NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Dusty Bonner threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Quentin McCord in the third quarter and Kentucky held on to beat Vanderbilt 19-17 Saturday night and likely sewed up a second straight bowl bid.

The Kentucky defense, which came in ranked last in the conference, forced four turnovers and held the Commodores to just seven second-half points.

Vanderbilt (5-5, 2-5 Southeastern Conference) needs to beat Tennessee in its season finale in two weeks for its first winning season since 1982.

The Wildcats (6-4, 4-3) took a 12-10 lead in the third quarter on a safety when Greg Zolman was called for intentional grounding in the end zone after being pressured by Dennis Johnson.

Then Bonner hit McCord for 80 yards to put Kentucky up 19-10. McCord broke Jamie Winborn's tackle and outran Harold Lercius down the left side.

Zolman hit Elliott Carson from 2 yards out to make it 19-17 with 5:20 left.

The Commodores got the ball back with 3:10 remaining after Bonner fumbled the snap from center, but three plays later Kentucky's Jeff Snedegar recovered a fumble by Rodney Williams. The Wildcats ran out the clock.

The game was tied 10-10 at halftime, despite three Vanderbilt turnovers. Anthony White scored on a 3-yard run for the Wildcats, and Tavarus Hogans on a 38-yard pass from Zolman.

Vandy had a first-and-goal from the Kentucky 2 early in the second quarter, but came away with just a field goal.

SEC commissioner Roy Kramer said the winner of this game would not necessarily be a lock for a bowl, though representatives of three bowl games were on hand.

"We probably will have eight teams qualify. We only have seven slots," Kramer said. "So we'll have to see what else happens across the country, and see if we can find some other place for a team to go."

Kentucky lost 26-14 to Penn State in last season's Outback Bowl.

Vanderbilt has not played in a bowl since 1982.