LEXINGTON, Ky. — Watching from the visiting team sideline at Kroger Field, Vanderbilt football head coach Clark Lea thought he saw his team get the identity that it has been searching for so long for.
Vanderbilt got off to a strong start on both sides of the ball for the first 20 minutes. The Commodores controlled the game to the point where they had the ball for 14 minutes than Kentucky did and Vanderbilt’s defense was on the field for only six total plays in two drives.
Finally, the moment Vanderbilt has been waiting for had arrived. But then, a sudden change. Vanderbilt saw its 10-0 lead disappear after Kentucky scored three consecutive touchdowns, moving up and down the field with ease.
If it sounds familiar, that is because it is familiar. Last week, Vanderbilt started strong, especially on defense. The Commodores defense shut down Arkansas the first couple times the Razorbacks were on offense. By the end of the night, Vanderbilt had given up 31 points. Saturday, it gave up 34 to Kentucky in the final three quarters.
Every time Vanderbilt has felt like it has finally found something defensively, it starts slacking and starts to give up points. It has been able to start well, but eventually wears out fast. What is the root of the issue? Is it as simple as Vanderbilt’s opponents have been able to make more plays?
Lea credited Kentucky for its execution and the ability to adjust, but more importantly, he felt like the reason for the defense’s quick sputtering was due to who saw and made adjustments faster.
“What I experienced in the moment was they moved down their sheet faster than we moved down on our sheet. That led us to chasing a little bit,” Lea said.
It is a candid comment from Lea. Acknowledging that your opponent saw what it was getting tripped up by and fixed the issue faster than when Lea figured out what changed with his defense is not an easy thing to do.
Maybe after Lea watches the film, the answer as to what went wrong defensively will be a little more nuanced.
Looking at his defense Saturday, Lea compared it to water gradually building up against a dam that eventually burst open. Once Kentucky was able to get a drive going and get Vanderbilt’s defense a little uncomfortable, that is when things started to go wrong.
Once Kentucky got a few first downs under its belt and it started to get out of its own territory, the Wildcats moved like hunters attacking their prey. And eventually, the dam broke to the tune of three consecutive touchdown drives spanning from the midway point of the second quarter through the first possession of the second half.
“At the end of the day, the middle stretch: touchdown, touchdown, touchdown. We didn’t get to our adjustments fast enough. And like I said, when the dam broke, the water crashed through and we couldn’t make a stand, so we got to play better,” Lea said.
In the first quarter, Vanderbilt held Kentucky to just 14 yards of offense. In the final three quarters, the Commodores allowed 362 yards of offense. Obviously, that is a stat that will only disappoint Lea.
Seeing the opponent adjusting faster than you has to be the most frustrating part about the defensive issues for Vanderbilt. Some portion of the issues is likely the scheme and some of it is the execution of the plays. Those can be fixed, but the rate at which adjustments are made defensively is the crucial part.
Going forward, Vanderbilt will look to make sure it does not get burned in the way it did against Kentucky. The Commodores are heading into the bye week 3-5 and looking for answers on defense. Vanderbilt has allowed 31 or more points in each of the past four games.
Whether any effective changes are made on defense will be seen in two weeks. For now, the Commodores will look to find something to build off during the bye.
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