Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt knock off host Kentucky

Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia played through pain to throw for 143 yards and two scores, helping the Commodores to a 20-13 upset over Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday night.The Commodores (4-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) held the ball for 34:35 while their defense limited Kentucky (3-3, 1-3) to 322 total yards and forced two turnovers.Pavia visited the injury tent twice and returned with a knee brace for the first play of the fourth quarter. Still, he hit 15 of 18 throws while adding 53 yards on the ground.Vanderbilt held the ball for the first 7:09 of the second half, leading to Brock Taylor’s 49-yard field goal and a 17-7 lead.The Wildcats then went on their own march, covering 51 yards in 12 plays before coming up empty. They had a first-and-goal inside Vanderbilt’s 1 but went back 5 yards on a false start and eventually lined up for a 23-yard field goal.But the holder, Kentucky punter Wilson Berry dropped the snap and heaved a prayer of a pass toward the end zone, which Vanderbilt’s De’Rickey Wright picked off at the 1 and returned to the 10.The Commodores ran about eight minutes off the clock before Taylor drilled a 50-yard field goal with 8:47 remaining.Kentucky struck back with its best drive of the night, capitalizing when Brock Vandagriff hit Dane Key for a 22-yard touchdown with 7:02 left.But again, Berry couldn’t handle a low snap on the point-after kick, and the Commodores stopped his ensuing rush short of the goal line.D’Eryk Jackson sacked Pavia for a 15-yard loss at the Vanderbilt 31 to end the next drive. Barion Brown returned the ensuing punt to the Commodores’ 46, but a block in the back started the drive at the Wildcats’ 20.But after a sack by Nick Rinaldi slowed Kentucky on its final drive, Vandagriff threw incomplete on fourth-and-21 to seal the upset.

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