NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt football held its eighth practice of fall camp Friday for what was a shorter practice than its first seven practices. It was the final practice before the team had its first scrimmage Saturday.While it was a shorter practice, there were some noteworthy things that did happen. There was a good bit of live reps, there were still some practice standouts on the day, including on the defense.Vanderbilt’s defense made some of the more memorable plays in Friday’s practice. Here are a few takeaways going into the first scrimmage.Guys That Will be Relied on Heavily DeliveredIt was a really good day for Vanderbilt safeties Ricardo Jones and Dontae Carter. The two combined for maybe the three most memorable plays of the practice on the defensive side of things.Jones was in the area of the ball quite often and found ways to get a hand on multiple different balls throughout the practice. It sounds obvious that Jones would have a good practice considering he led the ACC in interceptions a year ago at Clemson before arriving in Nashville. And that is the point. Jones had perhaps his best practice of fall camp thus far, which is always an encouraging sign that players the coaching staff expects to deliver do so in a big way.Carter was another player on defense that was around the ball quite a bit. He even made a big play defensively as well. Before Friday, Carter had not really had a splash play in practice, but he got on Friday. Overall it has been a solid camp for Carter and it seems as though he is trending upward with his performance in camp.Though Vanderbilt safety Davin Chandler has continued to make plays and seemed to be closing the gap for the third safety on the depth chart at points over this past week, it looks like Carter has started to get going in his performance.Cayden Daniels Keeps Showing the Coaches Good StuffIt is starting to sound like a broken record now, but Vanderbilt cornerback Cayden Daniels had another good practice Friday. Specifically, Daniels looked really good guarding guys in coverage, holding his own without much of an issue.Daniels also was able to find himself in the area of the ball quite a bit during the practice. Although Daniels may not end up being in a starting role for Vanderbilt’s defense, he has looked like a solid option to come off the sideline and into a game when his number is called upon.The main thing that stands out about Daniels through eight days is his consistency. He has been pretty consistent in how he has looked in practice, which is one of the best things his coaches could ask for from him.Saturday’s Scrimmage Will be an Interesting Watch in the TrenchesThere is not a ton to take away from what the defensive line showed in Friday’s practice. There were times where it looked like the defensive line was disruptive, but it could have also been due to a result of the quarterback holding the ball for too long.Going into the first scrimmage, though, there should be something or multiple things to take from what the defense shows in the trenches. The most important thing to look for from the scrimmage, at least on defense, will be how the defensive line looks.Does the defensive line get pressure and how much pressure? How does the run defense look against an offensive line that is continuing to make improvements in camp? Passing wise, which guys are able to come off the edge and get in the backfield?There will be a lot to look for in the trenches when the teams go against each other Saturday.Follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Threads and Blue Sky for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow