Kentucky football will host Vanderbilt under the lights at Kroger Field on Saturday night, as it is the final game before the Wildcats enter a much needed bye week. The first College Football Playoff rankings will happen in two weeks after the Wildcats bye week, and there is a great chance we see Kentucky on the graphic if they can improve to 7-1 against Vanderbilt. There shouldn't be any extra motivation needed, as a lot of these players remember the beatdown that happened in Nashville last season when Vanderbilt defeated Kentucky 45-17 in a blowout fashion. Kentucky has an opportunity to return the favor on Saturday, as the Commodores have one of the worst defenses in the SEC.
Vanderbilt is struggling in a lot of ways on the defensive side of the football, and Kentucky's offense should be able to capitalize. The Commodores rank last in the SEC in pressure rate and tackle for loss rate, they have had a difficult time of forcing negative plays. Vanderbilt also allows the highest success rate in conference, and Kentucky ranks fourth in the SEC in offensive success rate. The real key to watch in my opinion is early down conversion rate and third down conversion rate, Vanderbilt's defense allows the highest percentage to opponents in the SEC; Kentucky's offense is one of the best in the country at converting on early downs and they have a chance to improve on third downs this weekend.
There are a few players to watch on Vanderbilt's defense, and we will get more into that when we release our X factors for the game. It starts up front with veteran edge defender Miles Capers and defensive tackle Issa Ouattara who is a massive 6'7, 305-pound lineman that clogs up the middle. On the back end, senior safety CJ Heard is a player who plays in the box and can make plays all over the field; Heard is dangerous as a blitzer, he is a sure tackler and is probably the best player on the team in coverage. However, there is a stark contrast in this defense compared to the one the Wildcats just faced in Oklahoma.
Vanderbilt has allowed 121 total points in their last three games against Georgia, Ole Miss and Arkansas. The Commodores are allowing 40 points per game over the last three weeks. This is probably the worst defense left on Kentucky's schedule. This creates a perfect opportunity for the Wildcats to get things going offensively to improve to 7-1 heading into the bye week.
Vanderbilt has the lowest pressure and tackle for loss rate in the SEC, as previously mentioned, so this is a game where all eyes are on the Kentucky offensive line. This is a game they should dominate, they can get movement in the running game and keep Minchey clean for 60 minutes. Vanderbilt is allowing over four yards per carry and 146 rushing yards per game. You have to wonder if the coaching staff keeps CJ Baxter out of this game to get him to the bye week so he is as close to 100% as possible for the final stretch; this could be another heavy Jason Patterson and Jovantae Barnes game.
Kentucky has yet to put together four quarters of football where they are firing on all cylinders. I think this is the game we could see that play out, specifically from an offensive standpoint. Now that the Wildcats are in the thick of the College Football Playoff hunt, how you win in these games can matter to a degree. Kentucky needs a dominant win on Saturday to keep that momentum going into the bye week.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Vanderbilt defense preview: Kentucky offense can dominate