Three takeaways from Kentucky football’s stunning loss to Vanderbilt

Three takeaways from Kentucky football’s 24-21 loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday at Kroger Field.

1. Vanderbilt wanted it more

You don’t have to be a football genius to figure this one out. Vanderbilt came into Kroger Field on a 34-degree, rainy day hungry to snap its embarrassing 26-game SEC losing streak. Better still, the ‘Dores believed they could win the game, based on playing Missouri to the wire (17-14) and South Carolina respectably (38-27) its last two times out.

Meanwhile, Kentucky took the ‘Dores for granted. The Wildcats had won six straight games over the Commodores. They were fresh off a momentum-building road win at Missouri. They were bowl eligible. They were 6-3. Vanderbilt was 3-6. And the truth of the matter is the Cats never matched the visitors’ intensity.

“The intensity we played with a week ago, (today) I thought it was average at best,” UK Coach Mark Stoops said afterward.

It showed early when Vanderbilt quarterback Mike Wright, subbing for the injured A.J. Swann, sprinted through a wide-open field 59 yards for a touchdown just 3:16 into the game to give Vandy a 7-3 lead. It showed late when after the home team had finally snagged a 21-17 lead on a 72-yard run by Chris Rodriguez with 5:03 remaining, Vanderbilt showed the fortitude to march right back down the field, going 80 yards in 12 plays — including a 40-yard bomb on a fourth-and-11 from the UK 49-yard line — to win the game.

Blame it on the cold. Blame it on the rainy conditions. Blame it on whatever you want, Stoops’ team just didn’t seem to have the enthusiasm or juice necessary to win an SEC football game, no matter the SEC opponent it happened to be playing.

That’s on the players, but it’s also on the coaches. They’re the adults in the room, the ones paid the big bucks to prepare the team, both physically and mentally. For whatever reason that didn’t get done Saturday.

“I’m not communicating well enough to push on the things that we need to get better at,” Stoops said. “That’s frustrating and also disappointing and something that I’ve got to figure out.”

2. Kentucky’s run defense was uncharacteristically bad

The Cats entered the game 11th nationally in total defense, allowing 302.4 yards per game. Vanderbilt gained 448 yards, averaging 6.7 yards per play. Those yards included 264 on the ground. That’s the most rushing yards a Kentucky defense has allowed a Vanderbilt offense since 286 in 1994 when UK went 1-10 under Bill Curry.

Vandy running back Ray Davis finished with 129 yards on 26 carries Saturday. Wright carried just 11 times for 126 yards. The QB had runs of 59 and 29 yards. Davis had a 45-yard run.

“The thing that killed us was third down,” UK defensive coordinator Brad White said after Vanderbilt converted 11 of 17 third-down opportunities. “That’s on me. I feel like I let the team down.”

There were some bad breaks along the way. A hands-to-the-face penalty against UK defensive lineman Octavious Oxendine negated a Tyrell Ajian interception during Vandy’s game-winnning drive. Later in that possession, UK cornerback Carrington Valentine went out with an injury. One play later, that fourth-and-11 play, Vandy picked on his replacement, Maxwell Hairston, with Quincy Skinner getting behind the secondary for that crucial 40-yard catch.

Still, you have to overcome those breaks. And, for whatever reason, Kentucky’s defense just did not play Saturday like the Kentucky defense we’ve seen this year.

The reason: Return to takeaway 1.

3. This Kentucky offense just isn’t working

In his 10th game as Kentucky’s offensive coordinator, facing a Vanderbilt defense ranked 126th in the nation in defense, Rich Scangarello’s offense was outgained 448 to 322. Much like last week at Missouri, it failed to score touchdowns when given the opportunity, producing just six first-half points on four possessions inside Vanderbilt territory.

Quarterback Will Levis was but 11 of 23 for 109 yards passing with zero touchdowns and an interception on the game’s final play, a failed Hail Mary. Part of the problem was protection issues. Scangarello mentioned afterward that some receiver routes were not as crisp as they needed to be. But Levis also made some bad throws that missed open receivers.

Don’t blame Chris Rodriguez. The senior running back showed a I’m-not-going-to-let-this-team-lose mentality, all but pulling the Cats on his back in the second half. C-Rod finished with 164 yards on 18 carries, averaging nine yards a pop. He did all that he could do.

What can be done now? After the game, Stoops said he had no intention of making a coordinator change or staff changes going into next week’s game against No. 1-ranked Georgia. Nor should he. But Scangarello has been around the block a few times. He’s experienced in the ways of both college and the NFL. He knows things aren’t working the way they should.

“Ultimately,” he said Saturday, “it’s back on me.”

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