Vanderbilt Football returned for its final home game of the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 22 to face the Kentucky Wildcats. The Commodores handily beat the Wildcats, 45-17, to improve to 9-2 on the season and just one win shy of the program’s best-ever regular season finish.
Star Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia had another stellar day, amassing 469 passing yards to set the program’s single game passing yards record. Vanderbilt’s defense was equally as effective, holding the Wildcats to just 31 rushing yards.
The Commodores took the early lead in this game and never looked back. They scored 24 first half points and cruised through the second half, earning yet another statement SEC win.
“Really proud of the way the team rallied around that call and showed up and played in a way that represented the guys that have given so much to this program,” Lea said postgame. “It was our night. It was their night, and this team showed up for them, and I thought we handled ourselves coming off the bye week really well.”
First quarter
Vanderbilt won the toss and opted to defer, giving Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley the ball first. The Commodores’ solid run defense found early success, as running back Seth McGowan was stopped at the line of scrimmage on the first play. Boley made a nice cut on the quarterback keeper a few snaps later, though, giving Kentucky an initial first down. Vanderbilt’s defense then stepped up big, as STAR Randon Fontenette made a big stop on third down, forcing the Wildcats to punt it away from their own 38-yard line at the 10:53 mark.
Pavia went right to work, connecting on a 14-yard pass to running back Sedrick Alexander to pick up a first down. Another big reception by Spence over the middle of the field put Vanderbilt in enemy territory. A costly holding penalty forced the Commodores into a fourth down a few plays later, but Clark Lea’s decision to go for it paid off as Pavia found Stowers for the necessary yardage.
Another penalty, this time an ineligible player downfield, put the Commodores in a less than favorable position on a second down. They eventually could not find the momentum to get the first down, settling for a field goal as kicker Brock Taylor nailed the 39-yarder for Vanderbilt to take the 3-0 lead with 1:05 left in the quarter.
Boley made a run for it on the last play of the quarter, setting up a critical third down as play was stopped.
Second quarter
On third-and-short, McGowan was handed the ball but was taken down in the backfield for a loss of four. This set up the Wildcats to punt it away for the second time of the day, giving Vanderbilt the ball on its own 24-yard line.
Pavia initially found Tre Richardson and Junior Sherrill on back-to-back pickups to earn a first down. On second down, Richardson broke free on the left side and Pavia hit him for the 71-yard touchdown reception to put the Commodores up 10-0 with 13:03 left in the half.
Vanderbilt’s defense stepped up with a stop of its own on the other end. The Commodores’ dominant run defense stuffed McGowan and Dante Dowdell twice to force another punt from the Wildcats with 12:00 remaining in the half.
Pavia couldn’t make things work on his subsequent drive, though, as Vanderbilt was hit with another ineligible receiver downfield penalty to back it up. Pavia was sacked on the next play, putting the Commodores in a third-and-long situation which they couldn’t convert despite a 12-yard reception from receiver Junior Sherill. Punter Nick Haberer blasted one away to pin Kentucky inside its own 10-yard line, aided by a holding penalty on the receiving team with 10:01 to go in the half.
The Wildcats earned an early first down off Boley’s pass to receiver Cameron Miller, but they struggled to move the ball on the next two downs, setting up a critical third down. Linebacker Nick Rinaldi and safety Marlen Sewell simply beat Kentucky’s defensive line, earning a massive 10-yard sack to force another punt at the 7:21 mark.
Pavia began the next drive with two quarterback keepers before finding receiver Trent Hudson for a 19-yard gain to push into Wildcat territory. Receiver Tristen Brown then burst for a 13-yard reception to get into the red zone. The graduate quarterback then hit Richarson on the edge as he raced towards the pylon for the touchdown with 4:35 on the clock, bringing Vanderbilt’s lead to 17-0.
Kentucky instituted a quarterback change on its next drive, taking out Boley for the more experienced Zach Calzada. It did not pay off, though, as Calzada threw a costly pick, taken away by Kolbey Taylor at Vanderbilt’s 26-yard line.
There was significantly more drama on the Commodores’ subsequent possession. After Pavia couldn’t scramble for the initial first down, Lea opted to go for it on fourth-and-short well into their own territory. A bobbled direct snap to Alexander made them come up short, giving Kentucky the ball. Luckily for the Commodores, their defense stepped up to limit the damage to a field goal to bring the score to 17-3 with 0:59 to go.
Vanderbilt didn’t just give up at the end of the half, though. Pavia found Richardson for a 56-yard touchdown grab to bring the score to 24-3 — Richardson’s third touchdown of the day. Kentucky couldn’t muster up the momentum to score on its final plays, as Boley threw a pick to Martel Hight on the hail mary attempt to end the half.
Pavia had an incredible first half, racking up 279 passing yards on an 82% completion rate. Vanderbilt’s defense was also smothering, allowing just 81 total yards through the first 30 minutes.
Third quarter
Vanderbilt received the second half kick, looking to extend its already hefty lead. Pavia rushed multiple times, converting on a fourth-and-inches to extend the drive. A roughing the passer penalty put Vanderbilt well inside Kentucky territory, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on offensive lineman Cade McConnell practically offset prior gained yardage. After a masterful Pavia scramble for 21 yards, the graduate quarterback through a fade ball to Sherrill in the end zone to score and bring the lead to 31-3 with 8:55 to go in the quarter.
The Commodores once again stuffed Boley and the Wildcats, as they forced a three-and-out to get the ball right back with 7:33 remaining in the quarter. Pavia went back to work on his next drive, finding running back MK Young on consecutive passes. Back-to-back completions to Eli Stowers had the Commodores threatening once again in Wildcat territory. Several completions later, Vanderbilt was at the 6-yard line and Pavia scrambled into the end zone on an option play to make it 38-3 with 3:14 left on the clock.
Vanderbilt’s defense smothered Boley and Co. once again as Dowdell and McGowan could get nothing going. Kentucky punter Aidan Laros punted the ball away for the sixth time on the day as Pavia took over again.
He wasted absolutely no time, hitting Sherrill for the 37-yard reception before finding Richie Hoskins on a 32-yard dime for the touchdown. The Commodores led 45-3 with 1:17 left in the third.
Kentucky then controlled the ball as the game rolled into the fourth quarter.
Fourth quarter
Boley found some success to begin the final quarter, hitting Willie Rodriguez for a 12-yard gain. The freshman quarterback then hit J.J. Hester on the edge, who then ran it 41 yards to the house, putting the score at 45-10 with 13:41 remaining in the game.
An overturned kick-six, caused by holding on Vanderbilt’s Tate Hamby, gave way to Pavia’s first drive of the quarter. It was immediately halted though as Pavia threw a pass, intended for Sherrill, that was picked off by Ty Bryant at the 12:43 mark.
Boley made quick work to bring his offense down the field, completing three straight passes to bring the offense near the goal line. On first down, Boley tried to find Kendrick Law, but he was picked off by Hight at the 1-yard line.
Then, it was Pavia’s final curtain call. After setting the program’s single game passing yards record, the New Mexico native exited the game to a standing ovation.
“I think I’ve run out of things to say,” Lea said of Pavia. “I love how we’ve evolved our system to to fit his strengths. I think spreading the field out, letting him spray the ball around our receiving group has stepped up a ton. And and also our offensive line, giving the space of protection. He’s the best player in the country. [He] deserves to be in the Heisman conversation. He tips the field when he steps on it.”
Backup quarterback Blaze Berlowitz took the field to take over. He did well to run clock, even finding tight end Cole Spence for a 27-yard gain. The Commodores turned it over on downs in the red zone as Boley took over for one final time. The Wildcats did successfully score on a 9-yard touchdown pass to Fred Farrier to end the game, but it was all too late in this blowout victory for the Commodores.
Pavia’s stat line was the story of the day, as he threw for 484 yards and 5 touchdowns on an 85% completion rate.
Vanderbilt now hits the road to face Tennessee on Nov. 29 as it hopes to earn a berth to the College Football Playoff.
