Takeaways from Kentucky's tough loss to Vanderbilt

The Wildcats weren't able to answer in the final minutes.

Oct 12, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops runs onto the field before a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Kentucky was back in Kroger Field on Saturday night to take on Vanderbilt, who is coming off an upset win over Alabama the week before. Heading into the game, there was a lot of hype for Vandy quarterback Diego Pavia, and he backed that up, torching the Kentucky defense for most of the night. Not only did the defense struggle, but offense couldn't find their rhythm all night. The Wildcats had a chance to tie it in the final minutes, but Kentucky couldn't make it happen, falling 20-13 to the Commodores.

Let's dive into the takeaways

1. Discipline was a big issue all night

This was an issue for Kentucky from start to finish. A ton of flags were thrown in the game, and a good portion of them were on the Wildcats. Discipline has always been a big issue, but it certainly reared its head once again on Saturday against Vandy. It made for a long game, and the Wildcats continued to struggle with discipline all night, and it really costed them on some drives. Kentucky finished with 12 penalties on the night for 106 yards, a big part of putting them in the tough positions they were in throughout the game.

2. Diego Pavia torches Kentucky's defense

We've all heard the hype of Pavia ever since Vandy's upset over Alabama. He showed up on Saturday night, putting the defense in a blender all night, at one point even faking out the defense for an easy touchdown pass. The defense came up big against the quarterback when it mattered, getting a huge sack in the final minutes, but it was the offense unable to tie the game. Pavia had 143 yards passing for 2 touchdowns, along with 53 yards on the ground. He was a headache all night.

A crazy stat to go along with tonight's loss is that Kentucky is 2-10 in their last 12 SEC home games. The Wildcats will need to reverse that trend in a hurry. Kentucky is now 3-3 on the season, and will head to Gainesville next Saturday to face the Florida Gators. That one is set for 7:45 p.m. ET on SEC Network.