Wildcats Were Soundly Defeated
Heading into Saturday, the Kentucky football team was riding a three-game winning streak. It’s the first time Mark Stoops’ club has won three in a row in November since 2021. In addition, their 5-5 record put them on our bowl radar for the first time all year. All they needed to do was beat a Vanderbilt squad they’d beaten three straight times in Nashville. Unfortunately, for the BBN that didn’t happen. It wasn’t pretty, but let’s break it down as Kentucky has no answers for Vanderbilt 45-17.
A Heisman Worthy Performance
Coming into Saturday, Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia was on most Heisman lists, including Last Word’s. Against the Wildcats, he put together one of the best days ever against Kentucky.
When all was said and done, the senior threw for a career and school record 484 yards and five touchdowns. In addition, he had two tosses of more than 50 yards before halftime. He broke the previous record of 464 set by Whit Taylor against Tennessee in 1981.
Pavia also ran for another 48 yards and a touchdown. This was after not playing a lot of the fourth quarter. In fact, his replacement, Blaze Berlowitz, threw for another 55. Granted, Kentucky was playing without three of its top four cornerbacks and four normal starters. Putting it in perspective, Brad White’s defense had only given up 387 yards threw the air over the last three games.
Vanderbilt rang up 604 total yards, the third time in Stoops’ tenure an opponent topped that mark.
Most total yards allowed by @UKFootball in a single game in the Mark Stoops era:
– 668 vs. Alabama (October 12th, 2013)
– 608 vs. Georgia (October 7th, 2023)
– 604 vs. Vanderbilt (November 22nd, 2025)
— Corey Price (@coreyp08) November 23, 2025
Offense Couldn’t Counter
If you read our game preview on paper, it looked like a potentially big game for Cutter Boley and the Wildcat offense. After all, Bush Hamdan’s group had scored over 30 points in three of the last four games. On the other side, the Vandy defense had given up more than 3o in back-to-back games.
However, it didn’t work out that way for the Wildcats. Boley hasn’t played as well on the road as in the friendly confines of Kroger Field. That continued on Saturday, though he didn’t have a lot of help.
The Kentucky running game, which has been so strong during the winning streak, couldn’t get anything going, gaining on 31 yards on 19 carries. As a result of that and getting behind early, Boley was forced to pass almost exclusively.
The Commodores came at him with constant pressure, getting two sacks and seven hurries. At one point late in the second quarter, Boley was knocked out of the game. Zach Calzada came in for a few plays before Boley returned.
After three quarters, the UK signal caller was only 13 for 23 for 77 yards. However, he and the offense played better when the game was out of reach. Boley finished the game 26-44 for 280 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
At the end of the day, it was a bad one for the Big Blue as Kentucky had no answers for Vanderbilt 45-17.
Looking Ahead
With the loss, Kentucky drops t0 5-6 and finishes SEC play 2-6. They have one more chance to gain bowl eligibility when they travel up Interstate 64 in the “Battle For The Governor’s Cup” against Louisville. Jeff Brohm’s club started the season 7-1. However, they’ve dropped three straight, including a 38-6 drubbing at SMU Saturday.
On the other side of the ball, Clark Lea’s squad improves to 9-2 on the year and 5-2 in league play. It’s their first nine-win regular season since 1915. In addition, they keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Next week, they travel to Knoxville for their annual battle with Tennessee.
Final Thoughts
Stoops’ seat had gotten considerably cooler after three straight wins. However, you can’t help but wonder how much goodwill could be lost in one week. Saturday marked Vandy’s biggest win over Kentucky since winning 40-0 in Lexington in 2012 in front of a sparse crowd (which is being modest.) Then, UK coach Joker Phillips was fired the next day, leading to Stoops’ arrival.
The Wildcats dominated Vandy during Stoops’ first few years in Lexington. However, fortunes have shifted quickly in the series. Starting in 2022, when the Commodores broke a 26-game SEC losing streak, Vandy has now won three of the last four.
A win over Louisville and a ninth bowl game in ten years would certainly help the mindset of Kentucky fans. Lose and the BBN is spending another winter talking about “will he or won’t he return.”
At the end of the day, it was a horrible loss as Kentucky had no answers for Vanderbilt, 45-17.
Main Image: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
