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    • Vanderbilt-Kentucky College Football Week 7 Score Prediction
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    Vanderbilt-Kentucky College Football Week 7 Score Prediction

    Eira Gwyneth Posted on

    Vanderbilt football faces the ultimate disappointment against Kentucky.

    The Commodores (3-2, 1-1 SEC) passed the test the last time they found themselves in a similar situation, beating Florida a week after Clark Lea’s first SEC win over the Wildcats in 2022. But this is a whole different level of potential disappointment , with Vanderbilt coming off a 40-35 win over No. 1 Alabama that was monumental for the program.

    The Wildcats (3-2, 1-2) did not play last week. Vanderbilt will travel to Lexington to play at Kroger Field on Saturday (6:45 p.m. CT, SEC Network) for the first time since winning in 2022.

    Here’s what you should know about the matchup:

    GOAL POST MARCH Inside Vanderbilt, soccer goal posts march toward the river: obstacles, honky-tonks, and a police escort

    Vanderbilt has the Diego Pavia factor after the upset at Alabama

    Transfer Diego Pavia has made all the difference for Vanderbilt, not only in terms of his stats but also in his performance in big games. He can elevate the level of play of everyone around him, and that was especially true against Alabama. He threw for 973 yards and ran for 335 yards with 10 touchdowns (eight passing, two rushing).

    Pavia showed at New Mexico State that he isn’t afraid of the road atmosphere or big games, including leading the Aggies to an upset against Auburn. In Lexington, he has another chance to prove his worth.

    Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky history

    Vanderbilt has a 43-49-4 all-time record against Kentucky, which is its third-best record against a current SEC team. The two teams have played each other every year since 1953. The Commodores won four of five games from 2011 to 2015 before Kentucky won six straight from 2016 to 2021, the longest winning streak for either team in the meet since the 1930s.

    Vanderbilt broke that streak with a 24-21 win in 2022, the last time it played in Lexington.

    Kentucky had an extra week to prepare

    The Wildcats pulled off an upset of their own against Ole Miss two weeks ago, but were inactive last week. That gave Kentucky an extra week to prepare for the Commodores’ offense. It could also mean that the wild cats are healthier. One key player is out for Kentucky: defensive back Maxwell Hairston, a second-team All-SEC player a season ago who also missed the Ole Miss game.

    Vanderbilt listed six players as questionable on its injury report Wednesday, including five starters: Langston Patterson, Bryan Longwell, Yilanan Ouattara, CJ Taylor and Chase Mitchell.

    Kentucky has an elite defense

    While the Wildcats struggled on offense, they displayed exceptional defense. Kentucky held both Georgia and Ole Miss under 20 points.

    The Wildcats rank fifth nationally in total defense, 11th in scoring defense and 11th in stop percentage.

    Kentucky wasn’t that good on offense. The Wildcats are the worst in the SEC, averaging 22 points per game, and their overall offense is second-worst in the SEC behind Oklahoma. Part of it is that we played against strong defensive teams at Georgia and Ole Miss, but the offense was still a struggle.

    Vanderbilt score prediction vs. Kentucky

    Vanderbilt 21, Kentucky 17: In a game where scoring is likely to be limited, the question is whether the extra week of preparation will be useful for the Wildcats.

    Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.

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    Eira Gwyneth
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