Vandy snaps 26-game SEC skid with dramatic win over Cats
Kentucky's Will Levis threw under pressure from Vanderbilt defensive end Nate Clifton during Saturday's game at Kroger Field. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor Edit
@JDrumUK
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky has been on the blushing end of several embarrassing losing streaks during it's often-rocky football history.
On Saturday, the Wildcats were on the wrong side of helping someone else end one.
Vanderbilt scored on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Mike Wright to Will Sheppared with 32 seconds remaining at Kroger Field to upset Kentucky 24-21 and end a 26-game SEC losing skid.
It was the Commodores' first win in league play since Oct. 19, 2019, against Missouri. Vanderbilt (4-6, 1-5 SEC) also snapped a six-game losing streak to UK.
Kentucky (6-4, 3-4 SEC) lost as an 18-point home favorite.
"We've got to look ourselves in the mirror and address the situation and address the things that are going on and respond one way or another," UK head coach Mark Stoops said. "... I'm sure the team is very hurt and embarrassed with the way they played. We all are."
"Not enough hype, not enough juice," UK quarterback Will Levis said. "We talked about it among us all week, and we did not buy into it. We did not play as hard as they did. We knew they were going to play hard as they play hard every single game you see them play, whether they lose by 50 or win... We knew that about them, and we did not match them today.”
On a cold, windy day that included snow flurries at Kroger Field, Kentucky struggled on the offensive side of the ball from start to finish. The Cats had three red-zone trips in the first half that produced only six points, got yet another field goal attempt blocked in a season plagued with special teams failutres, and finished the game with only 109 passing yards.
Levis was sacked four times by a Vandy defense that ranked last in the SEC entering the game with only 13 on the season. He completed only 11 of 23 attempts and also threw an interception to end the game.
The Commodores entered the day fielding the No. 125 defense in D1 football, allowing close to 37 points per game. Four of their previous six league opponents had scored at least 38 points, including three which topped 50.
"I felt that our defense set the tone early and that they positioned our team to win in the second half," Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said.
The lone bright spot for the Cats was senior running back Chris Rodriguez, who rushed for 162 yards on 18 carries and gave UK a 21-17 lead with a 72-yard touchdown run with 5:03 remaining in the game.
But it would not hold up.
"For whatever reason, I'm not getting it done with this team, getting them in a position to be successful," Stoops said.
*****
In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK loss...
KEY MOMENT:
Kentucky appeared to have the game in its hands when safety Tyrell Ajian intercepted the Commodores on 4th-and-7 with 2:25 remaining, but the potential game-clinching defensive play was overturned when defensive lineman Octavious Oxendine was flagged for illegal hands to the face when he ripped the helmet off the head of a Vanderbilt offensive lineman. Given new life, the Commodores took advantage. But they had to execute another do-or-die play, this time 4th-and-11 from the UK 49, and Mike Wright found Quincy Skinner deep behind the coverage for a 40-yard completion to set up the game-winning touchdown. The Dores picked on a UK reserve, Maxwell Hairston, who had just entered the game for the Cats' Carrington Valentine after the latter was inujured on the previous play.
GAME BALL:
Mike Wright, Vanderbilt -- The Commodores' quarterback had been benched earlier this season in favor of freshman AJ Swann, but the latter was unable to play today, opening the door for Wright to shine. He set the tone with a 59-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and finished with 184 through the air and 126 on the ground and one touchdown of each variety. Wright joined former Louisville star Lamar Jackson and former Tennessee standout Joshua Dobbs as the only quarterbacks since 2000 to have at least 175 yards passing, 125 yards rushing, one passing touchdown, and one rushing touchdown in a game against UK.
BY THE NUMBERS:
2 - One-hundred yard rushers for Vanderbilt (129 for Ray Davis and 126 for Mike Wright), the first time the Commodores have achieved that feat in an SEC game since 2001.
9 - Yards per carry by Kentucky's Chris Rodriguez. It marked the 19th 100-yard rushing game of his UK career.
11 of 17 - The Commodores' third-down conversions against a UK defense that entered the game ranked 13th in the nation allowing only a 30.2% success rate.
264 - Yards rushing by the Commodores, who averaged 6.0 yards per carry.
448 - Total yards for Vanderbilt. The unit entered the matchup averaging 353.6.
2007 - The last time the Commodores had a win against a ranked SEC opponent.
QUOTABLE:
"I have been thinking about what I want to say to the guys, but I think I need to look in the mirror first and say to myself what can I do to improve? If there is one point of emphasis that is the mentality. When you are engaged in football in any way the most attention-to-detail thing is focus and energy. You cannot be lackadaisical, and you cannot be lazy.” -- UK quarterback Will Levis
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action next week at Kroger Field against No. 1 Georgia, the defending national champions. Kickoff for the Cats and Dawgs is slated for 3:30 ET on CBS. Georgia (9-0, 6-0 SEC) is playing later tonight on the road against Mississippi State.
