Confident Vanderbilt got over the hump in rebuild with win at Kentucky

One lackluster morning at Kroger Field could drastically change the dynamics within the division. Kentucky’s rise through the SEC East ranks has been at the expense of South Carolina, Missouri and Vanderbilt. The Wildcats beat two of those three teams every year for eigth years, and rattled off at least a 5-game winning streak over each opponent during that time. That all went out the window on a cold day in November in Lexington.

Heroics from Chris Rodriguez, a go-ahead 72-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, were not enough to erase an abysmal effort from the Wildcats. Vanderbilt responded by converting two fourth downs, one with a UK penalty and another with a 40-yard prayer through the air, to get within striking distance. Will Sheppard caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Mike Wright with only 32 seconds left on the clock.

“It was a step in the right direction,” Sheppard said Tuesday at SEC Media Days. “I think you saw a confidence boost on the field. We feel like we belong. We know we belong, and it’s really starting to show.“

The 24-21 win at Kentucky snapped Vandy’s 26-game SEC losing streak, the third-longest in the league’s history. It was the Commodores’ first SEC win since October 2019. For linebacker Ethan Barr, the trip to Lexington provided so much more than just a taste of victory.

“It was huge,” Barr told KSR. “That was my first SEC win since I’ve been at Vandy. It was a very proud moment, and a great moment to be with the guys. We were all so excited. It was just feelings that we hadn’t had since we’ve been here. So it builds a lot of confidence into ourselves and to what we’ve been doing and just to know that we can win these games and we will win these games.”

Vanderbilt turned one win into two. The following week they defeated Florida 31-24, just their second win over the Gators in 30 seasons. The back-to-back SEC wins proved that Clark Lea is putting his alma mater on the right path to success.

“We all believe in Coach Lea. We all believe in what we’re doing,” said Barr. “It’s just getting over that — there’s like a little hump that we had to get over and to win that game, and to win the Florida game. It’s like, we did it. We’ve done it. Now we need to replicate the performance that we put out and being able to play consistently throughout a game as a whole team. The three phases need to come together and that’s what we did those games. We know we can replicate it. And so now, it’s just doing it.”

Vanderbilt fell short of a bowl appearance with a 5-7 record, but it’s clear they’re following a familiar path to a rebuild in the SEC. A new stadium renovation is underway in year three under Clark Lea, the same timetable Mark Stoops oversaw in Lexington. The defensive-minded head coaches took unconventional approaches in recruiting to upgrade the talent on the roster. Like Stoops’ early teams, the final missing piece was learning how to win close games against conference foes. Kentucky’s disappointing performance appears to have unlocked the Commodores’ potential.

Vanderbilt Players give Props to Ray Davis

One of the players that helped take down Kentucky is now a Vanderbilt turncoat. Ray Davis was one of the SEC’s four 1,000-yard rushers last fall and he gained 129 of them in the win in Lexington. He left Nashville with the respect of his teammates.

“Ray’s my guy. We played two years together, so they’re getting a great football player. It’s going to be exciting to play against him,” said Sheppard.

Barr added, “Ray is great guy. His locker was right next to mine. We would hang out often. I have a bunch of respect for Ray and I love the guy. I think he’s gonna do great things at Kentucky. He’s obviously a very strong runner, a really smart guy and he runs with patience.”

Defensive back Jaylen Mahoney often met Davis in the open-field during practice. Trash talk was around early and often.

“We were friends off the field, but we always talk junk to each other during practice and stuff like that. We always went at it. Ray is a really very good player and I’m excited to see what he can do at Kentucky. I’m excited to play against him,” Mahoney told KSR.

“He’s an explosive player. He runs really hard. Whether he touches the ball 10 times or 20, I feel like he’s going to run the ball hard. He’s hard to bring down. He has good juke moves too, so he’s really good player.”