Last MeetingIn the last meeting between the two teams, Kentucky posted a 17-7 win, riding a strong defensive performance to the first SEC win in the Coach Mark Stoops era. 21-17 Commodores still leading. Kentucky Wildcats recorded 244.5 passing yards and 142.6 rushing yards while allowed 232.4 passing yards and 182.3 russhing yards with turnover differential of 0.4. Now the Commodores look to pull off the upset win at home.
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In head coach John Calipari’s first six seasons at Kentucky, the Wildcats have advanced to the Final Four four times, played for the national championship twice, and won the national title once, in 2012. Still, the offense needs to step up at least a few, though Kentucky held the Commodores to only a defensive touchdown in their last meeting. Sophomore TB Boom Williams has led the rushing attack with 563 yards and three TDs, with junior QB Patrick Towles throwing for 2,011 yards and 10 TDs.
Kentucky led early on Austin MacGinnis’s 39-yard field goal, but came away with nothing after a first-and-goal from the Vanderbilt 1-yard line later in the quarter after a fourth-down stop of quarterback Patrick Towles by linebacker Stephen Weatherly.
The competition at quarterback between Patrick Towles and Drew Barker was open anew, making for a compelling week.
On Kentucky’s next possession, Barker was intercepted by Oren Burks, who returned the pick 30 yards for a touchdown to give Vanderbilt a 14-10 lead before the half. He finished 13-of-26 for 166 yards and two touchdowns.
Johnny McCrary completed only three passes for 30 yards against Florida.
The second half started more listlessly. Running back Ralph Webb picked up most of his 133 yards on 33 carries in the third quarter, as UK’s defense grew exhausted and the Vandy offensive line started to control the line of scrimmage.
That still proved to be more than enough. Vanderbilt gained only 11 yards with their first three drives of the fourth quarter.
Stanley “Boom” Williams, playing his first game since suffering a left elbow injury in a loss to Tennessee on Halloween, led the Wildcats with 115 rushing yards on 13 carries.
United Kingdom gets a great opportunity again, but blows it again. UK’s offense would finish the game with 352 yards, but two turnovers, a missed field goal and Vandy’s red-zone defense may as well have wiped out 150 of those yards. United Kingdom totaled 384 total yards, including 201 in the air. That’s probably little solace to UK’s players, as they are experiencing another late-season collapse.
Kentucky got the ball back with ten seconds remaining the game. At the moment, history is poised to repeat itself. Vanderbilt closes with Texas A&M and Tennessee. It will be a hard path to a bowl berth, but Vandy’s defense should give the Commodores a fighting chance in both games.
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Despite its four-game losing streak, Kentucky is still in the hunt for a bowl berth and a win Saturday at Vanderbilt would certainly help the Wildcats’ cause. That defense deserves to run free and dominate well into December.
