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    SEC College Football Week 7 game results

    Seren Anwen Posted on

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    LEXINGTON – On two separate occasions in the second quarter Saturday night, the officiating team corrected erroneous calls that were whistled against Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff.

    The first: Vanderbilt linebacker Bryce Cowan intercepted Vandagriff with just under nine minutes left in the half. Only he didn’t. When checked, the ball hit the ground first. Incomplete passage. Kentucky ball.

    The second: A bizarre play after two minutes in which the officials initially ruled that Vandagriff deflected the football, which – coincidentally – led to a 25-yard scoop-and-score for Cowan. After a quick review in which replays clearly showed Vandagriff’s arm going forward with the ball, the TD was overturned. Incomplete passage. Kentucky ball.

    The Wildcats (3-3, 1-3 SEC) probably wish the officials had bailed them out of other, less fruitful offensive play calls — ones that didn’t need to be overturned. There were no reviews required: they just weren’t successful.

    Kentucky’s lack of offensive production cost dearly on Saturday, as Vanderbilt walked away with a 20-13 victory – the visitors’ second straight triumph at Kroger Field following their series win in 2022.

    “We still have a long way to go. We know what it is,” UK offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said. “The only thing we can do is get back to work. I know it’s not something anyone wants to hear. But that’s the reality every week at this conference.”

    The Wildcats’ meager point total was the lowest ever scored by an FBS opponent against the Commodores this season. Virginia Tech scored 27 points against Vandy (4-2, 2-1) in an overtime loss in Week 1. Missouri had 30 points in a double-overtime win over Vanderbilt last month. Alabama ended its impressive loss last week in Nashville, Tennessee, with 35.

    Even Georgia State — a sub-.500 club in a Group of Five (the Sun Belt Conference) — showered Vanderbilt with 36 points in an upset win Sept. 14 in Atlanta.

    The only squad that scored fewer points against Vandy in 2024: Alcorn State. From FCS. Which didn’t result in a single point in the 0:55 defeat on September 7th.

    Saturday continued a worrying trend for Hamdan’s unit. It is the third time in six games that the Wildcats have scored 13 points or fewer, joining losses to South Carolina (six) and Georgia (12).

    “The offense has to be better,” said Vandagriff, who completed 60% (15 of 25) of his attempts for 158 yards and a touchdown. “Starts with me. Starts with No. 12.”

    “I have to go out there, make plays, focus on the little things. … It requires a deep look in the mirror at myself and the ability to lead.”

    The most galling aspect of Saturday’s loss for the UK offense was: It had 322 yards, 34 to Vandy’s 288 yards.

    The difference: The Commodores took advantage of both chances from the red zone, while the Wildcats were 1 for 2.

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    Kentucky coach Mark Stoops’ failure to capitalize on the other top scoring opportunity described it as the turning point of the contest. Late in the third quarter, UK had a second-and-goal less than a yard from the end zone. But then it called a false start penalty and ran back 5 yards. The Wildcats gained a yard on the next play (on a Vandagriff rush) before his pass on third-and-goal sailed out of bounds. With fourth-and-goal at the 5, a mishandled snap prevented superstar kicker Alex Raynor from attempting a chip shot and a 22-yard field goal; Assuming he had done it, Kentucky would have cut Vandy’s lead to seven (17-10).

    It shouldn’t be.

    “To have the ball at the half-yard line and come away with zero points?” Stoops said. “It depends on discipline. … And I think if you’re a playcaller, it’s probably a fine line when we get it in there – if you hammer it and hammer it and get some good yards, do you set the tone? Are you running it?

    “If we could do it again, we would move to the middle and sneak the thing. We were pretty efficient with that.”

    Kentucky is going on the road for the second time this season.

    UK travels to Gainesville, Florida to face Florida on October 19th at 7:45 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on SEC Network.

    The Wildcats will enter Ben Hill Griffin Stadium looking for their fourth straight victory over the Gators. (UK forfeited its 2021 triumph in Lexington due to NCAA violations.) Kentucky has just one other streak of four consecutive wins in the series. The Wildcats accomplished this feat from 1948 to 1951 under the tutelage of Hall of Fame coach Bear Bryant.

    Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

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    Seren Anwen
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