{"id":41014,"date":"2021-11-14T09:00:23","date_gmt":"2021-11-14T14:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=41014"},"modified":"2021-11-13T23:23:36","modified_gmt":"2021-11-14T04:23:36","slug":"kentucky-defeats-vanderbilt-34-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2021\/11\/14\/kentucky-defeats-vanderbilt-34-17\/","title":{"rendered":"Kentucky Defeats Vanderbilt 34-17"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Cats Get Much Needed Win<\/h3>\n<p>It&#8217;s been over a month, October 9th to be exact since the Kentucky Football team won a game. Following three straight losses turns out a &#8220;road&#8221; trip to Nashville proved just what the team needed. It was certainly a tale of two halves but in the end, the Cats held on. Let&#8217;s recap it as Kentucky defeats Vanderbilt 34-17.<\/p>\n<h3>A Really Great Start<\/h3>\n<p>As expected huge numbers of Kentucky fans traveled down Interstate 65 and invaded Nashville. Certainly, a lot more than the home-standing Commodores.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The UK-Vandy crowd at kickoff. A lot of blue. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4OWwjrZz7m\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/4OWwjrZz7m<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Joshua Moore \u26a1\ufe0f (buy Morphenomenal!) (@JoshMooreHL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JoshMooreHL\/status\/1459673742196588546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 14, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/coaches\/mark-stoops-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mark Stoops&#8217;<\/a> club certainly gave them a lot to cheer about as they scored on their first two offensive possessions. First it was a six yard pass from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/will-levis-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Will Levis<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/wandale-robinson-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wan&#8217;Dale Robinson<\/a> for a score. That was followed by another Levis TD pass, this time a 22 yarder to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/izayah-cummings-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Izayah Cummings<\/a>. Things got even better after <strong>Jalen Geiger<\/strong>, who was making his first career start took a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/ken-seals-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ken Seals<\/a> pass back for a score.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PICKSIX?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#PICKSIX<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jalengeiger?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@jalengeiger<\/a>! Making his first career start today too.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcfa &#8211; ESPN2 &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/VIok8hFVgx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/VIok8hFVgx<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Tce0zmSOcU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/Tce0zmSOcU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UKFootball\/status\/1459685623145517061?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 14, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/christopher-rodriguez-jr-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chris Rodriguez<\/a> touchdown and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/matt-ruffolo-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Ruffolo<\/a> field goal gave the Cats a 31-3 lead at the half. In fact, it was the largest halftime lead ever for Stoops in an SEC game while at Kentucky. The previous was 27-3 in last year&#8217;s South Carolina game. While things were looking good, everyone in the Big Blue Nation knows you can&#8217;t take any lead for granted.<\/p>\n<h3>Totally Different Second Half<\/h3>\n<p>If you <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2021\/11\/12\/kentucky-versus-vanderbilt-preview\/\" target=\"_self\">read our game preview <\/a>we told you it was up in the air who started as Vandy&#8217;s quarterback Seals or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=mike-wright-8,mike-wright-3&amp;search=Mike+Wright&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mike Wright<\/a>. Playing his first game back after missing three games with a finger injury Seals was largely ineffective. As a result trailing 31-3 coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/coaches\/clark-lea-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Clark Lea<\/a> went with Wright and it paid instant dividends. The sophomore came in and immediately led Vandy to two scoring drives cutting the lead to 34-17.<\/p>\n<p>The Kentucky offense that had been so dominant in the first half did very little in the second. One bright spot was running back\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/jutahn-mcclain-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Juthan McClain<\/a> who played a lot of the second half gaining 68 yards on nine carries.<\/p>\n<p>Wright had the Commodores driving again but the Cats finally got a stop on fourth down and that was your ball game as Kentucky defeats Vanderbilt 34-17.<\/p>\n<p>[pickup_prop id=&#8221;9201&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3>Looking Ahead<\/h3>\n<p>With the win, Kentucky goes to 7-3 on the season and finishes 5-3 in league play. That number is important because it&#8217;s only the sixth time since 1950 the Cats finished with a winning conference record. The other years were 1953, 1954, 1976, 1977, and 2018. In addition, they improve their chances at a New Year&#8217;s Day bowl. Currently, Last Word has them <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2021\/11\/09\/lwos-week-ten-bowl-projections\/\" target=\"_self\">playing Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.<\/a> Furthermore, they get their sixth straight win against Vandy. That ties UK&#8217;s longest consecutive win streak against an SEC opponent. From 1976-1981 they also the Commodores six straight times.<\/p>\n<p>UK&#8217;s ends the year with two non-conference games. They host a New Mexico State squad that lost 59-3 to Alabama on Saturday next week in Lexington. Following that it&#8217;s the annual game against Louisville which resumes after a year off due to the SEC playing an all-league schedule in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>As for the Commodores, they drop to 2-8 on the year and 0-6 in the SEC. They&#8217;ve got two tough road contests to end the season and they go to Ole Miss next week and Tennessee to finish out the season.<\/p>\n<p>Kentucky defeats Vanderbilt 34-17 in a game that was great in the first half and pretty forgettable in the second. If we&#8217;re being honest that could be said for a lot of UK-Vandy contests throughout the years.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of the day while some in the Big Blue Nation are disappointed in a 7-3 record and &#8220;what could have been&#8221; 2021 still goes down as one of the best in Kentucky football history.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">From UK:<\/p>\n<p>At 7-3, UK Football clinches wining record for the season.<br \/>At 5-3 in the league, UK clinches second place in the SEC Eastern Division.<br \/>First time since league split into divisions in 1992 that UK finished in sole possession of second place in the SEC East.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Keith Farmer (@KeithFarmer18) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KeithFarmer18\/status\/1459727024243843078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 14, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Thanks for checking out our recap here at Last Word On College Football. We&#8217;ll be back on Tuesday with our updated bowl projections and later in the week a New Mexico State preview.<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1236550933\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/1236550933?et=z25tD7gwTm92SoufvZYnkQ&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=eEGhbv6p37poy4T9OMh64paub4OJvamn2M6JoV38ksw=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cats Get Much Needed Win It&#8217;s been over a month, October 9th to be exact since the Kentucky Football team won a game. Following three straight losses turns out a &#8220;road&#8221; trip to Nashville proved just what the team needed. It was certainly a tale of two halves but in the end, the Cats held [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":877,"featured_media":41034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2],"tags":[184,7670,8099,140,21,285,8161,126,415,96],"class_list":["post-41014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sec","category-featured","tag-cfb","tag-chris-rodriguez","tag-clark-lea","tag-fbs","tag-kentucky-wildcats","tag-mark-stoops","tag-mike-wright","tag-ncaa","tag-sec-east","tag-vanderbilt-commodores"],"modified_by":"Kate Pearson Halyburton, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/877"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}