GAME NOTES: The 24th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats are desperate for a victory, and they hit the road for Saturday's SEC clash with the Vanderbilt Commodores. With losses in two straight outings and three of the last four, Kentucky has gone from an undefeated BCS hopeful to a team barely in the Top-25. The Wildcats have been idle for two weeks, and their most recent outing was particularly disappointing. Facing Mississippi State, a mediocre SEC club, Kentucky dropped a 31-14 decision in front of a shocked home crowd. Vanderbilt is just 2-4 in SEC play this season, but the Commodores are 5-4 overall and just one win away from bowl eligibility. They carried a two-game winning streak into last weekend's road clash with Florida, but the result was an ugly 49-22 defeat. Vanderbilt can tie the all-time series with Kentucky with a win, as the Wildcats currently hold a 38-37-4 edge. Last season, the 'Cats posted a 38-26 victory over the 'Dores.

Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson set the NCAA record for most consecutive pass attempts without an interceptions earlier this season. Unfortunately, he has been picked off multiple times since, including three interceptions in the loss to Mississippi State last time out. Sure, Woodson did throw for 230 yards and two scores, but it was the poor decisions that he made that contributed to the lopsided defeat. Woodson was sacked three times as well, and the ground attack accounted for just 89 yards. Clearly, the overall offensive effort may have been the worst this season for Kentucky. The Wildcats are averaging 38.9 ppg and 450.1 total ypg, strong numbers for an explosive offensive team. Woodson has completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 2,431 yards and 28 touchdowns with seven interceptions, and while those numbers are still extremely impressive, it appears that the signal caller has played himself out of the Heisman race. Keenan Burton, Dicky Lyons, Steve Johnson and Jacob Tamme form arguably the top group of receivers in the nation.

In the loss to Mississippi State, Kentucky permitted a mediocre offensive team to score four touchdowns. The Bulldogs ran the ball 51 times against the Wildcats, gaining 200 yards along the way. Kentucky was fairly solid against the pass, but two touchdowns were scored by MSU through the air. Opponents are scoring 29.0 ppg against the Wildcats, who are yielding 383.1 total ypg. Of the 28 touchdowns that the defense has given up, exactly half have come on the ground. Kentucky is yielding 192.7 rushing ypg, as there is certainly some room for improvement in that area. Wesley Woodyard is clearly the top performer for the Kentucky defense, as he has made 93 total tackles, nearly twice as many as any other player on the roster.

Vanderbilt only managed 255 total yards against Florida last weekend, including 93 rushing yards on an average of 2.8 ypc. The Commodores threw for 162 yards, but a pair of interceptions proved costly. The best player on the roster for Vandy is clearly Earl Bennett, but he was held to five catches for 31 yards by the Commodores. Bennett has made 59 catches for 670 yards and four touchdowns, and while those numbers are solid, he is capable of much more. Unfortunately, Mackenzie Adams and Chris Nickson, the team's two quarterbacks, are below average by SEC standards and have failed to get Adams the ball. Also, defenses can double and even triple team Bennett because of a lack of another threat at receiver. No other player on the roster has reached 20 catches for the season.

The Commodores proved to be no match for the explosive Florida offense last weekend in Gainesville. Vandy surrendered 29 first downs, 210 rushing yards, 288 passing yards and 49 points. Sure, the Commodores did manage a pair of takeaways, but the big plays weren't enough to overcome an otherwise poor effort. Opponents are scoring 20.9 ppg against Vandy, which is yielding 322.9 total ypg. The run defense has been fairly solid overall, limiting foes to 3.8 ypc. As for the pass defense, the Commodores have intercepted 15 balls while allowing nine scores. So while the Vanderbilt offense has been painfully inconsistent and dreadful at times, the team's defensive unit has been a strength.

Go with Kentucky this weekend, as the Wildcats are better than they showed in their last outing. Andre Woodson will make better decisions and spread the ball around to his talented wideouts.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Kentucky 31, Vanderbilt 17