Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt is a Game of Havoc vs. Ball Security

Kentucky and Vanderbilt share more similarities than differences. There is one big difference that may determine who wins Saturday night’s game at Kroger Field.

The Vanderbilt offense isn’t too flashy, but they don’t make mistakes. They’ll be playing a defense that specializes in creating havoc.

The Commodores rank in the Top 20 nationally with a +5 turnover margin. They’ve only lost one fumble all year long. Diego Pavia has not thrown a pick in five games because defenses haven’t been able to take him to the ground. Only three SEC teams have allowed fewer sacks (7) than Vanderbilt.

This Saturday they’ll face a defense that creates more havoc than any other from the Power Four ranks. Kentucky creates a tackle for loss, pass break-up, or a turnover on 17.8% of its snaps, the second-best in FBS football. Mark Stoops defenses are typically defined by big-play prevention, yet this group excels at making big plays that kill drives.

“Their front sets the tone for them. We have our work cut out for us,” said Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea. “But I believe in our process and our group and we’ll do the best we can to put a plan together that allows us to do that.”

How Vanderbilt is Preparing for the Kentucky Defense

The Kentucky defense ranks 15th in SP+ efficiency and No. 7 in success rate. Deone Walker has a gravitational pull to the football that forces offenses to expend energy on early downs.

“We’re going to have to find opportunities to try to neutralize him. He’s hard to work around and when he’s in the backfield, he’s obviously very disruptive,” said Lea.

The former Notre Dame defensive coordinator is now calling the defense for Vandy. Real recognizes real and he knows his offense can’t afford to get behind the chains against Kentucky. The Wildcats rank 14th in third-down defense (30%).

“They are sound, solid, and simple in their scheme. They know how to add rushers and different guys to make 4-man rushes. There’s a lot of zone coverages, they play with great zone vision, and they have length across the field, which is always a challenge, especially when you’re really good in playing zone. You can close those spaces quickly,” said the Vanderbilt head coach.

“Their success on first and second down is what leads to their success on third down, and their third down performance is what makes them elite. The challenge we have is how are we going to create favorable third downs? We do that by staying on schedule with first down efficiency.”