Kentucky keeps stacking wins, and now the Wildcats have something they haven’t had in a long time: a clear path to the top of the SEC.
Saturday’s 34-17 win over Vanderbilt at Kroger Field pushed the 12th-ranked Wildcats into sole possession of first place in the conference standings. It also extended Kentucky’s streak to six straight victories, with four of those coming in SEC play.
That’s a big deal anywhere. At Kentucky, it carries even more weight.
The last Wildcat team to win at least a share of the league title was Fran Curci’s 1976 squad, which beat North Carolina in the Peach Bowl and finished 8-4. So while Kentucky has flirted with conference success over the years, this is the closest it has been in decades to doing something only two teams in school history have accomplished.
And the road ahead is no joke. Kentucky still has three league games left, starting with a trip to No.
11 Tennessee on Nov. 7.
Florida, ranked 20th, comes to Lexington on Nov. 14, and the regular-season conference finale is at No. 22 Missouri on Nov.
The Wildcats have earned this position the hard way. Their previous three SEC wins all came with plenty of drama, including identical 34-33 overtime victories over South Carolina and LSU that both required back-to-back two-point conversions.
Last week, Kentucky rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Oklahoma 21-13. Those three games were decided by a combined nine points, which left Kentucky tied with No.
5 Georgia before the Bulldogs’ open date Saturday.
Against Vanderbilt, Kentucky again had to absorb an early punch. The Commodores jumped ahead 10-0 while looking for their first conference win of the season after four straight league losses, including a 31-21 defeat to Arkansas. Kentucky managed only 14 yards in the first quarter, but the offense finally found its footing in the second, piling up 146 yards and two touchdowns to wipe out the deficit.
By halftime, the Wildcats had flipped the game. Willie Rodriguez scored on a 1-yard touchdown run - not a pass - to put Kentucky in front 14-10, and the Wildcats never really let Vanderbilt back into it. Brennan Ward added a 10-yard touchdown run to open the second half after taking the snap as quarterback Kenny Minchey went in motion at the goal line.
From there, Kentucky’s defense did its part. The Wildcats forced two turnovers, including a fumble recovery and Ty Bryant’s interception in the fourth quarter.
After picking off four passes at Oklahoma, Kentucky has now forced 17 turnovers and owns a plus-12 turnover margin. Minchey still hasn’t thrown an interception, and he has been one of the most dependable players in the lineup.
Vanderbilt did trim the lead to 21-17 in the third quarter, but Kentucky answered with 13 straight points to finish the job. The final margin could have been even wider, though two questionable pass interference calls went uncalled. It didn’t change the outcome.
The win also served as a sharp contrast to last season’s 45-17 loss in Nashville. This time, Kentucky handled a game that, given recent history in the series, was expected to be tighter. Six of the previous 11 meetings had been decided by a touchdown or less, but Saturday was not one of them.
As the Wildcats head into a break before November’s stretch run, Curci is among those watching with enthusiasm.
“I am so excited about what is going on here,” he said on the UK radio Network. “It’s been 50 years since we won this conference. It’s time for these guys here to do it again.”
Kentucky is getting closer, and the season is now reaching the point where every remaining game feels loaded. When the first playoff rankings are revealed a week from Tuesday, if Kentucky isn’t included, there should be an investigation.
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