Oct. 7, 2016
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
On campus in Nashville — This week Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason was asked to take stock in his team’s first two games against SEC opponents. The Commodores lost those two contests to South Carolina and Florida by a combined 10 points. That margin, Mason said, shows just how close Vanderbilt is to breaking through in the SEC.
“It just lets us know that we’re there,” Mason said. “This team hasn’t been jaded at all in a spirit of playing the game, approaching practice, doing the work that needs to be done.”
The Commodores (2-3, 0-2 SEC) hope to reverse their SEC fortunes as they hit the road to face Kentucky (2-3, 1-2 SEC) on Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium. Here are three keys to the game for Vanderbilt.
1. Stay hungry on defense.
Despite the end result of last week’s 13-7 loss to Florida, Vanderbilt appeared to find its footing on defense. It held the Gators to 236 total yards (3.7 per play) and a mere 92 yards on the ground. The Commodores also notched a pair of sacks – both by defensive lineman Adam Butler – after recording just three total sacks in their first four games.
That performance is exactly what Mason wants to see from Vanderbilt as it prepares for an SEC road game. “Defensively, I thought we played better,” Mason said. “We talked about controlling the line of scrimmage, and I thought we did that.”
Vanderbilt will have to do the same at Commonwealth Stadium against a Kentucky squad that boasts a few weapons. Running backs Stanley “Boom” Williams and Benny Snell Jr. bring different skillsets to the Wildcats’ offense. Williams averages a whopping 7.3 yards-per-carry and chips in 97.2 rushing yards per game; Snell, meanwhile, is a goal-line threat who has notched five rushing touchdowns as a true freshman. The Commodores expect plenty of running from Kentucky on Saturday.
Still, the Wildcats must face Vanderbilt without their No. 1 quarterback. Junior Stephen Johnson has started the last two games in place of an injured Drew Barker. The dual-threat Johnson went 24-of-41 for 224 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in those two starts, but the former junior college passer can be dangerous running the ball. That’s a dynamic for which Vanderbilt must prepare. “We’re not going to take him lightly,” cornerback Taurean Ferguson said.
2. Return to playing smart football.
Unforced errors played a major role in Vanderbilt’s loss to Florida. The Commodores stubbed their toes with a season-high six penalties after entering the week as the least-penalized team in the SEC. Moreover, the `Dores lost the turnover battle 3-1 despite previously leading the league in turnover margin (+5).
This week Mason also pointed to special teams as a tipping point in the matchup with Kentucky. On average, Vanderbilt started drives on its own 17-yard line against Florida, its worst starting spot in five games. The Gators, meanwhile, began their drives on their own 34, giving the visiting squad a decided edge with each possession. “When you talk about average starting position for us, we want to be better than starting from the 17,” Mason said, “but we also don’t want to give them the advantage of starting from the 35.”
Now Vanderbilt is tasked with cleaning up its act in an SEC road environment. The good news is Kentucky has given up more turnovers (14) than any SEC team. That should give the Commodores’ defense a number of chances to shift momentum in Saturday.
3. Keep an eye on Kentucky’s tackling machines.
As Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig watched Kentucky film this week, he undoubtedly noted two productive defenders on the `Cats’ roster. UK linebacker Jordan Jones ranks second in the league in total tackles (51) while safety Mike Edwards has amassed 43 total stops, fourth in the SEC. That’s a pair of talented game-changers on Kentucky’s defense.
But that production hasn’t been enough to turn around the `Cats’ D. Kentucky allows 468 total yards per game, which ranks 108th in FBS. The Wildcats allowed 34 unanswered points in a 44-35 loss to Southern Miss in Week 1, and they followed with a 45-7 loss to Florida the next week.
Now it’s up to quarterback Kyle Shurmur and Vanderbilt’s offense to take advantage of that defense. One week after a career performance in a win over Western Kentucky, Shurmur finished just 9-of-25 for 82 yards with one pick against Florida. The Gators also sacked Shurmur twice, and he was knocked out of the game after being poked in the eye late in the fourth quarter. Backup Wade Freebeck played the final two series and threw the game-sealing pick with 54 seconds left.
Mason said Shurmur will start against Kentucky and wear a visor on his helmet, but protecting Shumur is key for `Dores.”We took a look at the film, and [Shurmur] for sure took some shots that he didn’t need to take,” center Barrett Gouger said. “That’s for sure on the O-line. We’ve got to do a better job of keeping him upright.”
Vanderbilt at Kentucky kicks off at 3 p.m. CT on SEC Network.