After Action Review: Vanderbilt

[caption id="attachment_208707" align="alignnone" width="975"] History[/caption] An After Action Review, or AAR, is a US Army evaluation tool used to analyze an intended mission/action. Let’s apply this method to the Kentucky-Vanderbilt football game:

WHAT WERE INTENDED RESULTS

-Win the football game

WHAT WERE ACTUAL RESULTS

-Won the football game 20-13

WHAT CAUSED OUR RESULTS

-Center Jon Toth registered 9 knockdown blocks and led a 2-deep offensive line than commanded the line of scrimmage as well as cleared a path for 258 rushing yards. UK OL established an effective security perimeter around Stephen Johnson and did not allow a QB sack. -Linebackers counter-attacked up the middle and properly defended the both flanks. -Sustained team effort, desire, and passion. It also displayed resiliency in the face of adversity. -Mike Edwards entered the upper echelon of SEC safeties.

WHAT WILL WE SUSTAIN? IMPROVE?

SUSTAIN

Run game -Kentucky maneuvered the football for 258 yards. Benny Snell Led the Way with 94 yards off 20 carries. JoJo Kemp resurfaced in the Wildcat: 12 rushes, 60 yards, 1 TD. Boom Williams added 54 yards. QB Stephen Johnson contributed 55 yards and 1 touchdown. Offensive line depth and production -Center Jon Toth was named the SEC’s Offensive Lineman of the Week after playing every offensive snap against one of the league’s better collection of defensive linemen and linebackers. Every position other than center often rotated throughout the game. Establishing a 2-deep OL is a new development. Linebackers -The foursome correctly pursued against the run which led to lessened cut-back lanes. Courtney Love’s statistics weren’t monumental, but the junior was at the Tip of the Spear. -Courtney Love: 4 tackles -Jordan Jones: 5 tackles, 1 Tackle for Loss, 1 QB sack, 2 QB hurries -Josh Allen: 6 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.5 QB sacks, 1 QB hurry -Denzil Ware: 6 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 QB sacks, 1 QB hurry Run defense -Sophomore OLB’s Josh Allen and Denzil Ware both have recorded 4.5 QB sacks for the season. As a team UK has registered 14 QB sacks through 6 games. The team totaled 17 for the 2015 season. -The SEC’s leading rusher Ralph Webb entered Saturday averaging 116 yards per game. He finished with 100 yards from 18 carries. The Cats limited the Commodores to 141 rush yards for the game. Defensive line development -The Wildcats were down 2 starting defensive line from the beginning of Basic Training: NT Matt Elam and DT Regie Meant. Coach Jimmy Brumbaugh has strategically developed and deployed defensive linemen as the group has shown vast structural and technical growth. DE Courtney Miggins was not a stat sheet star, but the senior was directive in lane/gap obligations. He and Alvonte Bell deflected a pass in critical situations. NT Naquez Pringle and DT Adrian Middleton played a high number of snaps and maintained proper leverage, offered disruption, and supplied run-gap responsibility. [caption id="attachment_208706" align="alignnone" width="975"] Biography[/caption]

IMPROVE

Turnovers Boom Williams’ early 3^rd quarter fumble resulted in a Vanderbilt scoop and score. This play transitioned momentum to the enemy. QB Stephen Johnson threw an interception soon later. A turnover-free 1^st half was fruitful. The 2^nd half was a struggle; this is a direct result of the two turnovers. 2-minute defense -Vanderbilt began its final drive of the game on its own 28-yard line with 1:33 on the clock. It finished the drive on the UK 13. -QB Kyle Shurmer completed passes of: 10, 6, 5, 16, 14, 4 and 9 yards. -Shurmur was 6-10 for 49 yards in just over one minute as Kentucky faltered in 2-minute defense. The Cats presented an appearance of a Prevent defense while not impeding the Shurmur’s progression. -Kentucky regained possession on its 13-yard line as Vandy turned the football over on downs following a Shurmur-Lipscomb incompletion. Passing game -QB Stephen Johnson was inaccurate: 10-24, 49 yards, 1 INT. With capable playmakers at receiver and TE, UK must increase this aspect in order to not become one-dimensional. Johnson’s pocket mechanics and throwing motion took a step backward on Saturday. At times the junior appeared to tighten up during critical portions of the game. Johnson’s shot group was not zeroed but we later learned he played with an injured wrist. All deficiencies and no-goes require immediate remedies during the bye week. -Special Teams -UK incurred 3 separate penalties during one punt return play. -Darius Simms returned a kickoff 65 yards to the UK 35-yard line following an Austin MacGinniss field goal that extended the lead to 17-3. -Kentucky failed to conquer in a point-blank punt block opportunity. After not finishing the block, the football was punted and ultimately rolled in strong favor of the Commodores. Missed opportunity. -Punt returner Ryan White muffed a punt return, Eli Brown pounced on the football for a much-needed, special team’s turnover. Later in the game a second punt was dropped; JD Harmon had an opportunity to scoop and score. However, Harmon and other Wildcats did not recover the bobbled punt return. Vandy fell on the ball and prevented a momentum shifting and possible game-sealing 3^rd phase play. Punting -Grant McKinniss was averaging 41 yards per punt prior to Saturday. He averaged 36.2 vs. Vanderbilt.