Kentucky is sitting on top of the Southeastern Conference, and the way the Wildcats got there only makes the run feel even louder.
After a 34-17 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday night, Kentucky moved to 5-1 in SEC play and stacked up its fifth straight conference victory for the first time in 49 years. The last time UK went unbeaten in October was also 49 years ago, in 1977, when Kentucky finished 10-1.
“We find ways to win. It ain’t always perfect but I love the way we finished the game,” Kentucky coach Will Stein said.
For a while, it didn’t look like much would come easy. Kentucky managed only six plays, 14 yards and no first downs in the first quarter, and Vanderbilt jumped ahead 10-0. But by halftime, UK had flipped it and carried a 14-10 lead into the locker room before taking control after that.
“We have been in that position before,” safety Ty Bryant, who had a second-half interception to set up a score, said on the UK Radio Network. “When they scored to go up 10-0 I had faith in our offense and faith in our defense to get stops.
I had complete faith the offense would move the ball and score the rock. Just hit the reset button and let’s go to work.”
Kenny Minchey kept the offense moving again. The Kentucky quarterback went 19 of 26 for 203 yards and a touchdown without an interception, finishing with a 151.4 rating. He also added five carries for 23 yards.
“They present so many headaches to a defense with the play calling,” SEC Network analyst Aaron Murray, a former Georgia quarterback, said.
Stein said it was Minchey’s best outing of the year.
“He really played great and made some elite throws on third down. He was eight of 13 on third down and made some unbelievable throws,” Stein said on the UK Radio Network.
“It was really impressive by Kenny tonight. He had a great week of prep.
“I thought (offensive coordinator) Joe Sloan called a great game. I told him, ‘Let’s empty the play sheet.
Let’s not leave wishing we would have called something else.’ We have great guys in our offensive room and we are open to ideas.
We want to give everybody an opportunity to share stuff.”
Kentucky’s defense did plenty of heavy lifting, too. The Wildcats finished with eight tackles for loss, three sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery.
They held Vanderbilt to 15 rushing yards, making it the third straight SEC opponent to come up short of 100 yards on the ground against Kentucky. The Cats also have seven games now with at least two takeaways.
In the SEC standings, Kentucky is now ahead of Georgia, which is 4-1. Alabama sits at 4-2, while LSU, Tennessee, Florida and Ole Miss are all 3-2.
“This is as real as it gets,” said UK Radio Network play-by-play voice Tom Leach. “This is a league where almost everybody is beating up on everybody else except Kentucky.”
The picture got even better with chaos elsewhere. Three teams ranked above Kentucky - BYU, Texas Tech and Tennessee - all lost Saturday.
Kentucky will not jump No. 2 BYU, but the Wildcats should move into the top 10 with Tennessee and Texas Tech dropping behind them.
The result pushed Kentucky to 7-1 overall, and Stein said the group is embracing what’s in front of it.
“It is always fun when you win. Guys are bought in.
They love Lexington. They love the fans.
But they came here to play in big games in November,” Stein said.
“Our crowd was electric. I was glad to give them a win going into next week.”
Now Kentucky heads into a November that already feels like it could belong to the Wildcats, with Big Blue Heaven starting to sound a lot like the place to be.
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Nick Saban Sees Something Real In Kentuckys Fast Start
Kentuckys early surge has started to draw attention beyond Lexington, and Nick Saban added another voice to the growing chorus on College GameDay. Sitting at 6-1 and ranked No. 12 under first-year head coach Will Stein, the Wildcats have done more than just collect wins. They have played clean, steady football, leaned on a strong offensive line and found ways to hold on in tight games, which is exactly the kind of profile that tends to travel well in the SEC.
The numbers behind the start are hard to ignore, especially with Kentucky leading the conference in turnover margin and entering Week 8 tied with Georgia atop the SEC standings. The question now is whether the Wildcats can keep turning those close calls into something more lasting, because the margin for error only gets thinner from here and the league race is starting to tighten around them. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky's Playoff Buzz Just Turned Into A Real SEC Debate
Kentuckys latest surge has pushed the conversation beyond simple momentum and into the kind of SEC debate that tends to follow a team that keeps stacking wins. After beating Oklahoma, the Wildcats climbed to ninth in ESPN analyst Heather Dinichs College Football Playoff rankings, a rise that reflects a run that now includes five straight victories and three SEC road wins. The defense has been a major part of that push, forcing four turnovers against Oklahoma while the rest of the team has continued to look increasingly settled.
Will Stein has pointed to toughness and connection as the traits driving Kentuckys recent stretch, and thats the kind of profile that gets attention in November. The rankings jump does not settle anything, but it does put Kentucky in a position few expected earlier in the season, with the playoff conversation now overlapping with the larger question of where the Wildcats fit in a crowded SEC race. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Keeps Everything Alive Before Massive Tennessee Showdown
Kentucky did not make things easy on itself against Vanderbilt, but it did exactly what it needed to do. After falling behind early, the Wildcats settled in on offense, found a rhythm and finished by scoring on their last six drives, while the defense came up with key turnovers late to help secure the comeback and keep the season moving in the right direction.
The win pushed Kentucky to 6-1 and left the Wildcats sitting alone atop the SEC heading into a bye week. It also keeps their playoff hopes very much alive as the attention now turns to Tennessee, a matchup that looms even larger after Kentucky handled business in a game that could have gone sideways early. [Read more 🡒]