Nov. 14, 2013

Kentucky will visit Southeastern Conference Eastern Division foe Vanderbilt for a lunchtime matchup on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 12:21 p.m. ET at Vanderbilt Stadium.

Kentucky at Vanderbilt
Sat., Nov. 16 – 12:21 p.m. ET Nashville, Tenn. Game Notes: UK | VU
Coverage
TV: SEC Network Live Video via ESPN3 Live Audio Live Stats Text Updates
UK	2013 Team Stats	VU
23.2	Scoring/game	32.1
18.0	First downs/game	18.5
358.9	Total offense/game	402.0
159.1	Rushing yards/game	141.5
199.8	Passing yards/game	260.5
22.9	Kickoff returns (avg)	19.0
6.7	Punt returns (avg)	3.4
40.8	Punting (avg)	41.5
28:02	Time of possession/game	30:36
29.0	Third down conversion	38.0
70.0	Fourth down conversion	71.0
+4	Turnover margin	+1
29.6	Points allowed/game	30.2
421.6	Total yards allowed/game	389.9
200.4	Rush yards allowed/game	162.5
221.1	Pass yards allowed/game	227.4

Vanderbilt and Kentucky meet for the 86th time in school history. Kentucky leads the all-time series 41-40-4, and the Wildcats have won eight of the last 12 meetings, but Vandy has claimed the last two. VU leads the all-time series in games played in Nashville 25-19-2. Over 40 percent of the games played in the series have been decided by seven points or less.

Kentucky will look to bounce back from a 48-17 loss to No. 9 Missouri last Saturday. Vanderbilt is coming off its first win at Florida since 1945 last Saturday when they defeated the Gators 34-17.

Sophomore quarterback Jalen Whitlow is coming off a career day passing throwing for a career-high tying 225 yards and a rushing touchdown vs. Missouri.

Defensively, UK’s pass rush ranks seventh in the league in sacks with 18. Junior defensive ends Za’Darius Smith and Alvin “Bud” Dupree rank seventh and ninth in the league in sacks. Avery Williamson has the third most tackles in the SEC with 82 tackles, as he is averaging 9.1 tackles per game.

Cat Scratches: Cats chasing complete game heading into trip to Vandy

Mark Stoops knows Kentucky has improved since day one.

Given the roles he’s played in defensive turnarounds at Arizona and Florida State, he knows how to judge a team beyond its win-loss record.

The fact remains, however, that UK sits at 2-7. Nonetheless, he knows what he sees on tape, even after a 48-17 loss to Missouri on Saturday. … read the full preview

Scouting Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt enters Saturday’s game against Kentucky coming off one of the biggest wins in school history, defeating Florida in The Swamp for the first time since 1945. The Commodores are 2-4 in SEC play this season with wins against Florida and Georgia. Vanderbilt has won six straight games in November dating back to Nov. 2011.

Vanderbilt has had a good year offensively averaging 32.1 points per game behind 402 yards of total offense per game. Senior quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels leads the team in passing playing in seven games, although he has not played the last two games due to injury. Carta-Samuels has completed 65.5% of his passes for 1,672 yards and 10 touchdowns, while freshman quarterback Patton Robinette has played well completing 28-of-48 passes for 364 yards with three interceptions and one touchdown. Senior wide receiver Jordan Matthews is the leading receiver with 66 catches for 890 yards and five touchdowns, while fellow senior wide receiver Jonathan Krause has 32 catches for 608 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore running back Jerron Seymour is the leading rusher with 479 yards on 94 attempts with nine touchdowns, while senior running back Wesley Tate has four touchdowns and 284 yards on the season.

Senior safety Kenny Ladler leads the Vanderbilt defense with 68 tackles, including two interceptions and one pass breakup. Sophomore linebacker Darreon Herring is second on the team in tackles with 57 with eight pass breakups and one interception, while junior defensive end Kyle Woestmann paces the defensive line with 5.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. The Vanderbilt defense has five interceptions on the year, forcing 23 fumbles and recovering 10.