The Kentucky Wildcats are not just having a good season anymore. They are officially sitting alone at the top of the SEC standings.
No. 12 Kentucky overcame another slow start Saturday night and pulled away from Vanderbilt for a 34-17 victory at Kroger Field, improving to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in Southeastern Conference play. With Georgia idle, Kentucky moved into sole possession of first place in the SEC, sitting a half-game ahead of the Bulldogs.
And Kentucky did not simply survive against Vanderbilt. After falling behind 10-0, the Wildcats took control of the game on both sides of the football and outscored the Commodores 34-7 the rest of the way.
It was Kentucky's sixth consecutive victory and its fifth straight SEC win, giving the Wildcats their best conference start since the legendary 1977 team went 6-0 in league play.
The first quarter could hardly have gone worse for Kentucky's offense.
The Wildcats finished the opening quarter with only 14 total yards and zero first downs. Vanderbilt controlled the football, controlled field position and eventually built a 10-0 advantage after a 30-yard field goal and a three-yard touchdown pass from Jared Curtis to Jayvontay Conner.
Then everything changed.
Kentucky finally found its rhythm midway through the second quarter. Kenny Minchey connected with Willie Rodriguez for a 21-yard gain, and the drive eventually ended with Minchey finding D.J. Miller for a nine-yard touchdown. Adam Zouagui's extra point cut Vanderbilt's lead to 10-7.
Kentucky's defense quickly forced a Vanderbilt three-and-out, giving Minchey and the offense another opportunity before halftime.
The Wildcats took advantage with a 13-play drive that ended with Rodriguez taking a direct snap from the one-yard line and scoring his first career rushing touchdown. Kentucky suddenly had a 14-10 halftime lead.
Kentucky kept the momentum after halftime. On the Wildcats' opening possession of the third quarter, Minchey hit freshman receiver Kenny Darby for a 44-yard completion down the sideline. Backup quarterback Brennan Ward then entered near the goal line and scored on a 10-yard run on the first rushing attempt of his college career.
Kentucky was suddenly ahead 21-10.
Vanderbilt answered with a touchdown to make it 21-17, but that would be the Commodores' final points of the night.
The numbers from Kentucky's defense were outstanding, particularly against the run.
Vanderbilt finished the game with only 15 net rushing yards. That was the fewest rushing yards Kentucky has allowed in an SEC game since Vanderbilt finished with minus-29 yards against the Wildcats in 1996.
Kentucky has now held three consecutive SEC opponents under 100 rushing yards for the first time since 1999.
The Wildcats also continued one of the biggest themes of their season: taking the football away without giving it back.
Kentucky won the turnover battle 2-0. The Wildcats have now won or tied the turnover margin in every game this season and have forced at least two turnovers in seven consecutive games.
Mi'Quise Humphrey-Grace delivered one of the biggest defensive plays late in the third quarter, sacking Curtis and forcing a fumble that Tavion Gadson recovered at the Vanderbilt 17-yard line. Kentucky converted the turnover into a 32-yard Zouagui field goal and increased its advantage to 27-17.
Safety Ty Bryant delivered the next takeaway early in the fourth quarter, intercepting Curtis and returning the ball 18 yards to the Vanderbilt 47.
The interception was Bryant's fourth in the last three games. He became the first Kentucky player to record an interception in three consecutive games since Danny Trevathan in 2011.
| Statistic | Kentucky | Vanderbilt |
| Final Score | 34 | 17 |
| Total Yards | 376 | 262 |
| Rushing Yards | 173 | 15 |
| Passing Yards | 203 | 247 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Penalties | 3 for 24 yards | 9 for 75 yards |
| Time of Possession | 31:03 | 28:57 |
Kenny Minchey did not need huge passing numbers to control this game. What Kentucky needed was another efficient, mistake-free performance from its quarterback, and that is exactly what it got.
Minchey completed 19 of 26 passes for 203 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions. He also made an impact with his legs, rushing for 30 yards when sack yardage is excluded and scoring the touchdown that essentially put the game away in the fourth quarter.
Even more impressive is how well Minchey continues to protect the football. Through eight games, he has thrown 232 passes with only one interception. His current streak of 200 consecutive pass attempts without an interception is the second-longest in Kentucky history.
Rodriguez continues to be one of the most reliable weapons on the roster. His six receptions gave him 39 catches through eight games, the most by a Kentucky tight end through eight games since James Whalen in 1999.
Freshman Kenny Darby also continued his breakout season. His four catches gave him 38 receptions through eight games, the most ever by a Kentucky freshman through his first eight games. Darby now leads the Wildcats with 507 receiving yards.
Kentucky is 5-1 in the SEC and sits alone in first place in the conference standings.
Think about that for a second.
Eight games into Will Stein's first season as Kentucky's head coach, the Wildcats are 7-1 overall, 5-1 in the SEC and leading the conference.
Kentucky's five-game conference winning streak is only the third such streak in program history. The 1950 team won its first five SEC games and the 1977 Wildcats finished conference play 6-0.
Stein has also become the first Kentucky head coach ever to begin his first season 5-1 in SEC play. He is the first UK coach in 117 years to start his first season with a 7-1 record.
Kentucky finished October a perfect 4-0, the program's first undefeated October since 1977.
5-1 in SEC play
1st place in the SEC
6 consecutive wins
5 consecutive SEC wins
4-0 during October
Best SEC start since 1977
Perhaps the most remarkable part of Kentucky's six-game winning streak is that the Wildcats have trailed in every single one of those six games.
That happened again against Vanderbilt.
Kentucky could have panicked after falling behind 10-0 and producing almost nothing offensively in the first quarter. Instead, the Wildcats responded by scoring on six straight possessions and controlling nearly every important part of the game from the second quarter forward.
The offense protected the football. The defense completely shut down Vanderbilt's running game. Kentucky forced two more turnovers. The Wildcats committed only three penalties. And when Vanderbilt pulled within four points in the third quarter, Kentucky answered by scoring the final 13 points.
That is what good teams do.
And right now, Kentucky is doing it week after week.
Kentucky gets a well-earned break next weekend with its lone open date of the season on October 31.
The Wildcats return to action on November 7 at Tennessee. Tennessee also has an open week before the matchup, setting up another enormous SEC game for a Kentucky team that suddenly has much bigger goals than simply reaching bowl eligibility.
Eight games into the season, Kentucky controls its own path near the top of the Southeastern Conference.
Go Big Blue!