Kentucky–Vanderbilt football rivalry
| First meeting | October 10, 1896 Vanderbilt 6, Kentucky 0 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | October 8, 2016 Kentucky 20, Vanderbilt 13 |
| Next meeting | November 11, 2017 at Nashville, TN |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 89 |
| All-time series | Kentucky, 43–42–4 |
| Largest victory | Kentucky, 53–2 (1978) |
| Longest win streak | Vanderbilt, 9 (1896–1918) |
| Current win streak | Kentucky, 1 (2016–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 88 meetings. This rivalry is Kentucky's second longest behind Tennessee and Vanderbilt's third behind Ole Miss and Tennessee. Kentucky leads the series 43–42–4.
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.
37 of the 89 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 were from 1896 to 1920. The rivalry is one of the most evenly matched in the SEC, like the Kentucky–Mississippi State football rivalry.
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."
The Wildcats would practice their signals under cover of night and with closed gates, feeling secrecy a matter of importance this week. 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. One sportswriter would call it "the hardest fought battle that has been staged on the Kentucky gridiron in many a day." Sports writer Bruce Dudley later remarked how the Commodores were outplayed by the Wildcats for three quarters. Kentucky would manage to complete ten of twenty passes, among them quarterback "Bobby" Lavin to Fuller and Fuller to Lavin. Prior to this year's game, Kentucky had never scored on Vanderbilt in all of its history; therefore, something of a blow out had been expected, with Vanderbilt having a distinct advantage in weight. 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."
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