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Mark Stoops Talks About Brock Vandagriff’s Debut, “He Did Look Like Will (Levis)”

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Mark Stoops and teammates react to Brock Vandagriff's debut against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, a 31-0 win for the Kentucky Wildcats.
© Carter Skaggs-USA TODAY Sports

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.

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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?

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“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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Louisville Football Player Charged With First-Degree Strangulation, Days After Committing Game Losing Personal Foul

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Louisville Cardinals defensive back Tayon Holloway (20) reacts to his defensive play.
Eric Canha | Imagn

On Monday, Louisville football defensive back Tayon Holloway was detained and charged with first-degree strangulation and fourth-degree assault.

This comes just days after the former four-star prospect committed a costly personal foul to put a 2-7 Stanford team in field goal range and upset Louosillve 38-35 with a walk-off field goal.

As expected, Holloway has been indefinitely suspended from the team.

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“The University of Louisville is aware of the arrest of football student-athlete Tayon Holloway,” the university said in a statement. “As we gather more information, Tayon has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.”

Things Cardinals seem to be in a downward trend as the Commonwealth Cup nears, November 30th.

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Kentucky snaps four game losing streak defeats Murray State 48-6

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops talking to Murray State football coach Jody Wright.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

Kentucky gets a much-needed victory over Murray St 48-6 to snap its four-game losing Streak. Brock Vandagriff led the way for the Cats, going 12-19 for 183 passing yards and two touchdown passes to Hardley Gilmore IV and Ja’Mori Maclin. 48 Points is the most points Kentucky has scored in a game since 2021 when the Cats scored 51 points against Louisville.

The defense held Murray St. without a touchdown. For the second time this season, Kentucky’s defense has held an opponent without a touchdown.

Freshman Standout today:

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For the second time this season, Kentucky breaks the 40-point mark as three freshmen make impacts for Kentucky. Jamarion Wilcox had 13 carries and 124 yards with a touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

Receiver Hardley Gilmore IV had two receptions for 72 yards and caught the 52-yard touchdown pass from Brock Vandagriff on the game-opening drive.

Four-star quarterback Cutter Boley started the second half for the Cats, going 10-14 and passing for 130 yards with two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, both touchdown passes to sophomore receiver Anthony Brown-Stephens.

Defense Bounces Back:

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After giving up over 475 yards of total offense each of the last three games, Kentucky’s defense holds Murray State to 256 total yards of offense while also having three takeaways from the Murray State offense

Defensive Lineman Tre’vonn Rybka led the way for the defense with five tackles and the only sack of the game for Kentucky’s defense. Jordan Lovett had two takeaways in the first half for Kentucky and one in the red zone in the second quarter. Jackson Schultz had the final takeaway, picking off Jim Ogle’s pass late in the fourth quarter.

Box Score

With the win today over Murray St., Kentucky moves to 4-6 (1-6 SEC) with two games remaining. They look to keep their bowl eligibility alive as they travel to Austin, Texas, and face the No. 3 ranked Texas Longhorns at 3:30 pm on ABC. 

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Mark Stoops Responds to Retirement Rumors, “Zero Percent Chance I Do That”

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops responds to retirement rumors amidst disappointing season. "Zero percent chance I do that."
Jordan Prather | Imagn

To say there is unrest in the Kentucky Football fanbase would be an understatement. With a 3-6 record overall, and 1-6 in the SEC (15th out of 16) things look bleak, and there is still a quarter of the season to go. Considering the regression from the previous two seasons as well, it’s difficult to be optimistic about the future.

Over the last few weeks, rumors have circled that head coach Mark Stoops has considered retiring at the end of the season. Optics wise it makes sense, his older brother Bob Stoops surprisingly retired from Oklahoma at just 56, and Mark, now 57, has expressed a desire to spend more time with his children.

At his weekly press conference, Stoops was asked directly if there is any chance that he would walk away from Kentucky and retire at the season. To which he responded, bluntly:

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“Zero percent chance I do that. Next question.”

Mark Stoops is still owed more than $44 million on his contract. That’s A LOT of money to leave on the table and is the reason that the decision will be Stoops’ to make, as Kentucky cannot afford the buyout.

If Stoops holds true to his word and returns next season, NIL fundraising efforts may be the most difficult it has been for him. However, he hopes it sparks motivation to donate.

“I’ve seen it at other SEC schools,” Stoops said. “I want to stay away from that. I really get tired of — I don’t want to be like I am whining, I am crying. It is reality. You have to have dollars.”

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