The Kentucky Wildcats open conference play with a win, as they defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 45-28 in Nashville on Saturday. In previous games, Kentucky was sluggish out of the gate, but they would pick things up as the game progressed.

Today, however, the complete opposite was true. Kentucky would lead 21-0 after the first quarter, but it was back and forth between the two teams the rest of the way. Here’s a quick rundown of how the Cats advanced to 4-0:

Brad White’s unit set the tone on defense early in the game. Vanderbilt punted after going three-and-out on the first series of the game. Devin Leary would get things going with a 14 yard completion to Dane Key, which set up a 36 yard touchdown run from JuTahn McClain. On Vandy’s next drive, Maxwell Hairston would get a pick six to make the score 14-0 early. Then, Devin Leary found Barion Brown for 55 yards, which put Ray Davis in position to score an easy touchdown. The Cats were up three possessions after fifteen minutes of play.

The 2nd quarter opened up with a 22 yard scramble from Devin Leary, and from there, Alex Raynor sunk a 27 yard chip shot field goal to make it 24-0. Vanderbilt would match Kentucky’s effort, however, as they finally got on the board with a 41 yard field goal of their own. Then, after a facemask penalty on Maxwell Hairston in coverage, Sedrick Alexander made the score 24-10 heading into the half with a rushing touchdown.

Despite getting the ball on the 35 yard line after the second half kickoff sailed out of bounds, Kentucky couldn’t do anything with the good field position, as the offense would go three-and-out. When UK got the ball back, they immediately gave it away via Devin Leary’s 2nd interception of the day, and Vandy would get a field goal out of that. D’Eryk Jackson would follow with an interception of his own, and Ray Davis then scored his 2nd touchdown of the game. The score was 31-13 after three.

Ray Davis would exit the game early after being shaken up following a 38 yard run. Soon after, Leary found Dane Key for a 22 yard pass to give Kentucky a 25 point lead. Vanderbilt then worked their way to a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to make it 38-21 with eight minutes to go. Then, Maxwell Hairston recorded his second pick six of the day to seal the game. Vanderbilt would score a touchdown as regulation came to a close, but ultimately, Kentucky won 45-28.

Maxwell Hairston Has a Historic Performance

Despite some questionable penalties called against him, Maxwell Hairston shined bright in Saturday’s game. He had his fair share of big plays and pass break ups, but the main reasons for his big game were his two pick-six’s. Hairston became the first Kentucky Wildcat to ever accomplish such a feat.

O-Line Getting Better, But Still Has Room to Grow

While there were some costly holding penalties called against multiple guys for the Big Blue Wall, they played much better today. Eli Cox and Jager Burton swapped positions, and Josh Kattus was out today with an injury. Despite the change up front, there were much fewer miscues and mistakes made on the line of scrimmage.

Ray Davis Shines in Homecoming Game

Ray Davis rushed 17 times for 78 yards and two touchdowns against his former team on Saturday. Despite leaving the game early due to being shaken up following his explosive 38 yard run, Davis was able to do what he does best: dominate in Nashville, whether it be for Vandy or for Kentucky.

After advancing to 4-0 (1-0 in SEC play), the Kentucky Wildcats will take on the Florida Gators at Kroger Field on September 30th. This will likely be Kentucky’s first ranked opponent of the season. View the box score from Kentucky’s 45-28 win against Vanderbilt here.