3 Things 2 Watch 4: Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt

Kentucky opened the season with three weeks of non-conference play. After starting with a clean slate, the Wildcats are hitting the road to open SEC play against the Vanderbilt Commodores. Here are 3 Things 2 Watch 4 in Nashville.

Kickoff: Noon EST
TV: SEC Network
Line: Kentucky -13.5, Total 51

Ray Davis Running the Football for Kentucky

It’s a homecoming for Ray Davis. He helped Vanderbilt snap a 26-game SEC losing streak in a victory at Kentucky last fall and finished the 2022 campaign as the tenth 1,000-yard rusher in the history of Commodores football. The talented running back is downplaying the significance of his homecoming.

“It’s not Ray Davis versus Vanderbilt. It’s Kentucky football versus Vanderbilt,” Davis said earlier this week.

If Ray Davis keeps a cool head, he could have a field day against his former teammates. Vanderbilt’s porous pass defense takes up most of the headlines, but they might be even worse against the run. The Commodores rank last in the SEC in rush defense, allowing 147.5 yards per game against non-SEC foes. If you prefer advanced stats, they ranked 96th or worse in every rush defense category: EPA, EPA per play and EPA per game.

The first three Kentucky football games highlighted Devin Leary‘s passing ability. The first SEC game might be all about the the ground game.

Explosive Vanderbilt Wide Receivers

The Commodores return home after consecutive losses on the road. They didn’t fall short because of their offensive play. Vanderbilt averages just shy of 35 points per game because of their explosive passing attack.

Three of the SEC’s top eight receivers will be suiting up for Vanderbilt on Saturday. Will Sheppard has an SEC-best six touchdown receptions, while freshman flyer London Humphreys has reeled in five passes of 30 yards or more. Brad White takes pride in preventing big plays, but this will be the first true pass-happy offense UK has faced this fall, forcing white to play plenty of the nickel package. We’ll see if Andru Phillips, Maxwell Hairston and the UK secondary can pass their first true test of the season.

Cranes

Capacity at FirstBank Stadium is less than 30,000 this fall while construction crews rebuild the end zones. It has become a punchline for college football fans and can be a distraction for opponents who must suit up in tents instead of a traditional locker room. Mark Stoops has addressed it with his team, but Nashville native Barion Brown doesn’t believe it will be a big deal.

“The field is the same length, same everything we’ll be playing on,” Brown said Wednesday. “I’m just happy to be playing some football, I just love football. Ain’t nothing wrong with the field, so we’ll be playing football. I can’t wait.”

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