Kroger Field hasn’t been a home-field advantage for Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference lately. In fact, the Wildcats found a way to be pretty bad at home, losing 10 of the last 12 SEC games in Lexington. You don’t need me to tell you that’s a horrible home record. I will remind you that Kentucky was a double-digit favorite in two of those home losses this season.

After dropping homecoming night to Vanderbilt, Stoops admitted in his postgame comments that he struggles with why the home atmosphere has been unkind to his team. He told Tom Leach, “Sometimes I think guys get in this environment, they get at home, and they press, and they just push, you know, too much.”

In his postgame press conference, Stoops said he talked to his team earlier in the week about being better prepared at home and what is holding them back. He faced questions about the home record before hosting Vanderbilt, then again after Kentucky lost 20-13 to the Commodores.

“It’s a fair question,” Stoops said. “I’ve looked at it too, you know, and thought about it and talked to the guys and talked to them about coming here and having our composure, having our control. And I talked to them about it openly, like, what is it, man?”

He wondered if his players get too amped up or have too many people in town, creating unnecessary distractions.

“Whatever it is, put it away and dial in and commit to doing the things necessary to win in this game,” Stoops said. “Obviously I didn’t do a good enough job, but I tried addressing that and addressing all of it about really focusing and being disciplined.”

He added, “Emotion doesn’t win you games. Execution and discipline win you games.”

Kentucky was not disciplined against Vanderbilt. The Wildcats had 12 penalties for 106 yards with two turnovers, leading to another embarrassing home loss.

More from Mark Stoops postgame:

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Vanderbilt edge rusher Miles Capers was placed on a flat board and taken off the field on a stretcher after being injured while attempting to make a tackle midway through the second quarter Saturday night against Kentucky.

Capers was caught under a moving pile of players tackling Wildcats running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye and lay on the turf for a moment after the play. Vanderbilt medical personnel immediately rushed to his assistance as Kroger Field fell silent, and players from both teams knelt and prayed as a wooden board was brought over. A stretcher was brought over soon after.

Capers was stabilized and gently placed on the stretcher before being wheeled off the field. A Vanderbilt football spokesman said the player was transported to a hospital for imaging as a precaution but did not know his immediate condition or which hospital he was taken to.

Commodores players surrounded Capers in a show of support for the senior, who was named Southeastern Conference defensive lineman of the week on Monday for his performance in last week’s historic 40-35 upset of top-ranked Alabama. Capers had a strip sack and forced fumble that led to a touchdown in the victory and is fourth on the team with 22 stops and tied for the team lead with 4.5 tackles for loss.

The Vanderbilt Commodores, led by quarterback Diego Pavia, face the Kentucky Wildcats, led by quarterback Brock Vandagriff on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 (10/12/24) at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky.

How to watch: Fans can watch the game for free via a trial of DirecTV Stream or fuboTV. You can also watch via a subscription to Sling TV.

Here’s what you need to know:

What: NCAA Football, Week 7

Who: Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky

When: Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024

Where: Kroger Field

Time: 7:45 p.m. ET

TV: SEC Network

Live stream: fuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial)

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Here are the best streaming options for college football this season:

Fubo TV (free trial): fuboTV carries ESPN, FOX, ABC, NBC and CBS.

DirecTV Stream (free trial): DirecTV Stream carries ESPN, FOX, NBC and CBS.

Sling TV ($25 off the first month)– Sling TV carries ESPN, FOX, ABC and NBC.

ESPN+($9.99 a month): ESPN+ carries college football games each weekend for only $9.99 a month. These games are exclusive to the platform.

Peacock TV ($5.99 a month): Peacock will simulstream all of NBC Sports’ college football games airing on the NBC broadcast network this season, including Big Ten Saturday Night. Peacock will also stream Notre Dame home games. Certain games will be streamed exclusively on Peacock this year as well.

Paramount+ (free trial): Paramount Plus will live stream college football games airing on CBS this year.

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Here’s a preview capsule via the Associated Press:

Vanderbilt (3-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) at Kentucky (3-2, 1-2), Saturday, 7:45 p.m. ET (SEC Network)

BetMGM College Football Odds: Kentucky by 13 1/2.

Series record: Kentucky leads 49-43-4.

What’s at stake?

A spot in the AP Top 25 is possibly on the line for the winner. Both Kentucky and Vanderbilt received votes for this week’s poll coming off big wins. Vanderbilt ended an 0-60 drought against AP top-five teams by upsetting top-ranked Alabama 40-35 last week. Kentucky is well-rested following an upset of then-No. 6 Mississippi on Sept. 28. The last time the Commodores won consecutive SEC games was in 2022 when they won at Kentucky, then beat Florida.

Key matchup

Vanderbilt’s offense might get a lot of attention thanks to the swagger and confidence of its quarterback. The Commodores’ 33.5-point average in SEC games ranks fourth, while their 37.6-point overall average stands fifth. The 40 points they hung on ‘Bama was their second-highest total this season. Ole Miss was Kentucky’s first opponent to surpass 300 yards (353), but the Wildcats held the nation’s top offense in scoring, yardage and passing to just 17 points and 262 yards passing.

Players to watch

Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia. Not only does the reigning Conference USA offensive player of the year play with a big chip on his shoulder, he also imbues confidence in his teammates by finding the open receiver or crack to run through. Pavia is why Vanderbilt ranks 22nd nationally in scoring at 37.6 points a game. He completed 80% of his passes against the Tide for 252 yards and two TDs.

Kentucky WR Dane Key has caught 15 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown the past two games, including a career-high eight receptions for 105 with a score that helped the Wildcats beat Ole Miss. The junior from Lexington had a career-best 145 yards on seven catches in a 41-6 win over Ohio. Key’s team-high 369 yards on 23 catches rank seventh among SEC receivers and he’s ninth all-time in program history with 1,524.

Facts & figures

The visitor has won the past two meetings. Vanderbilt won 24-21 in Lexington in 2022. … Vanderbilt held the ball for over 42 minutes against Alabama, had a season-high 26 first downs and converted 12 of 18 third downs. … Eli Stowers, a converted quarterback, led the ‘Dores with six catches for 113 yards against Alabama and leads SEC tight ends with 333 yards receiving. … Kentucky ILB D’Eryk Jackson has team highs of 26 tackles and made at least one stop while starting the past 27 of 28 contests. … Barion Brown and Key have each surpassed 100 career catches this season.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)

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