Yahoo Sports SEC football final: Vanderbilt 20, Kentucky 13
After a bye week, the Kentucky Wildcats play host to the Vanderbilt Commodores, who are coming off an upset victory over then-No. 1 Alabama. Game time is 7:45 p.m. with television coverage on the SEC Network.
Mark Stoops’ Kentucky team improved to 3-2 with a 20-17 win over then-No. 6 Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, on Sept. 28.
Vanderbilt is led by quarterback Diego Pavia for coach Clark Lea. The Commodores are 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the SEC. Vandy lost 30-27 in overtime at Missouri on Sept. 21.
Jon Hale, Mark Story, Ryan Hermens and yours truly will be in the press box on Saturday. Follow us on X/Twitter at @jonhale_hl, @markcstory, @ryanhermens and @johnclayiv.
Or you can follow a Kentucky football X/Twitter list by clicking here.
Final: Vanderbilt 20, Kentucky 13
▪ Vanderbilt beats Kentucky 20-13 to improve to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the SEC. Kentucky dropped to 3-3 overall and 1-3 in the SEC. The Wildcats did so after committing 12 penalties for 106 yards.
▪ On fourth-and-21, Kentucky throws an incomplete pass with 1:02 left. And that should do it.
▪ D’Eryk Jackson sacks Pavia for 14-yard loss that forces Vanderbilt to punt. Kentucky had a good return by Barion Brown brought back by an illegal block penalty. UK takes over at own 20 with 2:26 left needing a touchdown.
▪ Kentucky drives 75 yards in six plays to cut Vandy lead to 20-13 with 7:02 left. Vandagriff hit Key with a 22-yard scoring pass. The extra point try was botched by a low snap that holder Wilson Berry couldn’t handle. Second straight error on the operation for a kick.
▪ Brock Taylor kicks his second field goal of the night. This one is from 50 yards, to go with his earlier 49-yarder. Vanderbilt now leads Kentucky 20-7 with 8:47 left in the game.
▪ Stats through three quarters
▪ Kentucky drove to a first-and-goal at the Vanderbilt 6-yard line. Commodores were called for offsides, but Stoops took the 5-yard run for second-and-goal at the 1. A false start penalty, then an incomplete pass led set up a field goal attempt. But Wilson Berry dropped the snap. Long story short: Kentucky ends up with no points at the 1:50 mark of third quarter. Still down 17-7.
▪ Vanderbilt takes second half kickoff and drives down for a 49-yard field goal by Brock Taylor for a 17-7 lead with 7:51 left in the third quarter.
▪ Vanderbilt leads Kentucky 14-7 at the half. Undisciplined half by the Cats. And there was a lot of talk this week about how UK had play disciplined football against these Commodores. UK was penalized eight times for 71 yards. Mark Stoops’ team entered the game 25th nationally in penalty yards per game at 41.2.
▪ After three straight incomplete passes by UK’s Brock Vandagriff, Vanderbilt drove 60 yards in six plays to take a 14-7 lead with 13 seconds left before halftime. Diego Pavia threw his second TD pass of the night, this one 18 yards to Richie Hoskins.
▪ We’re still tied at 7-7 at Kroger Field with 2:24 left in the first half. After recovering a Dane Key fumble, Vanderbilt moved to midfield. Jamon Dumas-Johnson’s sack of Diego Pavia led to a 12-yard loss and basically ended the Commodores’ possession.
▪ Play was stopped with 10:19 left in the first half when Vanderbilt defensive player Miles Capers was apparently seriously injured. Capers was strapped to a board and taken off on a stretcher. The entire Vandy team came out on the field to see Capers before he was taken to the VU locker room.
▪ On Vandy’s second possession, Pavia threw his first interception of the season. UK linebacker D’Eryk Jackson made the juggling pick in the UK 36-yard line.
▪ Kentucky drove 78 yards in 12 plays to tie the game at 7-7 with 13:42 left in the first half. Demie Sumo-Karngbaye did the honors from a yard out.
▪ Vanderbilt has a 7-0 lead over Kentucky at end of first quarter. UK ended the quarter with the ball at the Commodores’ 11-yard line.
▪ Here are first-quarter stats.
▪ Vanderbilt picked up where it left off from its win last week over Alabama. The Commodores marched 93 yards in eight plays on their first drive for a 7-0 lead. Quarterback Diego Pavia rushed for 50 yards on five carries before hitting AJ Newberry for a 20-yard touchdown with 4:50 left in the first quarter.
▪ Kentucky’s first drive was basically killed by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on receiver Dane Key after he made a 10-yard catch to the Vanderbilt 29. UK ended up punting on the possession.
Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt prediction: Can Wildcats spoil Commodores’ Cinderella story?
Where to watch, how to follow Saturday’s Kentucky football game vs. Vanderbilt
How Kentucky football and Vanderbilt match up — with a game prediction
The next task for Kentucky’s vaunted defense is stopping college football’s breakout star
The hopes and fears for UK football fans about Kentucky’s game vs. high-flying Vandy
After a bye week, Kentucky football could have one of its preseason stars available again
Even Mark Stoops is baffled by Kentucky football’s recent ‘home-field disadvantage’
Vanderbilt proves college football has turned upside down, just not how we expected
Upset win at Ole Miss is a testament to Kentucky football’s bodysurfing head coach
How has the first year of legal sports gambling in Kentucky gone? It’s a winning bet.
