Sept. 26, 2014
For the first time this season, Vanderbilt will play on the road Saturday when the Commodores face Kentucky at Commonwealth Stadium (11:00 a.m. CT, SEC Network). On Friday, the Commodores departed campus at 12:30 p.m. CT for the 215-mile bus trek to Lexington, Ky.
The Commodores’ trip took a little longer than usual due to a backup on I-65 north of Nashville and traffic in Lexington. Despite the added traffic, Vanderbilt still made it to the team hotel by 4:45 p.m. CT. Once there, the Commodores were greeted by fans and hotel staffers. After getting settled in their rooms, the players headed to dinner and meetings.
Saturday morning will come quickly for the team, which will have a 6:30 a.m. CT wake-up call and 8:15 a.m. departure to the stadium.
The Commodores have opened the season with four straight home games for the first time since 2007, and are the last team in the conference to play a game outside their hometown. Alabama and LSU have not played true road games, but have each played neutral site games in other states.
Preparing for a road game is much different than one at home. Throughout the week, Vanderbilt practiced with crowd noise for the first time this season in preparation for the atmosphere expected in Commonwealth Stadium.
On Thursday, Vanderbilt’s equipment staff packed up the 18-wheeler full with equipment and headed to Lexington to begin staging the stadium and hotel for the team’s arrival. Friday morning the team held position meetings and a walkthrough before eating lunch in the Hendrix Room and boarding the buses for Lexington.
“Anytime you have to go to somebody else’s house, it is a tough thing,” Vanderbilt Head Coach Derek Mason said. “Everybody protects their home turf. That’s an advantage even before you step on the bus.
“What we have to do is play a tremendous game. We have to bring our `A’ game from start to finish.”
Kentucky is undefeated at home this season in two games, defeating UT Martin and Ohio. The Wildcats’ only defeat was in triple overtime at Florida. The Commodores have won two straight SEC road games after closing 2013 with victories at Florida and Tennessee. Mason and Kentucky’s Mark Stoops are also looking for their first SEC victory. Something must give Saturday.
Kentucky in September?
For decades, Vanderbilt and Kentucky games have been played in November. You have to go all the way back to 1948 to find a year when the two schools met in another month besides November.
There have been 61 straight games played between the two teams in November, dating back to a meeting on October 16, 1948 – a 26-7 VU win in Lexington.
Saturday will be just the second time the two teams have played in September. The only other meeting this early in the season was September 25, 1937. That date also happens to be the earliest the two teams have met.
Vanderbilt and Kentucky did not play between 1949 and 1952 (four seasons).
The September trip to Lexington should also provide favorable weather conditions. The forecast calls for temperatures in the upper-70s and zero chance of precipitation throughout the game.
Recent Domination
Vanderbilt has outscored Kentucky 100-14 in the last three meetings between the two schools. The 86-point scoring margin is the largest between the two over a three-game stretch since 1978, 1979, 1980 when Kentucky won three games by a margin of 89 points. The Wildcats won 52-3 in 1978, 29-10 in 1979 and 31-10 in 1980.
For the Commodores, it is the largest winning margin over a three-game span in the series since 1907, 1911 and 1916 when Vanderbilt won by scores of 40-0, 18-0 and 45-0, respectively.
Webb Ranks Among Best Frosh in Nation
Ralph Webb has been doing major damage in the rushing game. The redshirt freshman ranks sixth in the nation among freshman running backs with 378 yards on the ground and an average of 94.5 yards per game.
Webb is 56 yards from cracking Vanderbilt’s top 10 among freshman running backs in single-season history.
Streak of Early Start Times Continues
Saturday will mark the sixth straight time Kentucky and Vanderbilt meet in a game that begins no later than 11:21 a.m. CT. Given the number of night games played in the SEC, it really is a remarkable run of early starts in the series.
To find the last night game, you have to go back to that magical night in 2008 when a D.J. Moore-led Vanderbilt team became bowl eligible in Lexington, ending a 26-year drought.
In the game, Moore scored two touchdowns on his first two career receptions and also intercepted two passes in a game Vanderbilt won 31-24.
Saturday’s Uniform Combination
Vanderbilt will wear its white jerseys with gold helmets and gold pants Saturday.
Commonwealth Stadium Renovation
Commonwealth Stadium is in the midst of a $120 million renovation that will be completed before the 2015 season.
The two-year renovation project includes an external facelift, widening and renovating concourses, a new recruiting room, renovation of home-team facilities and additions of 20 private suites and 2,000 club seats. Additionally, Kentucky will move to a synthetic playing surface next season. Kentucky will join Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Missouri and Ole Miss as the schools in the SEC with artificial turf.