Devin Leary says game at Vanderbilt felt like home game

BBNashville has been Kentucky‘s home away from home for years. Transfer quarterback Devin Leary got his first taste of it this past weekend during the Wildcats’ 45-28 win on the road over Vanderbilt.

The stands were mostly empty as FirstBank Stadium continues to undergo renovations, but the fans that did show up were rocking Kentucky blue.

“When you walk out into the stadium and see a sea of blue as you walk out — it kind of felt like it did last week being at home,” Leary said postgame. “It was really cool to see the fans come out. Big Blue Nation is awesome and being able to hear the Blue and White chants during the game was a really good feeling. And it’s a good win for an SEC away game and start 1-0 in conference play.”

Leary finished the matchup 15 of 29 with 205 passing yards and one touchdown. Sophomore wideout Barion Brown was responsible for four receptions and 105 of Leary’s passing yards during the contest en route to the three-possession victory.

Oneof the larger concerns for the Wildcats is that quarterback Devin Leary has thrown at least one interception in every game this season — including two against the Commodores. Turnovers in the SEC will destroy any team’s season and will need to be addressed moving forward — especially this weekend during what will be UK’s first SEC test at home vs. Florida.

While Leary came away victorious during his first SEC outing, battling the Gators is a completely different story.

They also have a new identity under center with transfer QB Graham Mertz, and after the season started out with a 24-11 loss against Utah, Florida has bounced back with three-straight victories over McNeese State, Tennessee and Charlotte, and has outscored their opponents by 70 points (100-30) over that span.

Still, the Wildcats have defeated the Gators on two consecutive occasions — all under current Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis. Leary will look to channel similar performances just as his Wildcat predecessor did during the previous two matchups and come away and begin a three-game winning streak against Florida for the first time since the early 1950s.

Kickoff between Kentucky and Florida is set for Noon ET inside Kroger Field with ESPN carrying the national broadcast. The Wildcats serve as 2.5-point betting favorites over the Gators, per Vegas Insider, , and the over/under total is set at 46.5.