Missed Opportunities Cost Kentucky in Loss to Vanderbilt

Kentucky made one self-inflicted mistake after another until Vanderbilt left Kroger Field with a 20-13 win. Clark Lea‘s Commodores now have two straight wins over the Cats in Lexington, Lea’s only SEC road wins as a head coach. Kentucky drops to 3-3, 1-3 in SEC play.

The two teams were evenly matched. One made plays in scoring territory and the other didn’t.

Vanderbilt made a huge momentum swing before the half by driving 60 yards in less than 90 seconds, finishing the drive with an 18-yard passing touchdown by Diego Pavia. They won the Middle Eight 10-0 by kicking a field goal to cap off an 11-play drive to start the third quarter.

When Kentucky had chances to score points, they made egregious mistakes. There were multiple penalties, a fumble, and a botched hold on a field goal, the last of which cost Kentucky a chance to make it a one-score game late in the third quarter.

The Wildcats got the ball inside the Vanderbilt 30-yard line four times and only scored seven points until Dane Key‘s 22-yard touchdown cut the deficit to seven with seven minutes left in the game. It could’ve been a 6-point game, but Wilson Berry mishandled the hold for the second time in one night.

It looked like we were going to see a repeat of the Alabama performance when Vanderbilt picked up 16 yards on third and six. On Kentucky’s next opportunity to get off the field, D’Eryk Jackson sacked Pavia for a loss of 14.

Barion Brown went back deep to return the punt and got the ball near midfield, but there was another flag, forcing Kentucky to start the drive at its own 20-yard line, a 30-yard swing. The Cats had life when he made an amazing catch across midfield. On two of the next three snaps, the Cats were flagged for holding, effectively eliminating any chance for a dramatic come-from-behind win.

Kentucky drops to 2-10 in its last 12 SEC home games, with six straight losses. Mark Stoops is now 5-9 in games after the Bye Week.

Kentucky Penalties Everywhere

Kentucky was the least penalized team in the SEC, committing just 5.6 per game. They had eight by halftime for 71 yards. By the night’s end, Kentucky was flagged 12 times for 106 yards, but that doesn’t accurately quantify the massive swings in field position from the penalties.

Not all penalties are created equally, but they directly affected the scoreboard in the wrong way on the first two possessions. Dane Key smacked a Vanderbilt cornerback after a reception that made it third and short on the Commodres’ 29-yard line. That dead-ball foul took at least three points off the board.

Kentucky punted the ball away and pinned Vanderbilt deep. The Commodores probably wouldn’t have gone 97 yards for a touchdown if a late hit on the quarterback didn’t keep the Vandy drive alive.

The most costly penalty of the night happened when Kentucky trailed by 10 points with about two minutes left in the third quarter. Marques Cox was flagged for a false start on the Vanderbilt 1-yard line. It should have been an easy touchdown for Demie Sumo-Karngbaye. Instead, Kentucky was forced to kick a field goal and the holder dropped it. Instead of making it a one-score game, the Cats got zero points.

Missed Turnover Opportunity

We knew entering the game that Vandy wanted to slow things down and limit possession. The Cats were desperate for a big defensive stop and D’Eryk Jackson delivered with an incredible interception, the first thrown by Pavia this season.

.@Derykjackson4 COMING UP BIG ON DEFENSE pic.twitter.com/MAr4xN7M1Y

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) October 13, 2024

Kentucky had a big opportunity to steal momentum and couldn’t capitalize. Brock Vandagriff had the Wildcats moving and found Dane Key at the 25-yard line. When he tried to make a man miss, the ball was put on the turf. The missed opportunity was worth at least three points.

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