It’s been a crazy season for Vanderbilt Football. After upsetting Virginia Tech in overtime in Week One, the Commodores went down in shocking fashion at Georgia State in Week Three. Then, in Week Four, Vanderbilt took then-No. 7 Missouri to double overtime in Columbia but couldn’t secure what would have been one of its biggest wins ever.
And then it beat No. 1 Alabama, sending Nashville — along with the whole nation —- into pure pandemonium.
It’s been a crazy season for Kentucky Football as well. After getting brutalized by South Carolina at home in Week Two, Kentucky’s defense rallied in Week Three to hold then-top-ranked Georgia to only 13 points. However, Kentucky’s offense couldn’t score a touchdown and the Wildcats lost by just one point. A high point came in Week Five when Kentucky went into Oxford and beat then No. 6 Ole Miss for its first road win of the season.
This upcoming matchup is a battle between two teams coming off of a pair of unbelievable upsets. Two teams that want, more than anything, to ride their momentum as far as it can take them. To make sense of how the clash between the ‘Dores and the Wildcats might go, The Hustler went Behind Enemy Bylines and interviewed Cole Parke, the sports editor for Kentucky’s student newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel.
Vanderbilt Hustler: Kentucky’s SEC performances this season have been very inconsistent. What factors have contributed most to this team’s varying performances?
Cole Parke: There’s only been one outlier game: the South Carolina performance. [Kentucky] performed really well against Ole Miss and Georgia. [Georgia is] not the undefeated number-one team anymore, but is still a very good football team. Going into South Carolina, people within the program were too optimistic as to the state of the offensive line. The quarterbacks just did not look good: They barely had time to throw. The run game was the only thing they had, and they kept trying to go away from that because they [were] down big and [needed] to make some plays. No disrespect to Southern Miss, but South Carolina was the first time [Kentucky] saw what it had against [a real] team. The Wildcats made some changes [since then] and it’ll be interesting to see how they do against Vanderbilt, especially coming out of the bye week. Kentucky doesn’t play well after bye weeks, so we might see [some] inconsistency.
VH: Prior to the Ole Miss game, was Brock Vandagriff still the clear number one at quarterback, or were there rumblings of Gavin Wimsatt potentially taking his starting job?
CP: It’s always been clear that Brock’s the number one guy. Apart from [a few times against] Ole Miss game when they used Gavin [Wimsatt] on some designed quarterback keepers, [they haven’t gone away from Vandagriff]. It’s been pretty firm all year long that [Vandagriff] is their guy.
VH: The Wildcats have allowed the seventh-fewest rushing yards per game of all FBS teams. Vanderbilt’s run game was critical in its upset over Alabama. How do you see this matchup playing out?
CP: Kentucky’s run defense is much better [than Alabama’s, but that’s] not to say that it doesn’t need to worry about Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt showed it’s capable of beating anybody in the country. Kentucky has one of the best defensive lines in the country with veteran guys up front like Deone Walker, a surefire NFL talent. There’s Octavius Oxendine, who’s going to go pro [too]. The list of competent defensive linemen we’ve got is two depth charts deep. And then [Kentucky also has] a veteran linebacker presence. You’ve got Pop Dumas-Johnson, a transfer from Georgia, and you’ve got guys like JJ Weaver coming back for their fifth years here. It’s a very experienced defensive group that’s been pivotal in holding Ole Miss and Georgia to those low-scoring [games]
VH: Who are notable weapons on Kentucky’s offense that Vanderbilt fans should look out for?
CP: Running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye has been fantastic. [Kentucky] brought in Chip Trayanum from Ohio State, but he’s had some [injury] setbacks and we don’t know what his situation is right now. You always have the wide receiving threat of Dane Key, [and then] you got Barion Brown, who’s just insanely fast. Teams barely kick to him anymore when he’s on punt return because if he gets any space, [they’re] not catching him. Fred Farrier and Ja’Mori Maclin have also done really well and have shown that they’re good receiving options.
VH: What’s the most vulnerable player or position group that Vanderbilt should attack this weekend offensively?
CP: The offensive line. South Carolina showed what can happen when a team really gets at that offensive line and puts pressure on [Vandagriff]. The run game still had success against South Carolina, but obviously much less than it had in all other games this season. So if Vanderbilt is to really heighten something on defense, it should be that pass rush. Try to force [Vandagriff] into a bad decision, which he’s prone to make; force him to try to be a hero and make that play. We all saw how that went against South Carolina, so that’s by far Vanderbilt’s biggest key to victory.
VH: Defensively?
CP: Kentucky probably has the least depth in the secondary. [The Wildcats] lost Dru Phillips to the [New York Giants] last year. The defensive backs are the least veteran group on the defense that [can be] exploited.
VH: What’s your final score prediction?
CP: I don’t think it’s going to be the same type of game as [last week with] Alabama and Vanderbilt’s massive shootout. This one will be more defensive. That’s just the kind of team Kentucky is. I’ll say 28-24, Wildcats.
Vanderbilt and Kentucky will play in Lexington this Saturday, Oct. 12 at 6:45 p.m. CDT. The game can be watched on the SEC Network.
