The circumstances of Kentucky’s season opener were not ideal. Kickoff was delayed for over two hours, and the Wildcats were only able to play two and a half quarters before another lighting delay ultimately ended the contest.
However, they were able to cover the spread and give fans a promising first look at this Kentucky team, especially Georgia transfer quarterback Brock Vandagriff.
In his first collegiate start, Vandagriff’s performance was not mistake-free. In fact, there was miscommunication on Kentucky’s first offensive drive, which ended with an interception.
But as the delay heightened anxiousness of his first start wore off, and he grew more comfortable, he helped lead the Wildcats down the field to score on five of their last six drives, including three passing touchdowns.
What was most impressive was his ability to navigate the pocket, and use his legs to extend or make plays. To some, even head coach Mark Stoops, Vandagriff looked Will Levis-like in that regard.
“He did look like Will on a couple of those runs,” Stoops said after the game.” He’s tough and physical, and he played about like I expected him to. That is a big piece of it when a guy can run like him. You always have to be alert for that, and I thought he was tough and showed maturity, but he showed some toughness. He’s grown up. Again, it’s a great starting point for him.”
Kentucky transfer linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson has had a front-row seat to Vandagriff’s college career, committing to Georgia along with Vandagriff as part of the 2021 class and following him to Lexington this offseason. What did he think of his QB’s performance?
“To be live, he did a good job,” Dumas-Johnson said during postgame interviews. “It will only go up from here. Expectations are only going up from here. SEC opponent next week, so have to turn it up a little bit and keep moving on.”
For the shortened game, Vandagriff totaled 169 yards passing on 12/18 passing, 35 yards rushing on five attempts, and three passing touchdowns. These aren’t eye-popping numbers, but a very good start nonetheless.
For his efforts, Vandagriff earned an 82.1 Pro Football Focus grade, which led all Kentucky offensive players, was third-best on the team, and is the 35th-highest mark of 123 college football QBs who’ve played at least 20% of their team’s offensive snaps.
Next week, Vandagriff will get his first start against SEC competition as the Wildcats take on South Carolina in what is considered a must-win for Kentucky to have a 7+ win season.
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