Kentucky overcame a sluggish start to put Vanderbilt away 34-17 last night at Kroger Field.
The Wildcats (7-1, 5-1 SEC) have won five straight SEC games for the first time since 1977.
Check out all the postgame notes from the win:
VANDERBILT AT KENTUCKY
OCTOBER 24, 2026
KROGER FIELD AT C.M. NEWTON GROUNDS – LEXINGTON, KY
ATTENDANCE: 61,843
FINAL SCORE: No. 12 Kentucky 34, Vanderbilt 17
Team Records and Series Information
– Winning its sixth straight game, Kentucky is 7-1 overall, 5-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt is 3-5 overall, 0-5 in the league.
– Kentucky leads the series, 49-45-4, including 27-17-2 in games played in Lexington. (Note: series record does not include Kentucky’s 2021 win that was later vacated by the NCAA.)
Next Game
– Kentucky has its lone open date of the season on Oct. 31.
– The Wildcats return to action Nov. 7 at Tennessee, which also has an open date next week. Kickoff is set between 6-8 p.m.; exact kickoff time and television assignment will be announced Monday.
What the Win Means for the Wildcats
– Kentucky’s 7-1 record is the Wildcats’ best start since the 2018 squad opened 7-1.
– Kentucky has won six in a row (in the same season) for the first time since the 2021 team won its first six games. (Note: the 2021 wins were vacated later by the NCAA. The last official six-game win streak was when the 1977 team won the last nine games of the season.)
* Kentucky has trailed in all six games of the current win streak.
– Kentucky went 4-0 this month, the first undefeated October for UK since 1977.
– Kentucky’s 5-1 SEC record is the Wildcats’ best league start since the 1977 team went 6-0 for the entire season.
– Kentucky has won five SEC games in a row for only the third time in school history. The 1950 team won its first five league games that season and the 1977 team posted a 6-0 SEC record.
– Will Stein is the first Kentucky head coach to be 7-1 in his first season in 117 years, since E. R. Sweetland opened 7-1 in 1909.
– Stein is the first coach in UK history to begin 5-1 in SEC play in his first season (SEC football began in 1933).
Team Notes
– After getting behind 10-0, Kentucky scored on six straight possessions.
* This is the largest margin of victory in a game when Kentucky trailed by at least 10 points since 2019 at Vanderbilt. – In that game, UK trailed by 11 but rallied to win by 24 points (38-14). Tonight, UK came back from 10 down to win by 17 points.
– After gaining just 14 yards with no first downs in the first quarter, the Wildcats piled up 362 yards and 24 first downs in the final three quarters.
– The Kentucky defense limited Vanderbilt to 15 net rushing yards.
* That is the fewest rushing yards by a UK opponent since Southern Mississippi had only five yards in 2024.
* That is the fewest rushing yards by a UK opponent in an SEC game since Vanderbilt had minus-29 yards in 1996.
– Kentucky has held three straight SEC opponents under 100 rushing yards for the first time since 1999.
– UK won the turnover margin 2-0 tonight against the Commodores and has won or tied the turnover margin in every game this season.
– Kentucky entered the game leading the SEC with a plus-11 turnover margin.
– Kentucky has forced at least two turnovers in seven straight games.
– With a touchdown in the last four minutes of the first half and a TD in the first four minutes of the second half, Kentucky won the “middle eight” 14-0.
* So far this season, Kentucky leads 79-27 in the “middle eight.”
– Kentucky has scored at least 31 points in six of the first eight games, first time that has happened since 2010.
– Kentucky had two quarterbacks score rushing touchdowns tonight, first time that has happened since 2018 vs. Murray State (Terry Wilson and Danny Clark).
– Having incurred the fewest penalties in the SEC entering tonight’s game, the Wildcats were flagged only three times tonight for 24 yards.
– Kentucky tight ends combined for another productive game, totaling seven catches for 70 yards.
– UK tight ends have totaled 57 receptions this season, the most in the first eight games of a season since the tight ends caught 67 in the first eight games of 2000.
Player Notes
– QB Kenny Minchey completed 19 of 26 passes for 203 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
Minchey has thrown 232 passes to start the season with only one interception. That’s a record for the most pass attempts for a UK QB to begin a season with only one interception.
Minchey now has the second-longest streak of consecutive passing attempts without an interception in UK history (200).
He was also more involved in the running game tonight. Not including sack yardage, he rushed four times for 30 yards, including a one-yard burrow for a touchdown that essentially clinched the game in the fourth quarter.
– QB Brennan Ward played only one play but it was vital.
On the first possession of the second half, he entered the game with the ball on the Vanderbilt 10-yard line.
Ward lined up alongside fellow QB Kenny Minchey, saw Minchey go in motion to the left, took a shotgun snap and scampered untouched off the right side for a 10-yard touchdown. It is his first collegiate score.
It came on his first career rushing attempt.
– TE Willie Rodriguez led the Wildcat receivers with six catches for 67 yards.
He has a reception in 19 of 20 games and in all eight games this season.
Rodriguez notched his first career rushing touchdown in the final 30 seconds of the first half. Lined up in the “Willie-cat” formation at the one-yard line, he took a direct shotgun snap, rushed forward, stutter-stepped near the line of scrimmage, then scooted untouched around right end into the end zone.
He is the first UK tight end with at least five receptions in four straight SEC games since James Whalen in 1999.
He has caught 39 passes this season, most for a UK tight end in the first eight games since James Whalen in 1999.
– WR DJ Miller caught five passes, matching his career high, for 49 yards and a touchdown.
Miller hauled in his first touchdown reception of the season on a 9-yard strike from Kenny Minchey deep into the second quarter.
– WR Kenny Darby caught four passes for 71 yards.
He has 38 catches on the season, most for a UK freshman in his first eight games.
He leads the Cats with 507 receiving yards this season.
He has caught at least one pass in every game this season.
– RB Jovantae Barnes led the Wildcat ground game with 15 carries for 68 yards.
– S Jordan Castell led the Wildcats in tackles with eight stops.
-S Ty Bryant had an interception, six tackles and a pass breakup.
Early in the fourth quarter, he intercepted a pass and returned it 18 yards to the Vanderbilt 47-yard line, setting up UK’s final touchdown drive.
The interception was his fourth in the last three games. The last Wildcat to intercept a pass in three consecutive games was Danny Trevathan in 2011.
– DE Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace totaled five tackles, two tackles for loss (-5 yards), including a quarterback sack/caused fumble.
Late in the third quarter, he sacked the quarterback, causing a fumble that was recovered by Tavion Gadson at the Vanderbilt 17-yard line. UK capitalized with a field goal to extend the lead to two scores, 27-17.
Has made at least one havoc play (interception, fumble caused/recovered, quarterback sack, tackle for loss or quarterback hurry) in every game this season.
– DL Tavion Gadson had one tackle and pounced on a Commodore fumble, his second recovery of the season.
– DT Jamarion Harkless had a six-yard quarterback sack, his third QB takedown of the season.
– P Wilson Berry punted twice for a 49-yard average, including one downed at the five-yard line.
– First time starters: WR Ja’Kayden Ferguson
Game Captains
– S Jordan Castell, LB Grant Godfrey, QB Kenny Minchey, C Coleton Price
