Staff Predictions: Vanderbilt Football vs. Kentucky – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—-Can this be the week for Vanderbilt football?
Vanderbilt has lost four-consecutive games and is searching to try to get right. It’s clinging to the fact that Kentucky has been in a few one-score games recently, but it knows it has to bring it if it’s going to leave Lexington with a win on Saturday.
“What I’m calling on this team to do is step into the work, stay connected and bring unconditional belief, spirit and energy toward the mission,” Lea said. “That is abnormal when you’re experiencing a lack of results. Human nature is to make excuses. Human nature is to victimize. And I’m calling these guys to more. I’ve got to be an example.”
Here’s our predictions in regard to whether Lea’s messaging will translate into a Vanderbilt win on Saturday. 
Saturday should be an interesting game because Kentucky continues to play in tight games. Vanderbilt they can expose Kentucky’s pass and Jared Curtis having a good day isn’t out of the question, but in the end Kentucky’s experience with close games and Vanderbilt’s defense struggling makes me think Kentucky is gonna win this game in a close one. 
If Vanderbilt is going to find another win this season, the offense is going to need to shape up. Numerous mistakes against Arkansas led to a disappointing result, and against a ranked Kentucky team that is much stronger, mistakes will be even more costly. Vanderbilt should be able to get on the board, especially if they get Junior Sherrill involved, but Kentucky has too much offensive efficiency for the inconsistent Vanderbilt offense.
Facing a brutal end-of-season conference schedule, Clark Lea’s squad will need more than one upset just to stay in the bowl conversation, a far cry from where the program stood just 12 months ago. Still, I expect Vanderbilt to keep Saturday’s game much closer than the 10.5-point spread suggests. Jared Curtis appears to be making strides in both his preparation and leadership, and if he protects the football, the Commodores have the firepower to put up points in a hurry. In the end, though, the Wildcats escape with a game-winning field goal in front of their home crowd.
Kentucky has won a few close games in a row and there’s a path for Vanderbilt to make this a close game, but it’s hard to trust this group as it heads to Lexington on a four-game losing streak while undergoing a borderline identity crisis. There’s a good team in there somewhere for Lea’s group, but it currently isn’t playing good football and hasn’t shown signs of doing so. Until it does, it’s almost impossible to pick this Vanderbilt team to win a game–nonetheless an SEC road game against one of the hottest teams in the country with a dynamic quarterback
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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