NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Last week, Vanderbilt had to prepare for a team that prefers to throw the ball up, down, left, right and all over the field in Mississippi State. This week, the Commodores have a new and greatly-different challenge.
Kentucky (2-4, 2-4 SEC) is built around its ground game, the ability to be physical in the trenches and the propensity to drain the clock every possession.
“For us, going from one week to the next in this conference, that’s really what you see – you’re going to see challenges from one end of the spectrum to the other,” Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason said. “Kentucky continues to be a football team that is physical.
“Coach (Mark) Stoops has done a really good job, along with (offensive coordinator) Eddie Gran and that group up there, of solidifying their identity. They know who they are, they’re run-first, pass-second offensively.”
The Wildcats begin the week with the Southeastern Conference’s third-best rushing attack at 176.2 yards on the ground per game. Three Kentucky players – including quarterback Terry Wilson – have totaled at least 200 rushing yards. Featured back Kavosiey Smoke, who has missed three of his team’s six games, is expected to return to the lineup at 11 a.m. CT Saturday in Lexington, Kentucky.
So the Commodores (0-5, 0-5 SEC) know exactly what to expect inside Kroger Field this weekend.
“It’s their style, but it’s also their players,” Vanderbilt sophomore linebacker Anfernee Orji said about the Wildcats. “They have a veteran group. Their offensive line, most of them are returning. They’re aggressive guys and big guys.
“But I think as Vanderbilt, we should be able to match their intensity or surpass it and be more aggressive with our defensive plays and players.”
Orji and the Vandy defense had one of its better games of the 2020 season at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs managed just 202 yards of offense and were pushed backward on the ground to the tune of minus-22 yards rushing.
Vanderbilt got big games from Brendon Harris and Jaylen Mahoney (10 tackles each) while as a a team it recorded six pass breakups, 5.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks.
The Dores will undoubtedly need a similar performance against a well-rested Kentucky team coming off a bye week.
“I think our focus was just better and so was our intensity,” Orji said of the team’s defensive play last week. “We fed each other energy and it just trickled out to everyone. We played better as a whole and as a defense we trusted everyone else so it helped us play better.”
As for Vanderbilt’s offense, well it also had a nice day at Mississippi State – except for five turnovers, a missed field goal and a failed fourth-down conversion. Those factors overshadowed 478 total yards of offense, 5.8 yards per play and a 53 percent success rate on third down.
True freshman quarterback Ken Seals threw for 336 yards and a score, but gave up three costly interceptions.
Kentucky’s defense has corralled 11 turnovers so far in 2020.
“The SEC has some of the highest-caliber secondary and second-level players that you’ll see across the country,” Mason said. “These guys are fast and quick and you have to anticipate.
“We have to continue to go through the growing pains of a young quarterback. For him, he’s got to continue to understand situational ball.”
Saturday marks the start of the second half of a 10-game, SEC-only schedule for Vanderbilt. It also represents the opportunity for the Commodores to end a four-game losing streak to their rivals from the Bluegrass State and to win in Lexington for the first time in 2012.
Vandy will have to put all three phases of the game together against a Kentucky side that won’t let up for 60 minutes.
“For us, we’re going to have to make our possessions count, we’re going to have be physical on both sides of the ball up front, we’re going to have to tackle well,” Mason said. “The challenge in going to Lexington is a physical one and that’s what we have to know early in the week. That’s sort of how we prepared as we went through a Tuesday practice.”
Chad Bishop covers Vanderbilt for VUCommodores.com. Follow him @MrChadBishop.