Kentucky Faces Vanderbilt on Homecoming Weekend
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Kentucky returns to Commonwealth Stadium with an eye on climbing back to .500 against Southeastern Conference Eastern Division rival Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats are coming off a 34-6 loss to No. 1 Alabama in which they played better than the margin of defeat might indicate and still have a potential postseason berth in their sights as the Commodores arrive for a critical game. Saturday is Homecoming at Kentucky.
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| Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt | ||
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| Sat., Oct. 8 – 4 p.m. ET Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, Ky. Game Notes: UK  | VU Digital Gameday Program Gameday App |
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| Coverage | ||
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TV: SEC Network |
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| UK | 2016 Team Stats | VU |
| 2-3 | Record | 2-3 |
| 1-2 | Conference Record | 0-2 |
| 25.4 | Scoring/game | 20.2 |
| 352.4 | Total offense/game | 303.0 |
| 171.8 | Rushing yards/game | 148.4 |
| 180.6 | Passing yards/game | 154.6 |
| 24.3 | Kickoff returns (avg) | 24.2 |
| 18.2 | Punt returns (avg) | 4.9 |
| 41.0 | Punting (avg) | 39.3 |
| 27:49 | Time of possession/game | 32:01 |
| 36.1% | Third down conversion | 35.2% |
| 66.7% | Fourth down conversion | 20.0% |
| 35.0 | Points allowed/game | 23.6 |
| 468.0 | Total yards allowed/game | 409.2 |
| 198.6 | Rush yards allowed/game | 160.6 |
| 269.4 | Pass yards allowed/game | 248.6 |
The Wildcats’ defense played a valiant game against the Crimson Tide, allowing 27 points (one Tide score came on a fumble return) to rank as the lowest total the nation’s top team had scored this season.
Offensively, it was tough sledding but the Cats did grind out more rushing yards than Alabama’s No. 5-rated rush defense entered the contest allowing per game.
Cat Scratches: Cats Motivated to Continue Improvement against Vandy
Kentucky had its opportunities to break through to bowl eligibility and win its sixth game last season. Close losses against Auburn and Florida and a 21-0 lead against Louisville come to mind.
No game sticks in Mark Stoops’ craw quite like that loss at Vanderbilt though.
“I never single (any game) out, but does last year’s Vanderbilt game hurt? Absolutely,” Stoops said. “It bothers me and will probably bother me the rest of my life.”
There’s no need to rehash the details. The broad strokes are that UK outgained and generally outplayed the Commodores, only to fall victim to their own mistakes in a 21-17 defeat. The offense managed just 17 points on six red-zone trips, while the defense couldn’t get off the field to allow the Cats a shot at the game-winning drive…Read More
101st Anniversary of First Homecoming Game
• This is the 101st anniversary of UK’s first Homecoming game. The first one occurred on Nov. 25, 1915, as Kentucky defeated Tennessee 6-0. Early records are incomplete, but UK has hosted a Homecoming game every year since 1946 and owns a 49-21 record in those contests.
• During this weekend, Homecoming, Ag Roundup, Family Weekend, the Golden Wildcat Reunion, several college reunions and Alumni Band Reunion will take place. A complete listing of details and information are available at www.ukhomecoming.com.
• A Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned at halftime of the game.
Cats vs. the Commodores
• The all-time series with Vanderbilt is deadlocked at 42-42-4 but Kentucky leads 23-15-2 when playing the Commodores at home.
• UK turned the ball over three times, including an interception that was returned for a touchdown, in last season’s 21-17 loss to Vanderbilt in Nashville.
• In 2015, the Wildcats knocked off the Commodores 17-7, the last time the two teams met in Commonwealth Stadium.
• Over the last 10 meetings the two SEC East rivals have each won five games.
Cats Play Challenging Schedule
• Through five games Kentucky’s schedule is ranked the 21st-most difficult in the nation. The Wildcats’ five previous opponents have a total of 13 victories, tied for most in the country along with Michigan and Tennessee.
• The combined victory total for all 12 of UK’s 2016 opponents is currently 29, tied for fourth nationally.
• Entering last week, five of the Cats’ opponents were ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including three in the top 11 and two in the top three.
Scouting Vanderbilt
• Vanderbilt is 2-3 on the season, defeating non-conference foes Middle Tennessee (47-24) at home and Western Kentucky (31-30 in overtime) on the road. The Commodores have lost to South Carolina (10-13), Georgia Tech (7-38) and Florida (6-13).
• Running back Ralph Webb leads the SEC with 116.4 rushing yards per game. He also has five rushing touchdowns. In addition, he leads the SEC in all-purpose yardage.
• Linebacker Zach Cunningham leads the SEC with 10.4 tackles per game through five contests.
Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff
Tune in to the UK Sports Network for the “Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff” two hours before every football game. From Cat Walk to Cat Talk, host Christi Thomas and former UK Quarterback Freddie Maggard will focus on the X’s and O’s of the game and bring a little fun to pregame in the first 30 minutes of the show. Afterward, Host Neil Price is joined by Dick Gabriel, Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro to continue the official pregame broadcast until kickoff. The show is broadcast in Lexington on 98.1 WBUL & 630 WLAP, UK Radio Network affiliates, online at ukathletics.com, and in the UK Gameday App. For the first time, the two-hour pregame show will be live streamed every home game for fans to watch on ukathletics.com.
