By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
As bad as last year’s 21-17 loss to Vanderbilt bothered Mark Stoops, the Kentucky coach hasn’t spent much time giving his team a short history lesson this week.
“We don’t talk about it much,” Stoops said Thursday. “I referenced it because somebody asked me a question about it (earlier this week). I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me, but all losses do. We’re not going to beat a dead horse. We’re worried about this year.”
The Wildcats (2-3, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) haven’t had much success against the Commodores during the past five years, with one victory in the last five tries. However, Stoops hopes the Wildcats can emulate the success they enjoyed against the Commodores two years ago during homecoming Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium.
In the last game between the two teams in Lexington, Kentucky yanked out a 17-7 win two years ago, giving Stoops his first conference victory as coach of the Wildcats.
Kentucky is coming off a 34-6 loss at top-ranked Alabama and came out of the game relatively healthy on both sides of the football. Playing for the sixth straight week to open the season, Stoops said his team is “in a pretty good spot.”
“We’re relatively healthy, as healthy as you can be, but I think the guys have good focus and energy,” Stoops said.
Prior to the loss to the Crimson Tide, Kentucky won their two previous encounters, including a 17-10 triumph over SEC East foe South Carolina two weeks ago. While the Wildcats have already captured a conference win, the Commodores (2-3, 0-2) are looking for their first league victory of the season.
Vanderbilt’s two conference losses have been decided by a touchdown or less, including last week’s 13-6 loss to Florida. In their conference opener on Sept. 1, the Commodores suffered a 13-10 setback to South Carolina.
“It (the close losses) just lets us know that we’re there,” Vandy coach Derek Mason said earlier this week. “This team hasn’t been jaded at all in the spirit of playing the game, approaching practices, doing the work that needs to be done. Their mindset is a proactive mindset. This group doesn’t feel sorry for itself.
“What has happened to us those games can be traced back to our own issues, not somebody else’s issues and those are the things that we can control. I believe this group fully expects to play well this weekend.”
Stoops said the contest would likely come down to turnovers earlier this week, while Mason thinks big plays will be the deciding factor between the two teams.
“It down to splash plays, you need splash plays in order to have success,” Mason said. “We’re going to continue to push the envelope with splash plays. Being methodical and efficient is what you want to do, you have to have splash plays in ballgames that we’ve been in and ballgames that we’re going to play in. We’re making strides.”
Like Mason, Stoops said the Wildcats also are in search of an edge in both the passing and running game.
“I think we’re all looking for big plays,” Stoops said. “I’ve never really gone into a game where I didn’t think somebody would take their shots down the field, especially teams that can run the ball well. It’s always about that.”
On the flip side, Stoops said his team has to be aware of its surroundings, especially on defense and be prepared for any trickery Vandy has planned.
“(It) wouldn’t surprise me, but we do have to be on our toes with extra possessions and fakes and last year we got beat on the trick play, so obviously, we’ve got to have good eyes and good communication,” Stoops said.
The Wildcats also have to contain Commodores running back Ralph Webb, the top rusher in the SEC. Webb, a junior, who has rushed for 2,461 yards in his career, needs just 503 yards to become Vandy’s all-time leading rusher.
“He rates as good as a lot of these backs we face in the SEC,” Stoops said. “He’s a quality back. He gets tough yards. He has really good vision and strong. He’s perfect for what they’re doing. I’m not sure why he doesn’t get the recognition.”
Mason added the Commodores also have to be on guard on defense.
“They battle and they’re getting better,” Mason said. “They’ve got some guys who can make plays. We’re going to try and make (those) guys earn everything that they get.”
Stoops added he doesn’t expect anything less from the Commodores.
“We’ve always had close games and we expect another tough, hard-fought game,” Stoops said.
Game tracker: Vandy at Kentucky, Saturday, 4 p.m. TV/Radio: SEC Network, 98.1 FM, WKYN.
Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter