Lea is a good DC. He was a good DC at Notre Dame.
Lea doesn't know sh!t about offense, but he's not stupid.
He saw that lowly New Mexico State went in to Auburn last year and beat the crap out of them 31-10. They didn't eke out a victory on a miraculous blocked punt and return or something, they dominated Auburn.
Lea was smart enough (and humble enough) to pick up the phone and ask how a bunch of zero stars bent Auburn over at their own place.
Jerry Kill was the HC at NMS. Man knows how to coach football. He had an OC named Tim Beck, a QB named Diego Pavia, and a TE named Stowers. Maybe some of these names are starting to sound familiar.
Kill knew he was outmanned but he was a competitive MF and wanted to win. He hired Tim Beck as OC and installed the Pistol Offense, which is an unholy cross between the shotgun and the venerable I formation. The Pistol was made famous by Chris Ault at Nevada (and a certain National Anthem kneeling jackass who won't be named).
It's hard to run out of the shotgun with the RB on the left or right of the QB getting the ball far behind the line of scrimmage without a running start. In the pistol, the QB is lined up closer to the line (still shotgun snap though) with the RB behind him. It's easier to run out of and it can be deadly if you have a QB who can run. Combine that with a zone blocking scheme for the OL and if you coach it right, you can win even if you're outmanned. It's hard to prepare for this scheme in just one week if you don't face it regularly (which is why Army and Navy are both still undefeated, nobody runs triple option anymore).
With Vandy not having the talent of other SEC teams, Lea figured this was the ticket for him. Instead of just copying the system, Lea stole the whole New Mexico State offense from HC Jerry Kill to OC Tim Beck to QB Diego Pavia and like 4 other players, dressed them in black and gold, and moved them to Nashville. Boom. Instant offense. They already knew the coaches, terminology, and system, and they were tough, hard-nosed kids who weren't afraid of the logo on the other team's helmet. It was plug-and-play.
Good on him.
He ain't the coach for Florida though. DC maybe someday, HC no way.
The offense is a gimmick like the Wake Forest slow mesh. It's not a recipe for a return to Gator greatness and championships.
Alex.