SEC Football

Vandy Becomes Bowl Eligible With 31-24 Victory

Lexington, KY (Sports Network) - Chris Nickson threw for 155 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Vanderbilt Commodores to a 31-24 win over the Kentucky Wildcats in SEC action at Commonwealth Stadium.

The victory was the fourth in conference play for the Commodores (6-4, 4-3 SEC) this season and also served to make the program bowl eligible for the first time since the 1982 campaign.

Nickson converted 15-of-27 passing for the Commodores on the night and also led the charge on the ground for the visitors with his 118 yards on 20 carries.

The Wildcats (6-5, 2-5) were led by Randall Cobb who ran for 72 yards and a score and also completed 11-of-26 passing for 144 yards, but was picked off twice as the squad lost for the second straight game and the third time in the last four outings.

Vandy scored a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter to assume a 14-0 lead, thanks to passes of 25 and 18 yards from Nickson to D.J. Moore.

At the 8:45 mark of the second period Kentucky landed on the scoreboard as David Jones returned a blocked punt 57 yards for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 14-7.

Before the first half could end however, the Commodores recorded another 10 points as Nickson tossed a one-yard TD pass to Brandon Barden and Bryant Hahnfeldt's 39-yard field goal with two seconds remaining in the half.

Trailing by a score of 24-7 in the third, Kentucky mounted a comeback with a three-yard Tony Dixon touchdown run and a 25-yard Lones Seiber field goal, making the score 24-17 heading into the final frame.

A four-yard TD run by Jared Hawkins pushed the Vandy lead back to 14 points, while Randall Cobb ripped off a 10-yard touchdown run for the Wildcats to cap a three-play, 48-yard drive for the last score of the night.

Kentucky, which ran 20 fewer offensive plays than the visitors, registered a mere 241 yards overall, converting a mere 1-of-10 on third down.