Ray Davis made his side pretty clear on Saturday.
The former Vanderbilt and Kentucky running back served as Kentucky’s honorary captain for its Week 8 matchup with Vanderbilt, greeting Kentucky coach Will Stein and the team outside the practice facility before the group walked together across the sidewalk and into Kroger Field.
Davis began his college career at Vanderbilt, where he became one of the early standouts of the Clark Lea era. One of his biggest performances came in Lexington in 2022, when he was the MVP in one of Vanderbilt’s best early wins under Lea. In that game, Davis rushed for 129 yards on 5.0 yards per carry and scored a touchdown.
He transferred to Kentucky ahead of his final college season and, since then, has seemed to identify far more with the Wildcats. That has only become more obvious now that he is on an NFL roster with the Buffalo Bills.
Davis also returned to FirstBank Stadium in 2023 as a Kentucky player and delivered again against his former team. He ran for 78 yards on 4.6 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns in Kentucky’s 45-28 win, a game in which the Wildcats pulled away early and never let Vanderbilt back in.
At Vanderbilt, Davis never reached a bowl game in his two seasons, but he was a dependable runner and helped set the physical tone for the program during that stretch. Still, his public loyalty has leaned Kentucky ever since leaving Nashville, and Saturday marked his clearest show of support yet.
In Other News...
Vanderbilts Exhibition Loss Exposed A Problem That Cant Linger
Vanderbilts final exhibition offered a useful reality check, even if it came in the form of a loss to Miami. The Hurricanes controlled the game for nearly the entire night, and coach Mark Byington treated it less like a setback than a baseline for what still needs cleaning up before the season begins. For a team still trying to settle into its identity, the lesson was plain enough: the Commodores have work to do, and it starts with tightening things on the defensive end.
There was at least a little good news around the edges. TO Barrett and Gabe Nesmith warmed up before the game but did not play, a sign both are trending in the right direction as Vanderbilt looks toward its opener against Bellarmine. Their return would give Byington more options, but the bigger question remains how quickly the rest of the rotation can bring the effort and execution needed to avoid another night where the opposition dictates the pace. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Walks Into A Brutal SEC Test With Kentucky Rolling
Vanderbilt is heading into one of the toughest spots on its SEC schedule with Kentucky suddenly looking every bit like a program on the rise under first-year coach Will Stein. The Wildcats are 6-1 and ranked No. 12 nationally, carrying a five-game winning streak into a primetime home date, while the Commodores are still searching for their first conference win of the season and need something to change quickly against a surging opponent.
The atmosphere figures to be part of the challenge, too. Kentuckys social media account has already leaned into the moment with a one-minute hype video aimed at getting fans louder and more engaged for the game, a reminder that Vanderbilt will not just be dealing with a ranked team but with a crowd expecting another step forward from a breakout season. [Read more 🡒]
Miami May Have Uncovered A New Offensive Problem For Opponents
Miamis exhibition loss to No. 14 Hurricanes still came with a few things Vanderbilt will want to keep in mind, starting with the way Miamis younger pieces changed the game. Freshman Caleb Gaskins looked ready for a bigger role, scoring 20 points and giving the Hurricanes a boost when the pace picked up. Coach Jai Lucas, meanwhile, liked the way his team came out aggressive, which is a useful sign with the season opener against No. 1 Florida looming.
Acaden Lewis also gave Miami plenty to build on, finishing with a double-double in a game that had plenty of offense on both sides. The turnovers, though, were part of the same story, and they showed there is still some polish to be done even as Miami tries to sharpen its attack and keep pressure on opponents. For Vanderbilt, the takeaway is less about the final score than the type of shot-making and tempo Miami was able to sustain when the game opened up. [Read more 🡒]