Kentucky football continued its hot start with a gritty road win against Oklahoma on Saturday and up next, they're facing the Vanderbilt Commodores and are looking to continue their win streak right before the bye week.
Vandy has been struggling this season, but Will Stein reminded all of us on Tuesday to not let their record fool you, and even brought up the Commodores' 45-17 win last season in Mark Stoops' last year with the Wildcats. Ahead of a matchup that Kentucky needs to win in order to make sure their playoff hopes stay alive, here are three things you need to know about Vandy.
Oct 10, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Clark Lea watches against the Mississippi Rebels during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It's hard to not bring up how much Vandy has struggled this season. Now 0-4 in the SEC, the Commodores are coming off of a 31-21 loss to Arkansas and are now the last team in the conference. They have also been very one-dimensional this season, as their rushing attack has been sparse. Through seven games, their highest rushing game was in week 1 against Austin Peay, where they rushed for 60 yards. They got destroyed in their games against Georgia and Ole Miss, but they played unranked Auburn to a 6-point loss a few weeks ago and are now coming off of an embarrassing one against Arkansas. They are also one of the least efficient teams in the SEC, rankings second-to-last in the conference in turnover margin.
This goes along with why we observed the Commodores being a one-dimensional team, but Vandy does feature one of the best wide receivers in all of college football and arguably the best in the SEC. Junior Sherrill, who has torched Kentucky over the last few seasons, ranks 11th nationally in receiving yards and has led his team in that category in every game but one. He has totaled 41 receptions for 628 yards and four touchdowns this season. He is a major focal point of their offense.
Sep 19, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores wide receiver Junior Sherrill (0) celebrates the touchdown with wide receiver Tristen Brown (5) against the NC State Wolfpack during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
As Will Stein noted in his press conference, Kentucky doesn't need to take Vandy lightly due to what they have done to them recently. Last season, Vandy destroyed Kentucky 45-17 in Nashville and have even won three of the last four matchups with the Wildcats. If Kentucky wants to keep their postseason hopes alive, they cannot afford a loss to a team that is in last place in the conference and that means they can't take them lightly heading into it. Vandy's other previous two wins against Kentucky were both one-score games.
Vandy is going to be looking to spoil someone's season this late in the year and Kentucky is up next for them. The Wildcats can't let that happen and to do that, they'll have to contain one of the best receivers in college football as well as protect the football.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kentucky as Three things to know about the Vanderbilt Commodores .
