Kentucky-Vanderbilt Postgame Notes

VANDERBILT AT KENTUCKY
OCTOBER 24, 2026
KROGER FIELD AT C.M. NEWTON GROUNDS – LEXINGTON, KY
ATTENDANCE: 61,843

FINAL SCORE: No. 12 Kentucky 34, Vanderbilt 17

Team Records and Series Information

• Winning its sixth straight game, Kentucky is 7-1 overall, 5-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt is 3-5 overall, 0-5 in the league.
• Kentucky leads the series, 49-45-4, including 27-17-2 in games played in Lexington. (Note: series record does not include Kentucky’s 2021 win that was later vacated by the NCAA.)

Next Game

• Kentucky has its lone open date of the season on Oct. 31.
• The Wildcats return to action Nov. 7 at Tennessee, which also has an open date next week. Kickoff is set between 6-8 p.m.; exact kickoff time and television assignment will be announced Monday.

What the Win Means for the Wildcats

• Kentucky’s 7-1 record is the Wildcats’ best start since the 2018 squad opened 7-1.
• Kentucky has won six in a row (in the same season) for the first time since the 2021 team won its first six games. (Note: the 2021 wins were vacated later by the NCAA. The last official six-game win streak was when the 1977 team won the last nine games of the season.)

* Kentucky has trailed in all six games of the current win streak.

• Kentucky went 4-0 this month, the first undefeated October for UK since 1977.
• Kentucky’s 5-1 SEC record is the Wildcats’ best league start since the 1977 team went 6-0 for the entire season.
• Kentucky has won five SEC games in a row for only the third time in school history. The 1950 team won its first five league games that season and the 1977 team posted a 6-0 SEC record.
• Will Stein is the first Kentucky head coach to be 7-1 in his first season in 117 years, since E. R. Sweetland opened 7-1 in 1909.
  • Stein is the first coach in UK history to begin 5-1 in SEC play in his first season (SEC football began in 1933).

Team Notes

• After getting behind 10-0, Kentucky scored on six straight possessions.

* This is the largest margin of victory in a game when Kentucky trailed by at least 10 points since 2019 at Vanderbilt.  In that game, UK trailed by 11 but rallied to win by 24 points (38-14).  Tonight, UK came back from 10 down to win by 17 points.

• After gaining just 14 yards with no first downs in the first quarter, the Wildcats piled up 362 yards and 24 first downs in the final three quarters.
• The Kentucky defense limited Vanderbilt to 15 net rushing yards.

* That is the fewest rushing yards by a UK opponent since Southern Mississippi had only five yards in 2024.

* That is the fewest rushing yards by a UK opponent in an SEC game since Vanderbilt had minus-29 yards in 1996.

• Kentucky has held three straight SEC opponents under 100 rushing yards for the first time since 1999.
• UK won the turnover margin 2-0 tonight against the Commodores and has won or tied the turnover margin in every game this season.
  • Kentucky entered the game leading the SEC with a plus-11 turnover margin.
  • Kentucky has forced at least two turnovers in seven straight games.
• With a touchdown in the last four minutes of the first half and a TD in the first four minutes of the second half, Kentucky won the “middle eight” 14-0.

* So far this season, Kentucky leads 79-27 in the “middle eight.”

• Kentucky has scored at least 31 points in six of the first eight games, first time that has happened since 2010.
• Kentucky had two quarterbacks score rushing touchdowns tonight, first time that has happened since 2018 vs. Murray State (Terry Wilson and Danny Clark).
• Having incurred the fewest penalties in the SEC entering tonight’s game, the Wildcats were flagged only three times tonight for 24 yards.
• Kentucky tight ends combined for another productive game, totaling seven catches for 70 yards.
  • UK tight ends have totaled 57 receptions this season, the most in the first eight games of a season since the tight ends caught 67 in the first eight games of 2000.

Player Notes

• QB Kenny Minchey completed 19 of 26 passes for 203 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
  • Minchey has thrown 232 passes to start the season with only one interception. That’s a record for the most pass attempts for a UK QB to begin a season with only one interception.
  • Minchey now has the second-longest streak of consecutive passing attempts without an interception in UK history (200).
  • He was also more involved in the running game tonight. Not including sack yardage, he rushed four times for 30 yards, including a one-yard burrow for a touchdown that essentially clinched the game in the fourth quarter.
• QB Brennan Ward played only one play but it was vital.
  • On the first possession of the second half, he entered the game with the ball on the Vanderbilt 10-yard line.
  • Ward lined up alongside fellow QB Kenny Minchey, saw Minchey go in motion to the left, took a shotgun snap and scampered untouched off the right side for a 10-yard touchdown. It is his first collegiate score.
  • It came on his first career rushing attempt.
• TE Willie Rodriguez led the Wildcat receivers with six catches for 67 yards.
  • He has a reception in 19 of 20 games and in all eight games this season.
  • Rodriguez notched his first career rushing touchdown in the final 30 seconds of the first half. Lined up in the “Willie-cat” formation at the one-yard line, he took a direct shotgun snap, rushed forward, stutter-stepped near the line of scrimmage, then scooted untouched around right end into the end zone.
  • He is the first UK tight end with at least five receptions in four straight SEC games since James Whalen in 1999.
  • He has caught 39 passes this season, most for a UK tight end in the first eight games since James Whalen in 1999.
• WR DJ Miller caught five passes, matching his career high, for 49 yards and a touchdown.
  • Miller hauled in his first touchdown reception of the season on a 9-yard strike from Kenny Minchey deep into the second quarter.
• WR Kenny Darby caught four passes for 71 yards.
  • He has 38 catches on the season, most for a UK freshman in his first eight games.
  • He leads the Cats with 507 receiving yards this season.
  • He has caught at least one pass in every game this season.
• RB Jovantae Barnes led the Wildcat ground game with 15 carries for 68 yards.
• S Jordan Castell led the Wildcats in tackles with eight stops.
• S Ty Bryant had an interception, six tackles and a pass breakup.
  • Early in the fourth quarter, he intercepted a pass and returned it 18 yards to the Vanderbilt 47-yard line, setting up UK’s final touchdown drive.
  • The interception was his fourth in the last three games. The last Wildcat to intercept a pass in three consecutive games was Danny Trevathan in 2011.
• DE Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace totaled five tackles, two tackles for loss (-5 yards), including a quarterback sack/caused fumble.
  • Late in the third quarter, he sacked the quarterback, causing a fumble that was recovered by Tavion Gadson at the Vanderbilt 17-yard line. UK capitalized with a field goal to extend the lead to two scores, 27-17.
  • Has made at least one havoc play (interception, fumble caused/recovered, quarterback sack, tackle for loss or quarterback hurry) in every game this season.
• DL Tavion Gadson had one tackle and pounced on a Commodore fumble, his second recovery of the season.
• DT Jamarion Harkless had a six-yard quarterback sack, his third QB takedown of the season.
• P Wilson Berry punted twice for a 49-yard average, including one downed at the five-yard line.
• First time starters: WR Ja’Kayden Ferguson

Game Captains

• S Jordan Castell, LB Grant Godfrey, QB Kenny Minchey, C Coleton Price