The Kentucky Wildcats face a very important game coming off their bye week. A win against Vanderbilt will put them in a three-way tie for the SEC East title with Florida and Georgia. To make the pot sweeter, Florida and Georgia will face each other coming off their byes this week. Kentucky holds the future in their own hands but will need to first win the game Saturday against the Vanderbilt Commodores.
The Wildcat’s offense struggled in their last game against Texas A&M, but their defense kept them in the ball game. In fact, Kentucky never had an offensive snap on A&M’s side of the field until overtime. To make matters worse, Kentucky’s star Benny Snell didn’t touch the ball in overtime and only had 13 carries for the whole game. A home game against a struggling Vanderbilt team, who is winless in the SEC, may be a cure for their Cats’ offensive woes.
The Commodores will come into Kroger Field looking to pass the football. They average 238 yards per game passing compared to 151 yards per game rushing. We can expect Kentucky’s defense, specifically Josh Allen, to slow their passing game down. Vanderbilt’s best running back, Ke’shawn Vaughn, may see more carries this week and is a decent rusher averaging nearly 7 yards per carry. Vanderbilt’s Defense are allowing their opponents to score an average of 25.6 points per game, but they have forced 10 turnovers this season. Taking care of the football may be the key to a Kentucky victory this week.
My Prediction
Coming off a disappointing loss against the Aggies and the playing in front of a home crowd gives the edge to Kentucky. Kentucky’s defense has proven that they are a legitimate threat to any team and I can’t see Vandy being able to score enough points to beat the Wildcats. I foresee a Wildcat win 31-17.
