Upon Further Review: Vanderbilt 45, Kentucky 17

NASHVILLE – Man oh man what a way to let the seniors go out in their final home game.

Vanderbilt dominated Kentucky Saturday afternoon with a 45-17 win. The game was never in doubt as the Commodores used a 21-point second quarter to pull away and bury the Wildcats before scoring 21 more in the second half.

Diego Pavia had a career game with 484 passing yards and five passing touchdowns in his final game at FirstBank Stadium. Two of his touchdowns went to wide receiver Tre Richardson and another to receivers Junior Sherrill and Richie Hoskins.

With his performance, Pavia set the Vanderbilt single-game passing record, beating the previous record of 465 yards, passing Whit Taylor in 1981.

Defensively, it was all Vanderbilt as well. Vanderbilt created two turnovers in the first half that helped the Commodores in the dominant victory. With the win, Vanderbilt goes to 9-2 heading into rivalry weekend against Tennessee. The Commodores may be playing for a spot in the College Football Playoff depending on the results of the teams around them.

Here is the play of the game, the player of the game, the stat of the game and 10 things you may not have noticed from Vanderbilt’s win.

Play of the Game: There are so many plays you can pull from to be the play of the game. The Richie Hoskins touchdown on Senior Day is probably the one that takes the cake. Hoskins made an incredible grab from Pavia’s pass in his final game at FirstBank Stadium.

Player of the Game: Diego Pavia. Easily. Pavia broke the single-game passing record for Vanderbilt football with 484 yards passing.

Stat of the Game: It was not just that Pavia broke a school record, but it was also the efficiency at which he did. Pavia threw for 32-for-38, which is good for a 84 percent completion percentage.

10 things you may not have noticed

1.First Half Yardage: Vanderbilt was in control from the start and the yardage showed it. In the first half, Vanderbilt outgained Kentucky 303-81 yards as the Commodores led 24-3 into half.

2.Red Zone: Vanderbilt scored on all four red zone drives, with all four red zone possessions resulting in Vanderbilt touchdowns.

3. Senior Day Successes: Outside of Pavia, two seniors stood out in their final game at home. Richie Hoskins caught a 32-yard touchdown in the game and Kolbey Taylor came away with an interception in the first half.

4. Third Down: Third down was probably the one of the few areas in which Vanderbilt could have improved. The Commodores converted on just three of their eight attempts, but it did not matter in the end.

5. Big Runs: Vanderbilt had three runs for at least 10 yards. The longest run of the day was Diego Pavia’s 21-yard scramble in the third quarter that contributed to Vanderbilt pulling away.

6.Big Passing Plays: Vanderbilt has 10 passes go for at least 15 yards. It was all a part of Pavia’s masterclass performance. His longest pass of the day was the 71-yard touchdown to Tre Richardson.

7.Total Yardage: Vanderbilt was incredibly dominant in the win. The Commodores with 604 yards of offense in the game compared to just 315 for Kentucky.

8. Terrific Receiving: Once again, two receivers finished the game with over 100 receiving yards for Vanderbilt. Junior Sherrill finished the game with 115 yards and a touchdown on eight catches and Tre Richardson had a game-high 144 receiving yards and three touchdowns on five catches.

9.First Downs and Possession Time: Vanderbilt had (x) first downs and controlled the game with a time of possession of (x). The Commodores were just chugging along all night as they moved up and down the field at will.

10. Postseason Conversation: Vanderbilt is now 9-2 heading into the final week of the regular season. It will be very interesting to see how the committee weighs the way in which Vanderbilt beat Kentucky. Will it be enough to bypass teams like Miami or Utah or BYU? We will find out Tuesday night.

10 things you may not have noticed

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