A lot of attention was paid this week to Ray Davis’ return to Vanderbilt wearing the Big Blue colors of Kentucky, much as the senior running back from San Francisco tried to downplay the matchup as just a “normal game.”

Well, Davis did his part on Saturday afternoon against the program he starred for, Devin Leary overcame 2 interceptions and Kentucky used a 1st-quarter pick-6 by Maxwell Hairston to run away and hide in a 45-28 victory that got the Wildcats to 4-0 as they head home for a showdown with Florida next Saturday.

Here are 3 takeaways from Saturday’s conference opener for both teams:

Yeah, Davis returned with a vengeance

Davis was a mainstay for Vandy, and he turned into a star last season, rushing for 1,042 yards and 8 combined touchdowns rushing and receiving for the Commodores (2-3). A juicy storyline for Saturday’s game was established after what Davis did to the Wildcats last year, as he rushed for 129 yards on 26 carries and a touchdown to help Vandy stun Kentucky, 24-21, in Lexington.

A year later, wearing much different colors, Davis came back to Nashville and paid the Wildcats back for what he did to them in 2022. Davis finished with 17 carries for 78 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 1-yard TD run with 6:44 left in the 3rd quarter that gave Kentucky a commanding 31-13 lead. Davis might’ve said all the right things this week to the media, but his determined play said otherwise.

Concerns about Leary?

While all was seemingly well for the Wildcats on Saturday, it sort of wasn’t. Yes, Kentucky easily got to 4-0 with the road triumph, but it was Vandy, after all, and, let’s be honest, Leary struggled. He had those 2 interceptions, barely threw for over 200 yards and finished just 15-of-29 passing. Leary was the beneficiary of a big, early lead, as the game was basically over after the 1st quarter with Kentucky up 21-0.

Leary threw 1 interception in each of the Wildcats’ 1st 3 games, against Ball State, Eastern Kentucky and Akron, and it’s an understatement that he’s going to have to play much better starting next week against a revitalized Gators defense.

How about that Big Blue defense?

Yeah, it was “only Vanderbilt,” but Mark Stoops’ defense showed up in a big way in the conference opener. There was Hairston’s pick-6 in the 1st quarter to set the tone for the day, giving Kentucky a 14-0 lead, and there was Hairston’s pick-6 with 4:15 left in the game that provided an appropriate bookend to the day.

Hairston was part of a defense that held the Commodores in check all day, as Vandy only got above 300 total yards during garbage time.