Vanderbilt isn't a team without teeth. Senior receiver Junior Sherrill had 8 catches for 99 yards and a touchdown against Arkansas, and Curtis hit Ja'Cory Thomas for 39 yards. When the Commodores connect deep, they move. The trouble is everything in between those big plays, and a defense that can't get stops. It's a 0-4 SEC record for a reason.
Look at Kentucky's 5 straight wins and the margins jump out. The Wildcats beat South Carolina 35-34 on the road and LSU 35-34 at home, then won at Oklahoma by 8 thanks to a defensive touchdown. This is a team that finds a way, not one that runs people off the field. Vanderbilt's 4 straight losses go the other way: a 6-point loss at Auburn, then 24 at Georgia, 35 at home to Ole Miss, and 10 to an Arkansas team that came to Nashville on a 14-game SEC losing streak and left with that streak snapped.
Vanderbilt's real problem is up front. Arkansas ran for 187 yards and 3 touchdowns at 4.6 a carry, from an offense that came in averaging 99 rushing yards a game. Through 4 SEC games, no opponent has run for fewer than 139 against the Commodores. They also didn't record a sack against Arkansas and managed just 3 tackles for loss. If Kentucky can lean on the ground game even without Mizell, Minchey won't need to do much. Vandy's best hope is to protect the ball, take its deep shots to Sherrill, and make a Kentucky team that keeps playing 1-score games play another one. Early forecasts for Kroger Field call for a cloudy, mild night with little wind, but that's still a week out.