Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff is set to face off against his former team on Saturday, the Georgia Bulldogs. Competing against not just his former team, but also the No. 1 team in the country in his third career start is a tough task. However, he and the rest of the offense welcome the challenge.

“We’re welcoming the challenge,” Vandargriff said after practice on Wednesday. “At the end of the day, it’s the same game, the same rules, all that kind of stuff.”

Spending three years in Athens before transferring to Kentucky, the familiarity with the Georgia defense may provide some internal comfort for Vandagriff. The Bogart, Georgia native has had extensive practice reps against the stout defense, which has included 17 draft picks over the last three seasons. Similarly, that defensive unit has also defended against Vandagriff in practice.

During his time as a Bulldog, Vandagriff was roommates with Chaz Chambliss, Cash Jones, and Brock Bowers and built lifetime friendships with them. “We called it the B’s and the C’s: me and Brock vs. Cash and Chaz,” Vandagriff said. Those relationships continue to this day with a group chat.

Vandragriff said he also still talks a lot with former teammate and Heisman candidate Carson Beck, valuing his friendship. When Beck was asked about Vandagriff earlier this week, he said, “I’ll probably give him a text this week.” Beck continued, “He’s a great friend of mine. Maybe not so much Saturday.”

Setting aside those relationships and making a crucial statement on the field will be key for Vandagriff on Saturday as a strong offensive showing can go a long way to reinvigorate the fanbase. You would have to believe that he relishes the opportunity to prove himself on a national level, against his former team.

It’s hard to be optimistic about the rest of the Kentucky Wildcats’ football season after the debacle vs. South Carolina.

However, we are just now entering Week 3, meaning there is plenty of football to be played. Unfortunately, the next game on the schedule is against the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs, which is not exactly the ideal opponent to bounce back with.

The Bulldogs are arguably the best program in the country at the moment, having won two of the last three national championships. They have lost just two games in that span, both to Alabama.

Pulling off the upset would be a tall task for the Wildcats, but playing well is not out of the question. Just a little over 10 points have decided the last four contests between these two SEC foes at Kroger Field.

In comparison, Kentucky has lost by an average of about four touchdowns in Athens.

What must the Wildcats do to keep the game close and instill some confidence into the season? Are they capable of beating the Dawgs, which would be Kentucky’s first victory in the series since 2009 and its first home win since 2006?

Let’s take a look at what needs to happen for the Cats to make this a game and keep hope alive for a shocking upset!

Offensive Line Steps Up

If you watched last week’s contest, the most glaring weakness was the offensive line. While the Gamecocks have some impressive pass rushers, including true freshman Dylan Stewart, there were multiple times they could not protect Brock Vandagriff with a 5-3 advantage. Preseason All-SEC selection Marques Cox earned a 5.1 grade (out of 100) on pass blocking by Pro Football Focus, and he’s arguably Kentucky’s best offensive lineman.

One of college football’s most experienced offensive lines should and must be better throughout the rest of the season. Saturday is an opportunity to respond against one of the best defense fronts in the country in Georgia, which could be without potential No. 1 NFL Draft pick Mykel Williams.

How are they preparing to do that? Focusing on the fundamentals.

“When you look at when we had breakdowns, I think it starts with some very simple things,” offensive line coach Eric Wolford said Tuesday. “There’s a point to when you get on blocks, you gotta stick on blocks, finish, and play with tremendous strain.”

Revive the Passing Game

Kentucky’s offense last weekend left much to be desired to say the least, completing just six forward passes for a grand total of thirty passing yards. Many compared the production to a team of the 1920s, including SEC shorts.

A large part of the issues in the passing game stemmed from the offensive line’s aforementioned poor play. However, Vandagriff’s lack of composure and Bush Hamdan’s play-calling did not help things.

The Wildcats did have some success running the ball, rushing for 180 non-sack yards. This week, they will likely play to that strength. However, threats like Barion Brown and Dane Key, who are able to make some explosive plays, need the ball in their hands to do so.

Give Fans Hope

As mentioned before, the Kentucky-Georgia games played at Kroger Field have been competitive, including 2022, when, following a home loss to Vanderbilt, the Wildcats held Georgia to just one touchdown and 16 total points.

If Kentucky can keep the game within two scores and show better execution, some optimism can be salvaged for a seven or eight-win season (including a potential bowl victory).

Get blown out, and the fanbase might really begin to check out on the season before we even make it out of September.

Kentucky Wildcats (1-1) vs. No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (2-0)

Game Time: 7:30 PM ET on September 14th
Location: Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky
TV Channel: ABC
Announcers: Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, and Molly McGrath
Online Stream: WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro have the radio call on the UK Sports Network.
Satellite Radio: XM Channel 203, Sirius Channel 98, Internet Channel 966
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | UGA
Stats To Know: UK | UGA
Advanced Stats
Weather.com forecast

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky as a 24.5-point underdog with an over/under of 45.5. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Cats a 7.6% chance to pull off the upset

Predictions: TeamRankings has Kentucky covering the spread but losing 34-11, while OddsShark has them losing 42—20. DRatings.com picks Georgia to win 35-15. I do believe Kentucky will respond after dropping the ball last week, but they will be no match for Georgia. I am taking Georgia to win 42-16.

How do you see this one playing out? Send us your score predictions in the comments section!

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

Editorial

31-6.

If you had just told that score to a Kentucky fan on Saturday morning, most would have believed that Kentucky would have put on an impressive performance in a win against the South Carolina Gamecocks. But that was not how it played out, as Kentucky was on the receiving end of the blowout.

But like Lee Corso says, “Not so fast my friend.”

The thing I keep coming back to under Coach Stoops is consistency. He brought the Kentucky football program to a level of expectedness that I had never seen nor thought possible in my lifetime. His program in and out can be described with the word “consistent”.

Thinking back to Austin MacGinnis’ game-winning field goal against Mississippi State in 2016. His stepping up to boot that kick through the goalposts was one of the most important moments of the Stoops era in my opinion, and it was done with consistency. Keep looking through his career and that “C” word will keep coming up again and again. Stephen Johnson, Josh Allen, Benny Snell, Lynn Bowden, the list goes on and on about these Stoops players whose drive, and focus have led to consistent results for the Kentucky football program.

Coach Stoops’ Wildcats have been in perilous positions before starting the season. Starting the season 0-2 in 2016, with a home loss to Southern Mississippi on record, everybody thought the year was a wash. However, Coach Stoops rallied the Cats and got big wins against South Carolina, Mississippi State, Missouri, and Louisville to go on to play in the first bowl game of the Stoops era.

Looking at the 2019 season you see much of the same. A team that got the short end of the stick with injuries. Forced to play Lynn Bowden, the previous wide receiver at quarterback that season could have been looked at as just a bit of bad luck, and let’s try again next year. But in Mark Stoops’ fashion, he rallied the troops and went to work. Lynn Bowden the QB led Kentucky to 8 wins and put himself in the history books.

The list goes on and on about Coach Stoops rallying his team to do the impossible at Kentucky. He has embraced the underdog role with slogans like “Why not us”. Is it hard to be optimistic after last week? Yes. Will this season turn out the way we fans have hoped for? Only time will tell, but let’s not forget the man on the sideline who has been in this situation before and leads his team with a consistency Kentucky football had never seen.