Kentucky parlayed a strong opening half into a 34-17 win at Vanderbilt on Saturday night, helping the Wildcats snap a 3-game losing streak and improve to 7-3 on the season.

Mark Stoops’ team jumped out to a 31-3 lead at halftime and despite some breakdowns on defense in the 2nd half it secured the 17-point win.

Will Levis passed for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns in the winning effort, and on the SEC Network after the game Stoops talked about his starting quarterback.

“He’s playing really good football,” said Stoops of Levis. “I thought as a team we played really good complementary football in the 1st half – 2nd half we just got out of kilter again defensively. But (Levis) lays it on the line all day everyday, so it’s easy to rally with him.”

Stoops also said that while he would have liked to see a sustained defensive effort for 60 minutes that there were still plenty of positives.

“It’s something to build on,” Stoops said. “We played well in the 1st half, that’s for sure. We need to be more consistent so we can play more aggressive offensively. We’ve got to work together, but there’s some things to build on.”

Levis, meanwhile, was asked about his performance Saturday night and he gave himself something of a mixed review.

“I think in the first I did a good job with the timing and decision making and accuracy of the offense,” Levis said. “I was a little disappointed in myself for just how I came out in the 2nd half on that first drive, just missing really easy throws that I don’t usually miss.

“But things like that are going to happen. You just gotta bounce back and play the game. But at the end of the day, I’m just glad we got the win.”

With Kentucky now sitting at 7-3 on the season, a 10-win campaign is a possibility for the Wildcats, who finished SEC play at 5-3 with Saturday’s victory.

Levis was asked what he and his teammates have to do to keep the momentum going.

“Just take it one day at a time,” he said. “We gotta make sure that we come in everyday at practice, getting better and focusing on the mission for that day and just keep stacking days and letting it all pay off on Saturday that week.”

Kentucky returns to action next Saturday at home against New Mexico State before wrapping up the regular season on the road against in-state rival Louisville.