Resurgent Vanderbilt poses tough test for Kentucky

Two teams coming off monumental wins will meet Saturday night in Lexington, Ky., when Kentucky hosts Vanderbilt in a Southeastern Conference clash.

Vanderbilt (3-2, 1-1) scored the biggest win in program history last Saturday, shocking then-No. 1 Alabama 40-35.

Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia was 16-of-20 passing for 252 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 56 yards. Vanderbilt didn’t turn the ball over and held it for just over 42 minutes.

Kentucky (3-2, 1-2) stunned then-sixth-ranked Ole Miss 20-17 in Oxford, Miss., in its most recent game Sept. 28.

Quarterback Brock Vandagriff (243 yards, one touchdown) had his best game in his first season with the Wildcats, and the defense held the Rebels to 353 yards.

Both teams also have felt the sting of disappointment.

For Vanderbilt, that came in a 36-32 loss at Georgia State on Sept. 14.

“We’ve got to double down on our technique, double down on what we do regardless of who we play because everybody is going to play hard no matter what the type of game it is,” Commodores running back Sedrick Alexander said.

Kentucky has come a long way since losing 31-6 in its conference opener to South Carolina on Sept. 7, and Wildcats coach Mark Stoops acknowledged this week to reporters that Vanderbilt has, too. The Commodores haven’t had a winning season since 2013.

“Coming into this press conference, I don’t have to work about selling Vanderbilt anymore and telling you how good they are, how good (coach) Clark Lea has done,” Stoops said, referencing the Commodores’ big win.

Vanderbilt’s offense vs. the Wildcats’ defense will be the strength-on-strength matchup everyone wants to see.

Kentucky has allowed an average of just 13.4 points per contest, ranking 11th nationally.

The Wildcats feature standouts across the field, including 6-foot-6, 345-pound defensive tackle Deone Walker, experienced edge players in D’Eryk Jackson (a team-leading 26 tackles) and J.J. Weaver (three sacks), along with cornerback Maxwell Hairston, who had a pair of pick-6s against the Commodores last season.

Alabama never solved Vanderbilt’s option-based plays last week and also had trouble with shovel passes to tight end Eli Stowers (25 catches, 333 yards), who’s also thrown a touchdown this season.

Kentucky receivers Dane Key, Barion Brown and Ja’Mori Maclin could cause issues against a defense that’s had trouble with athletic wideouts.

However, the Wildcats have allowed 15 sacks and thrown four interceptions, which could be an issue against a defense that forced two turnovers (one, a Randon Fontenette pick-6) vs. Alabama.

–Field Level Media