Birmingham Bowl. They defeated the ACC program 35-27.
So far, that’s the first and the only postseason victory during Clark Lea’s tenure. Before that, they participated in two bowls during Derek Mason’s stint, losing both. The most recent victory before last year’s was under James Franklin in 2013 at the BBVA Compass Bowl. They also won the Music City Bowl in 2012.
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