Kentucky running back Ray Davis said this week that he was just treating his much-anticipated return to Vanderbilt like a normal game.

“Not trying to get too high, not trying to get too low,” said the senior from San Francisco.

And once Saturday’s SEC opener in Nashville started, Davis got down to the business of helping Kentucky stay undefeated at the expense of the program he did so much for. Davis rushed for 39 yards on 10 carries, and his 2-yard touchdown run with 1:56 left in the 1st quarter gave the 3-0 Wildcats a 21-0 cushion on the way to a 24-10 halftime lead.

What a difference a year makes in this matchup. Last fall, Davis was instrumental in leading the Commodores (2-2) to a 24-21 upset in Lexington. He rushed for 129 yards on 26 carries and scored a 3rd-quarter touchdown that gave Vandy a 14-6 lead.

Davis’ performance that day against the program he would join in 2023 was part of a stellar 2022 season, when he piled up 1,042 yards on the ground, 5 rushing TDs and 3 receiving scores.

A year later, he was back in Nashville, playing against some of his old teammates and leading the ground attack in the 1st half along with JuTahn McClain, who had 5 carries for 48 yards and a touchdown.