When Kentucky fans scanned the Wildcats’ schedule when it first came out, there was little doubt in their minds that the Oct. 12 match up against the Vanderbilt Commodores would serve as one of the most winnable SEC games for head coach Mark Stoops’ squad.
Despite that, in past weeks, the Commodores have shown that they aren’t the pushover squad of years past with a competitive overtime loss to then No. 9 Missouri and a monster upset of No. 1 Alabama the following week.
Vanderbilt was outrushed in its matchup with Missouri despite gaining 146 yards on the ground, but in its date with the Tide, the discrepancy in rushing yards favored Vandy in drastic fashion.
The Commodores were led by sophomore Sedrick Alexander with 64 yards, but the difference in the game came from New Mexico State transfer quarterback Diego Pavia, whose 54 yards on the ground gashed the Crimson Tide in crucial moments.
Make no mistake, Alabama routinely boasts an elite defense year in year out, but its inability to keep Pavia in the pocket spoiled prime opportunities to get off the field, and such was its demise.
Kentucky’s defense has allowed more than 100 rushing yards just once this season when it faced off against then No. 1 Georgia but, other than that, the Cats have repeatedly limited other teams’ success on the ground.
When looking at Kentucky’s front seven, it’s comprised of enough experience from senior linebacker J.J. Weaver to an all but inevitable first-round NFL Draft pick in Deone Walker. Players with experience of that nature make teams beat them multiple ways.
Pavia also had an impressive day in the air against the Tide with 252 yards and two touchdowns, but Kentucky’s defensive front is both talented and experienced enough to make Pavia’s game as one-dimensional as possible.
Simply put, this is a front seven that competes with the upper echelon of college football fronts, and after seeing Pavia torment Alabama with his feet, their focus will be on not letting that happen.
But, in the same respect, this Kentucky front seven has only gotten to the quarterback 10 times this year, which is tied for the second least in the conference, but if a squad can be third in rushing defense, it can spare lapses in the pass rush.
To summarize, Pavia will have to beat Kentucky through the air to get out of Lexington with a win and, while that has far and away been more effective for opponents when getting down the field, the Cats still boast the fifth best pass defense in the SEC.
Kentucky fans will sleep better the night before the game if corner Maxwell Hairston is available for Saturday’s game but, even in his absence, a plethora of playmakers have made themselves known.
Whether its Zion Childress against Georgia or JQ Hardaway against Ole Miss, Kentucky’s secondary has repeatedly made it known that it is not a one-man show.
The Wildcat defense is legitimate and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that it measures up to some of the best in the country.
This is a defense that held the No. 1 team in the country at the time to three first-half points and, from a front-seven standpoint, one could argue it is second only to Tennessee.
Vanderbilt will enter Lexington with confidence after its big win last week, but if the Kentucky front seven play to their capabilities, it won’t leave with it.
Regardless, in all instances of pregame predictions, they will eventually get proven right or wrong, and that will happen on Saturday as Kentucky hosts the Commodores with the kick slated for 7:45 p.m. as the Cats look for a second consecutive conference win.
