Big Blue Preview: Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt – UKAthletics

Info to Know
Preview
Riding a five-game winning streak, No. 12 Kentucky returns home to face Southeastern Conference rival Vanderbilt on Saturday at Kroger Field (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
Kentucky (6-1, 4-1 SEC) beat Oklahoma 21-13 last weekend in Norman. The UK defense had four interceptions in the game, while Kentucky tight end Willie Rodriguez caught two touchdown passes from Kenny Minchey.
Vanderbilt (3-4, 0-4) has lost its last four games, including a 31-21 setback against Arkansas last weekend.
Kentucky leads the all-time series between the teams 48-45-4.
Cat Scratches: Stein’s Process Paying Dividends on the Field for No. 12 Kentucky
No. 12 Kentucky had seen great success on the football field so far this season. The Cats are 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the Southeastern Conference, where UK is tied with Georgia atop the league standings.
Kentucky head coach Will Stein believes that the results happening on the field now are due to several months of hard work and establishing how his team goes about its business.
“Our process, I think, makes us different,” Stein said. “How we operate on a day-by-day basis.”
That process started with Stein’s arrival in Lexington. He had to teach his team a lot of things in order for them to be able to meet the new staff’s standard.
“I think when we hit the spring, it was more about how to practice, how to meet, really teaching the base fundamentals and technique of our scheme,” Stein said. “The into summer, and the fall, we had a really good fall camp.”
Stein remembers when the staff’s process really showed up during the season…Read More
Kentucky-Vanderbilt Series
The Series
• Kentucky leads Vanderbilt in the all-time series, 48-45-4.
• The Cats are 26-17-2 against the Commodores in Lexington. UK’s last win over the ‘Dores in Kroger Field came in 2020.
• Six of the past 11 meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less.
• UK will take on Vanderbilt as the Associated Press’ No. 12 team in the country. The last time the Cats were ranked in a matchup with the Commodores, UK prevailed by a 45-28 score in Nashville when UK was rated No. 20 on Sept. 23, 2023.
• It will mark just the second time ever Kentucky will host Vanderbilt as an AP ranked team. UK defeated the Commodores, 14-7, as the No. 14 team on Oct. 20, 2018.
Connections
• Three Kentucky players are from the state of Tennessee including: running back Martels Carter Jr. (Chattanooga), quarterback Kenny Minchey (Hendersonville) and defensive lineman Kalen Edwards (Dyersburg).
• Vanderbilt freshman running back Evan Hampton hails from Owensboro, Ky. He was the 2025 Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year.
By the Numbers
1
Will Stein is the first coach in UK history to begin 4-1 in SEC play in his first season
3
This is the first time UK has had a three-game SEC win streak on the road since the 2009 team
3
The Wildcats have won three straight games after trailing in the fourth quarter for the first time since the 2006 team
17
Catches needed for Kenny Darby to pass Barion Brown’s UK true freshman record for catches in a season.
339
Receiving yards needed for Willie Rodriguez to reach 1,000 receiving yards in his career
 
©2026 UK Athletics / All Rights Reserved
Powered by

source