Fast start, defensive scores carry Cats to 45-28 win at Vandy
Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston signals "two" to his teammates after his second interception return for a touchdown on Saturday in the Wildcats' 45-28 win at Vanderbilt. (Christopher Hanewinc/USA Today Sports)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor Edit
@JDrumUK
Kentucky defensive back Maxwell Hairston made history in an otherwise forgettable SEC opener for the Wildcats.
The sophomore corner from Michigan became the first player in program history to return two interceptions for touchdowns in the same game as the Cats claimed a 45-28 win at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville.
"Putting in that extra work, watching film, really studying what the opponent is doing helped me get results," said Hairston, who leads the team with three interceptions this season after moving into a starting role.
"The first one, I was just doing my job, watching the quarterback, and when I saw the ball in the air, I just triggered. Once I got it and saw nothing in front of me, nobody was going to stop me... The second one, just doing my job again, watching what they do, taking the whole formation, and having good eyes."
It was one of three interceptions on the day by the Kentucky defense, leading directly to 21 points for the winners. Those scores helped the Cats (4-0, 1-0 SEC) overcome a slew of mistakes, including 14 rushing plays that went for two or fewer years, a pair of interceptions, and 10 penalties for 105 yards in losses.
"For the most part, they were sensational," Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said of Hairston and his defensive unit. "Vanderbilt has good wideouts. They really are, and I know this: our defense came out with a chip on their shoulder. They really wanted to play well. They really took it personal that we were sloppy a year ago.
"Certainly, we had our moments offensively where we just got out of sync, whether it was a missed pass, a drop, a protection issue, the penalties. There's a lot of things to clean up, but you start 4-0, you win on the road in the SEC by 17 points, there's still a lot of good things to build on."
Kentucky led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter after a 36-yard touchdown run by JuTahn McClain, Hairston's first interception for a score, and a 2-yard touchdown run by former Vandy running back Ray Davis against his old team.
The margin grew to 24-0 after a 27-yard field goal by Alex Raynor with 4:53 left in the second quarter before things got a little uncomfortable for the Cats.
As the UK offense began to sputter, Vanderbilt (2-3, 0-1 SEC) converted a 41-yard field goal by Jacob Borcila with 2:51 to play and added a 7-yard touchdown run by Sedrick Alexander with just 18 seconds left in the half to make it a 24-10 game.
Another Borcila field goal, this one from 32 yards out, made it 24-13 at the 11:25 mark of the third quarter after the Commodores intercepted UK quarterback Devin Leary at the Cats' 16-yard line.
After another poor offensive possession by Kentucky, an interception by D'Eryk Jackson swung the momentum back in the Cats' favor. He lateraled the ball to defensive back Andru Phillips, who returned it 50 yards to the Vandy red zone. Davis' second touchdown run of the day made it 31-13 with 6:44 to go in the third.
Leary connected with receiver Dane Key on a 22-yard touchdown pass with 10:35 remaining in the fourth quarter to extend the Kentucky lead to 38-13. Hairston's second pick-6 of the day sealed the victory at the 4:15 mark.
*****
In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...
KEY MOMENT:
Although many remember this as "The Maxwell Hairston Game," and rightfully so, it may have been the other interception that ultimately made the difference. Kentucky linebacker D'Eryk Jackson came up with a huge play after Vanderbilt had completely seized the momentum at 24-13 and had the ball on the Cats' side of the field. After his pick and pitch to cornerback Andru Phillips for a 50-yard return to set up a UK touchdown, the game was never in question again.
GAME BALL:
Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky -- One of the easiest awards we've ever handed out. When you do something for the first time in program history, you get a game ball. Hairston was outstanding with four solo tackles, three pass break-ups, and two interceptions returned for touchdowns. He will likely be the SEC Defensive Player of the Week when the awards are announced Monday.
BY THE NUMBERS:
21 - Points in the first quarter matched UK's program-high.
31-160 - Despite a number of rushing attempts that went for short or negative yardage, the Cats still wound up with a productive total as Ray Davis totaled 78 yards and JuTahn McClain added 64.
40% - Completion rate for Vanderbilt quarterback AJ Swann, who was held to 16 of 40 by the UK defense for no touchdowns and three interceptions.
105 - Yards receiving by UK receiver Barion Brown, accounting for more than 50% of Devin Leary's 205 passing yards on the day.
49-43-4 - Kentucky's lead in the all-time series against Vanderbilt.
QUOTABLE:
"There were parts of it that were really good. Starting on the road at 11 o'clock on the road in an SEC game and jumping out to a 14-point lead was really important... Starting fast was really important today." -- UK head coach Mark Stoops
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns home to play Florida on Saturday at Kroger Field. The Gators (2-1, 1-0 SEC) will play Charlotte later tonight in Gainesville, Fla.
