Kentucky–Vanderbilt football rivalry

Kentucky Wildcats

Vanderbilt Commodores

First meeting

October 10, 1896
Vanderbilt 6, Kentucky 0

Latest meeting

November 14, 2015
Vanderbilt 21, Kentucky 17

Statistics

Meetings total

All-time series

Tied, 42–42–4

Largest victory

Kentucky, 53–2 (1978)

Longest win streak

Vanderbilt, 9 (1896–1918)

Current win streak

Vanderbilt, 1 (2015–present)

The Kentucky–Vanderbilt football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Kentucky Wildcats football team of the University of Kentucky and Vanderbilt Commodores football team of Vanderbilt University. The rivalry between these two schools, located about 181 miles (291 km) apart, dates to their first meeting in 1896. They are founding members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and are currently members of the SEC's Eastern Division with a total of 88meetings. This rivalry is Kentucky's second longest behind Tennessee and Vanderbilt's third behind Ole Miss and Tennessee. The series is tied 42–42–4.^[1]

History

When the rivalry first started, Kentucky did not score on Vanderbilt until 1921, or beat Vanderbilt until 1939. Kentucky and Vanderbilt have played annually since 1953.

35 of the 87 games have been decided by 7 points or less. Kentucky has shut out Vanderbilt 6 times, while Vanderbilt has shut out Kentucky 15 times, 10 of which was from 1896–1920. The rivalry is one of the most evenly matched in the SEC, like the Kentucky–Mississippi State football rivalry.

Notable games

1916: Stoll Field Dedicated

The obverse side of a historic marker erected at Stoll Field in 2008 recalls the 1916 game: "STOLL FIELD: In 1880 the first college football game ever played in the South was held here at what was eventually named Stoll Field. It was dedicated in 1916 at the Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt game and was named in honor of alumnus and long-term Board of Trustees member Judge Richard C. Stoll. The field was the setting of early football games and an integral part of student life."

1921: Kentucky Scores For First Time

The Wildcats would practice their signals under cover of night and with closed gates, feeling secrecy a matter of importance this week.^[2] The Commodores had been pegged as the hardest team on Kentucky's schedule, and it was the most interesting home game for Kentucky fans in some time.^[3] One sportswriter would call it "the hardest fought battle that has been staged on the Kentucky gridiron in many a day."^[4] Sports writer Bruce Dudley later remarked how the Commodores were outplayed by the Wildcats for three quarters.^[5] Kentucky would manage to complete ten of twenty passes, among them quarterback "Bobby" Lavin to Fuller and Fuller to Lavin.^[6] Prior to this year's game, Kentucky had never scored on Vanderbilt in all of its history;^[7] therefore, something of a blow out had been expected, with Vanderbilt having a distinct advantage in weight.^[2]^[8] However, The Lexington Herald reported "That Nashville is intensely interested in the outcome of the game is evidenced by the fact that a special wire, giving the game play by play, will be installed at the field and connected with the Nashville papers."^[3]

The Commodores' first two touchdowns would come early. After the kickoff went to Kentucky and the Wildcats' Saunders returned the ball to the 30-yard line, a punt was kicked to Vanderbilt; and, after a good return but little gain, the ball was punted back to Kentucky. Lavin fumbled on the return, the ball recovered by Jess Neely on the 10-yard line.^[6] On third down after very little on first and second, Frank Godchaux ran in a touchdown around end. Rupert Smith would score the second and third touchdowns for the Commodores.

Following an exchange of punts, Vanderbilt started a drive on Kentucky's 32-yard line. Neely connected with Pink Wade on a 22-yard pass. Rupert Smith would run for a gain of some seven yards. A slight gain by Lynn Bomar was then followed by Smith running around right end for a touchdown. Kentucky's Server kicked the ball into the end zone for a touchback. Alf Sharpe was ejected for slugging, and the Commodores were penalized half the distance to the goal.

Neely punted the ball away to Lavin, who returned the ball five yards. On the next play Lavin ran around the edge for nineteen yards. Fuller gained two yards and this was followed up by a 5-yard pass. Saunders then made the first down, and fullback Pribble carried the ball in for the score. Time passed and punts were exchanged, until Godchaux made a 20-yard run around the right end. Tot McCullough caught a 24-yard pass, and Smith then skirted around end for the Commodores' final score. Godchaux returned a ball to the 27-yard line. A fumble lost yardage, and the Wildcats' "Slug" Fleahman blocked Jess Neely's punt giving Kentucky the ball at the 12-yard line. Lavin weaved his way through the Commodores' defense for Kentucky's last touchdown.

Kentucky threatened to score late and tie it, but turned the ball over on downs at the 2-yard line. Neely sealed the game by running the ball 34 yards to the 36-yard line.^[4]

Game results

Kentucky victories	Vanderbilt victories	Tie games

#	Date	Location	Winner	Score
1	October 10, 1896	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	6–0
2	October 30, 1897	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	50–0
3	October 5, 1901	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	22–0
4	October 6, 1906	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	28–0
5	October 5, 1907	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	40–0
6	November 11, 1911	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	18–0
7	October 14, 1916	Lexington, KY	Vanderbilt	45–0
8	October 20, 1917	Lexington, KY	Vanderbilt	5–0
9	November 2, 1918	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	33–0
10	November 1, 1919	Lexington, KY	Tie	0–0
11	October 30, 1920	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	20–0
12	October 15, 1921	Lexington, KY	Vanderbilt	21–14
13	November 11, 1922	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	9–0
14	October 29, 1927	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	34–6
15	November 3, 1928	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	14–7
16	September 25, 1937	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	12–0
17	October 8, 1938	Lexington, TN	Vanderbilt	14–7
18	October 7, 1939	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	21–13
19	October 12, 1940	Nashville, TN	Tie	7–7
20	October 11, 1941	Lexington, KY	Vanderbilt	39–15
21	October 10, 1942	Lexington, KY	Vanderbilt	7–6
22	October 20, 1945	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	19–6
23	October 19, 1946	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	10–7
24	October 18, 1947	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	14–0
25	October 16, 1948	Lexington, KY	Vanderbilt	26–7
26	November 7, 1953	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	40–14
27	November 6, 1954	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	19–7
28	November 5, 1955	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	34–0
29	November 10, 1956	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	7–6
30	November 9, 1957	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	12–7
31	November 8, 1958	Lexington, KY	Tie	0–0
32	November 7, 1959	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	11–6
33	November 5, 1960	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	27–0
34	November 11, 1961	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	16–3
35	November 10, 1962	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	7–0
36	November 9, 1963	Nashville, TN	Tie	0–0
37	November 7, 1964	Lexington, TN	Kentucky	22–21
38	November 6, 1965	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	34–0
39	November 5, 1966	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	14–10
40	November 11, 1967	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	12–7
41	November 9, 1968	Lexington, KY	Vanderbilt	6–0
42	November 8, 1969	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	42–6
43	November 7, 1970	Lexington, KY	Vanderbilt	18–17
44	November 6, 1971	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	14–7
45	November 11, 1972	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	14–13

#	Date	Location	Winner	Score
46	November 10, 1973	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	27–17
47	November 9, 1974	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	38–12
48	November 8, 1975	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	13–3
49	November 6, 1976	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	14–0
50	November 5, 1977	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	28–6
51	November 11, 1978	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	53–2
52	November 10, 1979	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	29–10
53	November 8, 1980	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	31–10
54	November 7, 1981	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	17–10
55	November 6, 1982	Lexington, KY	Vanderbilt	23–10
56	November 5, 1983	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	17–8
57	November 10, 1984	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	27–18
58	November 9, 1985	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	31–24
59	November 8, 1986	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	34–22
60	November 7, 1987	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	38–29
61	November 5, 1988	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	14–13
62	November 11, 1989	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	15–11
63	November 10, 1990	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	28–21
64	November 9, 1991	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	17–7
65	November 7, 1992	Lexington, KY	Vanderbilt	20–7
66	November 6, 1993	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	12–7
67	November 5, 1994	Lexington, KY	Vanderbilt	24–6
68	November 4, 1995	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	14–10
69	November 16, 1996	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	25–0
70	November 15, 1997	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	21–10
71	November 14, 1998	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	55–17
72	November 13, 1999	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	19–17
73	November 11, 2000	Lexington, KY	Vanderbilt	24–20
74	November 10, 2001	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	56–30
75	November 16, 2002	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	41–21
76	November 15, 2003	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	28–17
77	November 13, 2004	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	14–13
78	November 12, 2005	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	48–43
79	November 11, 2006	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	38–26
80	November 10, 2007	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	27–20
81	November 15, 2008	Lexington, KY	Vanderbilt	31–24
82	November 14, 2009	Nashville, TN	Kentucky	24–13
83	November 13, 2010	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	38–20
84	November 12, 2011	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	38–8
85	November 3, 2012	Lexington, KY	Vanderbilt	40–0
86	November 16, 2013	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	22–6
87	September 27, 2014	Lexington, KY	Kentucky	17–7
88	November 14, 2015	Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt	21–17
Series: Tied 42–42–4

Series record sources: College Football Data Warehouse.^[1]

References

1 2 College Football Data Warehouse, Kentucky vs Vanderbilt. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
1 2 "Wildcats Run Signals In Dark". The Lexington Herald. October 12, 1921.
1 2 "Great Crowd to See Vandy Play". October 14, 1921.
1 2 Joe T. Lovett (October 16, 1921). "Pribble, Lavin First To Cross On Commodores". Lexington Herald.
↑ Camp, Walter, ed. National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Rules: Official Intercollegiate Football Guide. 45 Rose St, New York: American Sports, 1922. Print. Spalding's Athletic Library.
1 2 Russell, Fred, and Maxwell Edward Benson. Fifty Years of Vanderbilt Football. Nashville, TN, 1938
↑ The Commodore (Yearbook) 1921, p. 117
↑ "Vandy Outweighs Kentucky And Wins". Montgomery Advertiser. October 16, 1921.

Kentucky Wildcats football

Venues	Stoll Field/McLean Stadium (1916–1972) Commonwealth Stadium (1973–present) E.J. Nutter Training Facility (practice)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Centre Indiana Louisville (Governor's Cup) Mississippi State Tennessee Transylvania Vanderbilt

Culture & lore	The Wildcat Scratch Blue "On, On, U of K" "Kentucky Fight" Marching band Thin Thirty 2003 Arkansas game

People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees

Seasons	1881 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

Vanderbilt Commodores football

Venues	Curry Field (1892–1921) Vanderbilt Stadium (1922–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Georgia Kentucky Ole Miss Sewanee Tennessee

Culture & lore	Mr. C Origin of "Commodores" "Dynamite" Marching band Porter Cup 1906 Carlisle game 1910 Yale game 1922 Michigan game IMG Sports Newtork

People	Head coaches Starting quarterbacks All-Americans All-Southerns NFL draftees Statistical leaders William Lofland Dudley

Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Southeastern Conference football rivalry games

Conference	Iron Bowl (Alabama–Auburn) Alabama–LSU Alabama–Mississippi State Alabama–Ole Miss Third Saturday in October (Alabama–Tennessee) Arkansas–LSU Battle Line Rivalry (Arkansas–Missouri) Arkansas–Ole Miss Arkansas–Texas A&M Auburn–Florida Deep South's Oldest Rivalry (Auburn–Georgia) Auburn–LSU Auburn–Tennessee Florida–Georgia Florida–LSU Florida–Tennessee Georgia–South Carolina Georgia–Tennessee Georgia–Vanderbilt Kentucky–Mississippi State Kentucky–Tennessee Kentucky–Vanderbilt LSU–Mississippi State Magnolia Bowl (LSU–Ole Miss) LSU–Texas A&M Egg Bowl (Mississippi State–Ole Miss) Ole Miss–Vanderbilt Tennessee–Vanderbilt

Non-conference	Alabama–Penn State Arkansas–Texas Auburn–Clemson Auburn–Georgia Tech Auburn–Tulane Battle of the Brazos (Baylor–Texas A&M) Clemson–Georgia Clemson–South Carolina Florida–Florida State Florida–Miami Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate (Georgia–Georgia Tech) Georgia Tech–Tennessee Illinois–Missouri Indiana–Kentucky Iowa State–Missouri Border War (Kansas–Missouri) Centre–Kentucky Kentucky–Louisville Battle On Broadway (Kentucky–Transylvania) Battle for the Rag (LSU–Tulane) Memphis–Ole Miss Missouri–Nebraska Missouri–Oklahoma NC State–South Carolina North Carolina–South Carolina Ole Miss–Tulane Sewanee–Vanderbilt TCU–Texas A&M Texas A&M–Texas Tech Texas–Texas A&M

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