Forgive Big Blue Nation if it’s feeling a little bipolar after Kentucky’s 34-17 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday. The 1st half featured good Kentucky, which steam-rolled Vandy 31-3. This was the team that went 6-0, that had an opportune offense and a careful defense that forced opponents to nickle and dime their way down the field.

The 2nd half featured bad Kentucky. This is the team that had a 3-game losing streak entering the game. This is the team that has been feasted on by opposing QBs, and which watched Vandy outscore it 14-3 for the last 30 minutes.

Good Kentucky would finish the regular season 9-3 and maybe steam-roll a ground-bound Big Ten team in a major bowl game.

Bad Kentucky might lose to Louisville by 2 scores and will turn any opposing QB with a passing arm into Tom Brady.

An overreaction? Well, perhaps. But let’s take a look at the evidence.

Good Kentucky ran the ball at will — with Chris Rodriguez Jr. racking up 90 rushing yards on 10 carries. The Wildcats hit big plays in the passing game — Will Levis was 10-for-14 for 156 yards. Standout receiver Wan’Dale Robinson had 5 receptions for 76 yards and a 23-yard run. Defensively, the Wildcats held Vandy to 105 total yards, with just 6 1st downs and no play longer than 17 yards.

Bad Kentucky … well, it wasn’t as impressive. Rodriguez had 6 carries for 24 yards in the 2nd half. Levis went 4-for-8 for 21 yards. Robinson had 1 reception for -1 yard. Vandy had 161 total yards and 10 1st downs and popped a 37-yard run and a 25-yard pass on a trick play. And of course, Vandy won the half 14-3.

Look, we all know there aren’t 2 Kentucky teams — there’s 1 Kentucky team. But its inconsistency could prove costly.

Mark Stoops was careful after the game to praise the positive play of the 1st half and all but write off a sloppy 2nd.

“We need to be more consistent so we can play more aggressive offensively,” Stoops said. “We’ve got to work together, but there’s some things to build on.”

There are plenty of things to build on. Rodriguez topped 1,000 rushing yards, making him the 6th 1,000-yard rusher at UK in the last 6 seasons. Robinson topped 900 receiving yards and is posting one of the best receiving seasons in UK history. Levis is certainly capable of both highs and lows, but the general idea of adding a reasonable passing threat to UK’s offense has essentially come to pass.

Defensively, Kentucky has been a little more exasperating. Yes, there are some injury issues. Massive defensive tackle Marquan McCall played for the 1st time since the Florida game. Fellow defensive lineman Octavious Oxendine is gone for the season. Edge rusher Jordan Wright has battled injuries, and some of UK’s secondary is likely dinged up. But the group that all but posted a no-fly zone in the last year and a half has struggled against QBs from Will Rogers and Hendon Hooker down to Vandy’s Mike Wright.

Kentucky just finished its 2nd winning SEC season since 1977 (and the other came in 2018, also under Stoops). The Wildcats are all but certain to win next week against New Mexico State and have an excellent chance to beat Louisville and finish the season in positive form in the program’s record 6th straight bowl appearance. It may be that the recent frustrations of Kentucky fans are the best testimony to Stoops’ rebuilding job. Kentucky fans used to take lousy football and piles of losses as the status quo. Now, they get a little cranky.

But still, Saturday’s win over Vanderbilt showcased 2 very different-looking UK teams. If Stoops can leave that 2nd-half group in the visiting locker room in Nashville, Kentucky can finish strong. And if not, it could get ugly.