Nashville, TENN--If Clark Lea's defense makes one small mistake it could result in six.

Vanderbilt will have to prepare for a challenge that will require it to be sound schematically and to play a nearly mistake-free game defensively to contain No. 5 Texas' offense.

That's a result of the explosiveness of Steve Sarkisian's playmakers.

"The speed on the field is unique," Lea said of Texas. "It feels like every offensive skill player was somewhere sub 10 500 meter in high school. They all have home run potential...One seam and they can hit the gas and score."

“They got a lot of speed everywhere," Vanderbilt STAR Randon Fontenette added.

That speed has resulted in an offense that's produced 3,232 yards, which ranks third in the SEC. Texas is also third in the conference in yards per game.

Vanderbilt's defense ranks 10th in the league in the league rankings for that side of the ball, an offense like Texas' could easily drop it in those rankings if it's not sharp.

"We’re gonna have to be really, really on our game," Lea said. "There’s so many ways they can get the ball to the end zone in an explosive manner."

Texas has put together the league's third best scoring attack and has punched in 39.1 points per game. That's also a result of its playcalling.

Sarkisian has made a point of getting his speed into space.

"What’s been interesting has been to see the number of short timing throws and quick space they’re able to create formationally and how quickly the quarterback gets the ball out of his hands," Lea said. "When you see chunk plays it feels like they come in waves. I think Sark does a nice job with tempos, too.

"When he feels like he’s getting momentum he’ll kinda push the gas down and try to seize it."

If Vanderbilt gives Texas a chance to get rolling and to take an opportunity to capitalize on momentum, it will have a hole to dig out of.

Lea has felt fortunate throughout the season that he's not had to dig out of that hole as a result of the success of Vanderbilt's ball control offense.

Perhaps more important than Lea's defense staying out of one on ones and sticking to its leverage is its offense's ability to keep it off the field.

"When we’ve done that this season no matter who we’ve played against we’ve been able to kind of find our way in a competitive game," Lea said of controlling the ball. "We’ve talked about every time that they snap it and they’re not in the end zone, that actually is playing into our strategy so we’re trying to get them to snap it over and over and over again."

Saturday's contest will show Vanderbilt's defense how it stacks up against what is the best statistical offense that it's faced to this point.

How it responds to that test will determine whether a chance at a second top-five win is realistic.