Takeaways from Kentucky's crushing 45-17 loss at #14 Vanderbilt

The Kentucky Wildcats were riding a three game winning streak heading into Saturday's game on the road in Nashville. Kentucky won in a gritty match with Auburn, then blew out Florida and Tennessee Tech. The Wildcats had some momentum after starting the season 2-5. But, that was quickly sucked away when they were demolished by #14 Vandy on Saturday.

Kentucky has had a rough time putting together good performances on the road this season, and that was on display. Like a number of games this season, Kentucky just had no answer for its opponent. Let's take a look at some takeaways.

Kentucky's offense was back to its old self

Nov 22, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Cutter Boley (8) scrambles against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Wildcats have put together solid looking performances in their recent games offensively, especially against Florida and Tennessee Tech, able to really get creative in the playcalling and get the young receivers going. Well, they were punched in the mouth on Saturday against the #14 Commodores after gaining some momentum as of late on that side of the ball. Kentucky totaled 315 yards of offense on the day, and couldn't ever really move the ball at all, aside from when it was already a blowout. They also had both of their touchdowns late when the game was out of reach. Cutter Boley, who left the game briefly in the first half with a neck injury but returned, totaled 280 yards, many of which were "garbage" stats given the early blowout. To make matters worse, out of Zach Calzada's five passes, one was an interception. Oh, and Kentucky had just 9 yards rushing through the third quarter. It was never pretty.

Diego Pavia absolutely torched Kentucky's defense

If you think the offense struggled, the defense may have put together a worse performance. Brad White's unit has been solid in a number of games this season, but they weren't on Saturday against an electric offense with a quarterback in Diego Pavia that is known for his incredible playmaking. He certainly toyed with Kentucky's defense, one that already featured a beat up secondary, and he took advantage. Vandy had 604 total yards on the day, doing basically all of their damage in the air with so many explosive plays that you can't even keep track.

Pavia even set a school record for passing yards with 484 through the air before exiting early in the fourth quarter. It was also the most yards against Kentucky since Peyton Manning. The star of the show was Pavia's favorite target on the day, receiver Tre Richardson, who had 159 yards and three touchdowns, as he was one of the many things the Kentucky defense had no answer for. He had catches that went for 56 and 71 yards, the longest of which went for a touchdown. It wasn't just him embarrassing the Kentucky defense, as Junior Sherrill also eclipsed the 100-yard mark, going for 115 receiving yards. Nothing went right at all for the defense, either.

It was an absolutely ugly day in Nashville, as the Wildcats now sit at 5-6 (2-6 SEC) with the Louisville game next week being the deciding factor on if Kentucky will be bowl eligible. Many Kentucky fans saw some optimism over the last few weeks, but none of it looked to have traveled to the Music City on Saturday. Can the Wildcats find it before next week's rivalry matchup?