Hot off the heels of a major upset over, at the time, No. 1 Alabama, the Vanderbilt Commodores are traveling to Lexington with confidence on Saturday.
Vandy’s high scoring offense is led by New Mexico State transfer quarterback Diego Pavia, who moves the chains both through the air and on the ground.
The dual threat QB is the team’s leading rusher with 338 yards on 91 carries for two touchdowns, a stat line defensive coordinator Brad White has heard all week long.
“He’s so savvy and he’s got so much moxie, so much toughness to him,” White said on Wednesday. “I know there’s been a lot of Johnny Manziel comparisons… my initial thought when I first watched him was sort of Baker Mayfield.”
A true gunslinger like Mayfield, keeping Pavia upright in the pocket won’t be the easiest solution for this Kentucky defense as he can also win vertically down the field.
Pavia deservedly receives most of the attention, but there will also be an emphasis on putting a stop to running back Sedrick Alexander, who gives a nice balance to Pavia’s play style.
Alexander provides the “north to south” running component of the Vanderbilt offense and has the points to show for it, racking up five touchdowns in five games this season.
Thankfully for Wildcat fans, Kentucky may have just the right defensive scheme and players to put a stop to the high-flying Vanderbilt Commodores offense.
Kentucky’s front seven is up there with not just the top of the SEC, but with the best in the nation.
Through five games on the year, the Deone-Walker-led D-line has allowed just 391 rushing yards for an average of 2.83 yards per carry, which ranks sixth amongst all power-four schools.
“We have a lot of guys who can get after that really does help us,” cornerback Kristian Story said. “It takes some stress off of us, whether it’s in the pass game the quarterback has to get the ball out fast, or in the run game, we’re really non-factor in the run game.”
Between Walker, who garners enough attention on his own, Octavious Oxendine and J.J. Weaver, who sit with two and three sacks a piece, the quietly deep front seven may force the Commodores to rely on the passing game for success.
This sounds slightly daunting at first as the Cats are entering their second straight game without star cornerback Maxwell Hairston, but it may not be as bad as what was initially thought.
Without Hairston, the Wildcats still managed to hold college football’s highest scoring offense — at the time — to less than 20 points at Ole Miss as transfer cornerbacks Story and DJ Waller stepped up big time.
“My confidence definitely up there now,” Waller said after practice. “My team believing in me, making them plays. Leaving me out there, we can step up while Max is down.”
Putting a stop to an offense averaging 38.4 points per game is a tall order, but this is a Kentucky football team whose strengths lie within its defense.
Kentucky and Vanderbilt will kick off this Saturday, Oct. 12 at 7:45 p.m. EST and will air live on the SEC Network.
