LEXINGTON, Ky. — Down 11 points and staring at a crucial fourth down play, Vanderbilt football’s five-star freshman quarterback Jared Curtis stepped back to pass and immediately looked to wide receiver Ja’Cory Thomas down the sideline.

While the pass was contested well by a Kentucky defender, the ball Curtis gave Thomas was perfectly placed, too good for the Wildcats to disrupt regardless of how tight the coverage was as the Commodores closed the deficit to 21-17.

“Love the connection with Jared and Ja’Cory. I thought that was a courageous throw and a big play for us,” Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said on the play.

After that drive from Curtis and the Vanderbilt offense, though, it was back to what was happening for three quarters of the night. Kentucky moved down the field multiple times in the final 20 minutes of the game and came up with two field goals and a touchdown.

By the end of the night, Vanderbilt lost its fifth straight game, falling to Kentucky 34-17.…