KSR GAMEDAY: Kentucky Looks to End the Vanderbilt Football Party
October 12 was circled this summer as an all-time great weekend of college football. Leading into the game one team has dominated the conversation, Vanderbilt. The Commodores have been the bell of the ball and tonight the Kentucky Wildcats can crash that party at Kroger Field.
While the Wildcats were idle, Vanderbilt was making history. Led by New Mexico State transfer Diego Pavia, the ‘Dores hit Alabama early and often. A pick six on the second possession gave Vandy an early two-score lead over the Crimson Tide. They turned another Alabama turnover into a touchdown. Despite a late rally, Vanderbilt was able to play keep away long enough to hold on for a 40-35 win.
The field was stormed. The goalpost was torn down and dumped into the Cumberland River. Vanderbilt beat the top-ranked Crimson Tide for its first-ever win over a top-five team.
Even though Clark Lea tried to move on quickly to Kentucky, everyone has talked about the Vanderbilt Commodores’ greatness all week. The Wildcats have heard that talk too.
Mark Stoops might have the best defense he’s ever fielded at Kentucky. The last time we saw them on the field, they played against an offense that entered the game first in the nation in scoring (55 ppg), total offense (670.8 ypg), and passing offense (422.8 ypg), and 12th in rushing offense (248 ypg). The Kentucky defense held Ole Miss to 17 points, 353 yards of total offense, 261 passing yards, and 92 rushing yards.
They’ve already passed multiple tests. Today we’ll see if the Wildcats are up for another challenge against the darlings of college football.
Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt: How To Watch, Listen
- Kickoff: 7:45 p.m. ET
- TV: SEC Network (Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic)
- Watch college football games live – try Fubo for free! Click HERE NOW.
- Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Jeff Piecoro, Dick Gabriel)
- AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
- FM: 98.1 WBUL
- Online: iHeart Radio
- Sirius XM: 160 or 192 (UK); 374 (Vanderbilt)
- Live Stats: StatBroadcast
You can also keep up with the game and chat with other fans on our game thread on KSBoard, with Nick Roush, Adam Luckett, and Drew Franklin providing updates from Kroger Field and the rest of us from home.
Hype Video
Saturday Gameday Schedule
11 am — Doors Open at KSBar and Grille
3:30 — KSR Pregame Show at KSBar, ft. special guest, Rick Pitino
4:30 — LexTran Shuttle Begins
5:30 — Cat Walk
7:45 — Kickoff on SEC Network
Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt Gambling Angles and Trends
The number neared two touchdowns but Kentucky is now a 12.5-point favorite over Vanderbilt with a total of 44.5. Both teams are 4-1 Against the Spread (ATS) in 2024. Vanderbilt is 9-4 ATS in the last 13 meetings in this series. Kentucky is 9-2 outright (4-7 ATS) under Mark Stoops as a touchdown-plus favorite versus power conference foes. You can find more trends and dive into the finer details in Adam Luckett’s KSR+ Scouting Report.
Kentucky Blacks Out Kroger Field
The Wildcats are rolling out a new uniform combination for Saturday night’s game against Vanderbilt. Kentucky is rocking its black alternate jerseys with blue helmets and blue jerseys. It’s the ideal opportunity to rock some Kenny Wayne Sheppard at the tailgate lots.
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Much to my chagrin, it was a late notice for fans, but UK is encouraging you to dress like the Cats and wear black to Kroger Field. Vanderbilt will be wearing black helmets with white jerseys and black pants.
It’s going to be a beautiful day to watch the Wildcats in action. The weather will be sunny and 80 degrees for your tailgate, with temps dipping into the mid-60s for kickoff. You can’t ask for much better fall weather in the Bluegrass.
College Football on TV
| Georgia Tech at North Carolina | Noon ET | The CW |
| No. 21 Missouri at UMass | Noon ET | ESPN2 |
| Wisconsin at Rutgers | Noon ET | Big Ten Network |
| South Carolina at No. 7 Alabama | Noon ET | ABC |
| No. 10 Clemson at Wake Forest | Noon ET | ESPN |
| Washington at Iowa | Noon ET | FOX |
| Toledo at Buffalo | Noon ET | ESPNU |
| California at No. 22 Pittsburgh | 3:30pm ET | ESPN |
| Cincinnati at UCF | 3:30pm ET | ESPN2 |
| No. 4 Penn State at USC | 3:30pm ET | CBS |
| Stanford at No. 11 Notre Dame | 3:30pm ET | NBC |
| Purdue at No. 23 Illinois | 3:30pm ET | FS1 |
| No. 1 Texas at No. 18 Oklahoma | 3:30pm ET | ABC |
| Louisville at Virginia | 3:30pm ET | ACC Network |
| Arizona at No. 14 BYU | 4:00pm ET | FOX |
| Mississippi State at No. 5 Georgia | 4:15pm ET | SEC Network |
| Washington State at Fresno State | 7:00pm ET | FS1 |
| Florida at No. 8 Tennessee | 7:00pm ET | ESPN |
| No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Oregon | 7:30pm ET | NBC |
| No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 13 LSU | 7:30pm ET | ABC |
| Vanderbilt at Kentucky | 7:45pm ET | SEC Network |
| No. 11 Iowa State at West Virginia | 8:00pm ET | FOX |
| Minnesota at UCLA | 9:00pm ET | Big Ten Network |
| No. 18 Kansas State at Colorado | 10:15pm ET | ESPN |
| No. 17 Boise State at Hawaii | 11:00pm ET | CBS Sports Network |
Rick Pitino Returned to Rupp Arena in Kentucky Gear
Even after sleeping on it, I still can’t believe what just happened at Rupp Arena. We knew Rick Pitino was in town. We were told he wouldn’t crash Mark Pope’s first party. Then Kentucky brought out the National Title teams and there he was rocking a Kentucky blue pullover.
“It meant the world to me,” he told reporters after the event. One asked Pitino if he ever thought he’d wear Kentucky blue again. “Yeah, I thought so. Once I left Louisville I said, ‘I’m gonna sleep in Kentucky blue.’”
Hate him or love him, Rick Pitino will never stop Pitinoing.
What Else You Missed at Mark Pope’s First Big Blue Madness
Rick Pitino’s return was pretty nutty, but that wasn’t the only thing that stood out from Mark Pope’s first Big Blue Madness. Travis Perry got buckets, Collin Chandler dunked over the Popes, and Kenny Brooks showed us some swagger. A rundown of KSR’s coverage from the event:
Mark Pope, Player Introductions at Rupp Arena
Mark Stoops makes his Big Blue Madness Debut
Travis Perry beats Trent Noah in Thrilling 3-Point Contest
Kenny Brooks’ First Big Blue Madness Entrance
Roundtable Recap
KSR’s Takeaways from WBB Madness
How do we actually feel about Pitino’s return?
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