Nashville, TENN--Vanderbilt has seen just about everything through four SEC games, but it hasn't seen this.

Containing Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter, who is the SEC's leading rusher, is a tall task. Particularly for a team that hasn't faced any of the SEC's five leading rushers thus far.

Clark Lea's team will have to find a way to contain him to get out of Auburn with a win on Saturday, though.

That proved to be too much of an ask for Kentucky's defense last weekend as Auburn picked up an upset win in Lexington behind Hunter's 278 rushing yards. Those yards came on 12.1 yards per carry.

A performance like that was hard to look past for Lea.

"Obviously that’s been a huge focus in our early preparation," Lea said of containing Hunter. "He’s a really good player, he’s gonna run through tackles and if you don’t have your body into contact he’s gonna bounce off ya and he’s got the ability to accelerate."

That's easier said than done for Vanderbilt, which ranks ninth in the SEC in rushing yards per game surrendered.

Vanderbilt's defense has looked susceptible in the past on the ground like in its matchup with Missouri in which it gave up 216 yards on the ground, but also surrendered just 188 combined against Alabama and Texas.

This isn't comparable to any of those matchups in Vanderbilt safety CJ Taylor's mind, though.

"He’s a talented back, one of the best backs in the country," Taylor said of Hunter. "Obviously he presents a different challenge."

Vanderbilt saw that firsthand that last season as Hunter went for a season-high 183 yards against the Commodores on 9.6 yards per carry.

A look at Hunter takes Lea back to 2022 and memories of a former Vanderbilt running back rather than 2023, though.

"He runs behind his pads really well, he keeps his balance, reminds me a lot of Ray Davis in that way," Lea said. “He is physical. You see him at Georgia running through tackles on the perimeter for a touchdown and that’s true every game this year."

In all likelihood Vanderbilt won't be able to shut Hunter down, but it can't let him put on an encore to his career day in Lexington.

Whether that's the case could be the difference on Saturday.