Clark Lea was not feeling good after his Commodores got thumped by the Tennessee Volunteers to end the season. The Commodores fell 48-24 to the Vols, ending the season with a 2-10 record.

After the game, Lea called the 2023 season “painful and frustrating.”

The Dores only won 2 games this season after making progress and collecting 5 wins in 2022.

“We just never got synced up,” Lea explained. “You go back to Hawaii, you go back to Alabama A&M, and you see a team that played well enough to win those games. But, as the competition increased, the things we got away with in those games continued to show up.”

The Commodores started out 2-0 before losing 10 in a row to end the season. The team finished 0-8 in SEC play, and 16 points was the smallest point differential the team had against a conference opponent.

“This will be a year of learning for me,” explained the coach. “I’m upset. Obviously, I believe in what we’re doing, and I know that we’re going to reflect back on this moment from success.”

The Commodores will miss a bowl for the 5th-straight season. Lea has 9 wins in 3 seasons at the helm in Nashville.