Cats rolled by Commodores but remain alive

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NASHVILLE

Following a dismal performance against No. 14 Vanderbilt, Kentucky’s bowl-game aspirations now hinge on the Wildcats’ last game of the season.

UK, riding a three-game winning streak, fell behind 45-3 and never put up a fight in an eventual 45-17 loss at FirstBank Stadium. The loss dropped the Cats to 5-6 overall, meaning they’ll need to win their final contest — next week’s Governor’s Cup meeting at Louisville — to earn bowl eligibility.

On the other side, Vanderbilt star quarterback Diego Pavia threw for 484 yards and five touchdowns, along with 48 yards and an additional score on the ground, as the Commodores (9-2) remain in the hunt for a College Football Playoff bid.

Despite the way Kentucky’s season has played out, head coach Mark Stoops insists the Cats haven’t given up — but they’re certainly running out of opportunities.

“We weren’t very good,” Stoops admitted. “The good news is it counts as one game. It felt like a lot more, but we have to regroup quickly and get ready for a big football game next week.

“This is one year, one game. Things change very quickly, and we have to do a better job. Credit them, but it’s one week and one game, and we’ll regroup.”

There weren’t many bright spots for the Cats.

Vandy racked up 604 yards of total offense, while UK tallied only 315 yards.

UK’s previously-potent running attack churned out just 31 yards.

Kentucky redshirt freshman quarterback Cutter Boley threw for 280 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions and was sacked twice.

The Cats’ defense recorded four sacks but struggled to create stops throughout the afternoon.

It’s a game that UK fans would probably like to forget, but Stoops doesn’t share that mentality.

“I’m not into flushing games, because we’re going to own our stuff,” he said. “We’re going to look in the mirror, and we’re going to accept the responsibility where we need to, and we always will. That’ll always happen while I’m here, but we have to do that quick.”

Kentucky will get one last chance at securing a bowl game against an arch-rival Cardinals team that got smacked 38-6 by SMU on Saturday.

So, of course, the door remains open for the Wildcats, despite the topsy-turvy, up-and-down rollercoaster of a season so far.

UK made the trip to Nashville but, quite honestly, didn’t show up in the way the Cats needed to. Still, as Stoops has repeatedly said after setbacks this season, his team needs to avoid turning one loss into two.

“It’s not a good feeling,” Stoops reiterated. “We got our butts beat, and it still counts as one loss, so we got to regroup quick and get ready to play next week.”

If the Cats hope to return to bowl game eligibility after a one-year hiatus, they’ll have to turn in a fully-focused, four-quarter performance next week against Louisville. It’s certainly possible, but facing the Cardinals on the road won’t be an easy task.

All things considered, the 2025 college football campaign has been a disappointment for Kentucky, but there’s still time for the Cats to salvage the year — if they can pick up one final win in their last contest.

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