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Know Your Enemy: Vanderbilt
No. 12 Kentucky (6-1, 4-1 SEC) hosts Vanderbilt (3-4, 0-4 SEC) Saturday night at Kroger Field, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network. The Wildcats are 10.5-point favorites. Vanderbilt has lost four straight, most recently 31-21 at home to Arkansas on October 17. Kentucky is coming off a 21-13 win over Oklahoma.
Don't let the name fool you
Vanderbilt is 0-4 in the SEC, but this is not a game to take lightly. Kentucky leads the all-time series 48-43-4, yet the Commodores have won three of the last four meetings, including a 20-13 win at Kroger Field in 2024. Vanderbilt also beat Kentucky 45-17 in Nashville in the 2025 season finale, with Diego Pavia throwing for a career-high 484 yards. Kentucky hasn't beaten Vanderbilt in Lexington since 2020. Will Stein and the staff have hammered that history all week. This is a trap game if Kentucky lets its guard down, and a win keeps the Cats tied atop the SEC standings heading into November.
The Commodores are struggling
Vanderbilt is in a rough stretch. It lost 14-38 at No. 2 Georgia on October 3, 17-52 to No. 9 Ole Miss at home on October 10, and then fell to Arkansas. The Commodores have not been competitive in the conference, but they have proven repeatedly over the past few seasons that they can punish teams that overlook them.
Freshman expected under center
Jared Curtis is expected to start at quarterback. The former five-star recruit threw for 274 yards against Arkansas, but he also threw two interceptions. Vanderbilt's backup, Blaze Berlowitz, is out, which makes Curtis's start more likely. Vanderbilt is asking a true freshman to carry an offense that has struggled to score.
Injury report
Kentucky gets good news: RB CJ Baxter, nose tackle Kalen Edwards, and linebacker Tavion Wallace are all back. Baxter and Edwards were removed from the report Thursday. The bad news is that WR Nic Anderson and EDGE Sam Greene, both starters, were downgraded to out after leaving last week's game. Out also: CB Grant Grayton, LB Antwan Smith, and nickel Jaden Smith. LS Cole Marszalek and DL Tyler Thomas are questionable.
For Vanderbilt, QB Blaze Berlowitz is out, along with CB Jaylin Lackey, EDGE Brian Allen Jr., LB Josiah Broxton, LB Jamison Curtis, G Gunner Givens, DT Aaron Bryant, WR Kahden Smith, and DT Nikhil Jefferson. CB Cayden Daniels, a starter, was removed from the report and is expected to return after being pulled from the Arkansas game. Safeties Dontae Carter and Davin Chandler were upgraded to probable.
On paper, Kentucky is the deeper, more talented football team. If it plays clean, disciplined football, the Cats should move to 7-1 and set up a massive clash with Tennessee in two weeks.
Go Cats! 🐾
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