The Vanderbilt Commodores suffered their fourth loss of the season in a 17-7 defeat by Kentucky in Lexington. The Wildcats dominated with a 384-139 margin in total yards and a 38:22-21:38 edge in time of possession. Both teams combined for three turnovers a piece and struggled on third down.

Here are a couple of thoughts on the game:

What it means: Vanderbilt still needs to see improvement on offense. The Commodores passed for 85 yards and rushed for 54. Wade Freebeck isn’t ready to start in the SEC and continued to struggle in his third career appearance. Even Ralph Webb, Vanderbilt’s leading rusher, posted just 44 yards on 13 carries.

What I liked: Darrius Sims is a gamer. Whether on special teams or defense, he manages to keep a struggling Vanderbilt team in games against superior teams. For the second consecutive week, Sims found the end zone to give the Commodores’ their first (and only) touchdown of the game on a 13-yard interception.

Who’s the man: Patrick Towles. The redshirt sophomore played an efficient game on Saturday with 201 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 23-of-30 passing. Towles averaged 6.7 yards per throw and worked as a solid game manager against the Commodores defense.

Key play: Kentucky capped off a 99-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wideout Ryan Timmons. However, the play was reviewed to see if Timmons had lost possession just before breaking the plane. The referees ruled that there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn the call and kept momentum in the Wildcats’ possession.

What’s next: Vanderbilt will travel to Athens to face No. 12 Georgia next weekend. The Commodores upset No. 15 Georgia 31-27 at home in 2013.