Wildcats Return to Action Seeking Sixth Victory
Refreshed and ready to go, No. 14/17 Kentucky returns to action Saturday night when it hosts longtime rival Vanderbilt at Kroger Field. The Cats can become bowl eligible with a win and ensure at third consecutive season of finishing at least .500 in Southeastern Conference play by moving to 4-1 in the league. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. ET and the game will air on the SEC Network.
Junior running back Benny Snell, Jr. has continued his assault on the record books this season, piling up 699 yards with eight scores. He owns the school record with 40 career touchdowns and has moved into third place on the school’s career rushing list while ranking second with 15 career 100-yard games.
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| Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt | ||
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| Sat., Oct. 20 – 7:30 p.m. ET Kroger Field Lexington, Ky. Game Notes: UK  | VU Digital Gameday Program Gameday App |
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TV: SEC Network |
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| UK | Team Stats | VU |
| 5-1 | Record | 3-4 |
| 3-1 | Conference Record | 0-3 |
| 29.3 | Scoring/game | 25.4 |
| 369.0 | Total offense/game | 389.7 |
| 223.5 | Rushing yards/game | 151.6 |
| 145.5 | Passing yards/game | 238.1 |
| 18.5 | Kickoff returns (avg) | 21.5 |
| 6.4 | Punt returns (avg) | 10.8 |
| 46.8 | Punting (avg) | 45.2 |
| 30:59 | Time of possession/game | 29:53 |
| 41.7% | Third down conversion | 34.1% |
| 83.3% | Fourth down conversion | 50.0% |
| 13.8 | Points allowed/game | 25.9 |
| 303.2 | Total yards allowed/game | 423.9 |
| 117.7 | Rush yards allowed/game | 183.3 |
| 185.5 | Pass yards allowed/game | 240.6 |
The UK defense, led by senior pass rusher extraordinaire Josh Allen (6.0 sacks, 10.5 TFL), ranks among the nation’s best units and has allowed just 13.3 points per game in league play, which includes an overtime game in its last outing at Texas A&M.
Cat Scratches: Cats Ready for Another One-Week Season after Productive Bye
Mark Stoops is accustomed to the unique stresses that come with fall Saturdays.
Last week, however, was Kentucky’s bye, meaning he spent his time at his son’s birthday party rather than patrolling the sidelines.
Stoops is a football coach though, so he never strays far from the game he loves. On in the background for much of that party was UK’s next opponent, Vanderbilt, nearly taking down a ranked Florida team.
“Well, Vandy is a team that is very well coached,” Stoops said. “I really have a lot of respect for Derek (Mason), and what he does and how he coaches, and you see a team that is very hungry that plays very hard.”
No different from Stoops’ Kentucky team in that respect.
The Wildcats might have enjoyed a reprieve from the weekly grind of preparing for a new opponent every seven days last week, but that doesn’t mean their time wasn’t productive. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Cats Ranked in National Polls; First Time Since 2007
• Kentucky entered the national polls on Sept. 23 after defeating Mississippi State. It is the first time the Cats have been ranked since the 2007 season.
• The Cats now are No. 14 in the Associated Press poll and No. 17 in the coaches’ poll.
• UK has been ranked three consecutive weeks for the first time since the 2007 team appeared in the polls for six consecutive weeks from Sept. 16 to Oct. 21.
Game Promotions
• This is the 103rd 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 51-21 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 http://www.ukalumni.net/homecoming.
• A Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned at halftime of the game.
• Saturday’s honorary captain is former LB/RB Wilbur Hackett (1968-70) – Hackett served as a pioneer of integration in SEC football, becoming the first African-American team captain in SEC history in 1969 … Began his career playing with the freshman team, and later served as a three-year varsity starter, earning sophomore All-SEC honors in 1968 … Was also named UK’s co-Most Valuable Player as a senior and later served as a graduate assistant coach for two seasons … Inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.
• The Cat Walk presented by Chevy is slated for 5:15 p.m. ET and will last until 30 minutes prior to the game’s 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. During the concert, the members of the team will make their way from the JCTF through Gate 12 and into the stadium. Fans are welcome to cheer the Wildcats as they enter Kroger Field.
Scouting Vanderbilt
• Vanderbilt is 3-4 on the season and 0-3 in league play. The Commodores are coming off a 37-27 loss at home vs. Florida.
• Vanderbilt is averaging 389.7 yards per game and has an accomplished passing attack that features quarterback Kyle Shurmer, who has 11 touchdown passes. The ‘Dores average 238.1 yards per game through the air.
• Vanderbilt receiver Kalija Lipscomb is one of the SEC’s best, having caught 49 passes for 560 yards and six scores already this season. He is second in the league in receptions and receiving TDs.
• Running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn has rushed for 495 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 6.9 yards per carry.
• Senior linebacker Jordan Griffin is second in the SEC in tackles with 68 stops.
Series vs. Vanderbilt
• Kentucky leads the all-time series 44-42-4, including 24-15-2 in Lexington.
• UK has won six of the past eight meetings that have taken place in Lexington.
• UK is riding back-to-back wins over the Commodores, including a 44-21 victory in Nashville last November.
• UK has held Vanderbilt to 22 points or less in each of the past five meetings.
• The first meeting between the schools came in 1896, a 6-0 Vanderbilt win in Nashville. Of SEC teams, only the Tennessee series dates back further (1893).
• Throughout the series’ history it has typically featured close outcomes. Thirty-six meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less in the series.
• The Cats rushed for 232 yards last season and held Vanderbilt to just 60.
• With 258 yards on the ground in 2016, UK is averaging 245.0 rushing yards in the past two games vs. Vanderbilt.
• Benny Snell, Jr. had 116 yards and three touchdowns rushing on 17 carries vs. Vanderbilt last season.
Kentucky-Vanderbilt Connections
• Kentucky has three players from the state of Tennessee on its roster: DL Quinton Bohanna (Cordova) and OL Darian Kinnard and DB Domonique Williams (Knoxville).
• Vanderbilt has one player from Kentucky: OL Saige Young (Versailles).
A UK Win Would…
• Kentucky would be 6-1, their best seven-game start to a season since 2007 (also 6-1)
• Kentucky would be 4-1 in SEC play, their best five-game SEC start to a season since 1977 (5-0)
• Mark Stoops would tie Rich Brooks for the third most wins at Kroger Field by a Kentucky head coach (25)
• Mark Stoops would tie Harry Gamage for sixth place on Kentucky’s career wins list (32)
• Kentucky would have at least four SEC wins in three consecutive seasons for the first time in school history
• Kentucky would guarantee themselves a .500 record or better in SEC play for three consecutive seasons for the first time since 1953-1956 (four consecutive for that stretch)
• Kentucky would have their most SEC wins in a three-season span (12) since 1976-1978 (13)
• Kentucky would be 8-3 in their last 11 SEC home games, their best record in an 11 SEC home game span in Kroger Field history
• Kentucky would have 23 home wins over the last five seasons, their most home wins over a fiveseason span since 2006-2010 (23)
• Kentucky would win their first five home games in a season for the first time since 2014 and the fifth time in Kroger Field history (1977, 1987, 2007, 2014)
• Give UK three straight wins over Vanderbilt.
• Give UK three straight home wins over Vanderbilt.
• Make the Cats bowl eligible for the third consecutive season.
• Make it three consecutive wins at home over SEC opponents and 5-1 over the past six league games at Kroger Field.
