Football ***** Postgame Notes: UK 31, Southern Miss 0 *****

[Jeff Drummond]

KENTUCKY FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
KENTUCKY VS. SOUTHERN MISS
KROGER FIELD – LEXINGTON, KY.
AUG. 31, 2024

FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 31, Southern Miss 0

Note: Originally scheduled for a 7:55 p.m. ET kickoff, the game was delayed by lightning and began at 10:05 p.m. The game was stopped by a lightning delay at 11:51 p.m. before being called final at 12:25 p.m. The game ended with 9:56 remaining in the third quarter.

Team Records and Series Information

• It was the season opener for both teams, as Kentucky football began its 134th season.
  • The Wildcats are now 91-37-5 in all-time season openers, including 8-3 under Mark Stoops.
  • The Wildcats have won seven of the last eight openers.
  • The Wildcats have won the last five games that they have opened the season at home, the most since the Cats opened at home and won them all from 1987-1994.
  • The three previous notes do not include the vacated win in the 2021 opener.
• Kentucky leads the all-time series with Southern Miss, 4-1, including 3-1 in Lexington.

Next Game

• Kentucky continues its four-game homestand Saturday, Sept. 7 by playing host to South Carolina, which will mark both teams’ Southeastern Conference openers.
  • The game time is 3:30 p.m. ET and it will be televised on ABC.
  • SEC Nation will be on campus, broadcasting live from the Orange Lot. The Paul Finebaum Show will be on Friday 3-7 p.m. On Saturday, Marty & McGee will be from 9-10 a.m. and SEC Nation goes from 10 a.m. to noon.
    • Fans are invited to attend all shows.

Team Notes

• The Wildcats have won their last 17 straight regular-season nonconference games.
  • UK has won 15 straight nonconference games at Kroger Field.
• UK has outscored its opponents by at least 24 points in the season opener for four straight seasons, the first time that has been accomplished since 1948-51.
• Tonight’s game marked the fourth straight season opener scoring at least 31 points, second time in school history (also 1914-17).
• It was Kentucky’s first shutout in a season opener since 2009, a 42-0 win over Miami (Ohio) in a game played in Cincinnati.
• Kentucky’s last home shutout in a season opener was 1993, 35-0 over Kent State.
• Kentucky’s last two shutouts have been by the same score, 31-0, also vs. Youngstown State in 2022.
• Kentucky notched interceptions by Jamon Dumas-Johnson and JQ Hardaway on the first two defensive possessions of the game.
• The abbreviated game allowed six possessions by Southern Miss. UK limited the visitors to 131 yards total offense (only five rushing yards) and seven first downs.
  • The five rushing yards is the fewest since 2019 when UT Martin had minus-12 rushing yards.
  • The 131 total offensive yards is fewest since allowing 87 yards vs. ULM in 2021.
  • Kentucky has held nine of its last 15 opponents to less than 100 yards rushing, a stretch dating back to the final game of 2022.

Coach Mark Stoops

• Mark Stoops began his 12th season as Kentucky’s head coach, extending his school record for the most seasons as the UK head coach.
• Stoops extended his school records for most total victories (64) and home victories (45).
• This was UK’s second shutout under Stoops, also 31-0 vs. Youngstown State in 2022.

Player Notes

• Making his first collegiate start, QB Brock Vandagriff completed 12-of-18 passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns, all of which marked career highs.
  • His 34 yards rushing in the first quarter already eclipsed his career high, which was 27 yards against Kentucky in 2023. He finished the game with 35 yards rushing.
    • Of his four rushes in the first quarter, three were first downs.
• WR Barion Brown caught a game-high four passes for 28 yards and a career-high-tying two touchdowns.
  • He now has 97 career receptions for 1,195 yards and 10 TDs.
  • He has caught at least one pass in all 27 games of his collegiate career.
  • He has scored a touchdown in all three of his season openers. The last Wildcat to score a touchdown in three straight season openers was Marc Logan in 1984-86.
• WR Ja’Mori Maclin caught two passes for a game-high 66 yards.
  • He has 1,455 receiving yards in his career. He needs 545 to reach 2,000 for his collegiate career.
• RB Demie Sumo-Karngbaye recorded a game-high eight rushes for a game-high 59 yards and a touchdown.
  • It marked his second career touchdown rushing at Kentucky and his fifth overall.
• DB JQ Hardaway recorded his first career interception for a touchback on the third play in the second quarter.
  • He added two tackles.
• LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson recorded his second career interception with a pickoff on the first defensive series, setting up UK’s first touchdown.
  • He added two tackles.
• DB Zion Childress led Kentucky with four total tackles and four solo tackles, including a tackle for loss (-2 yards).
• LB J.J. Weaver had three tackles and one sack / tackle for loss (-7 yards).
  • He now has 17.5 career sacks and needs a half-sack to reach the top five in school history.
  • He now has 33.0 TFL and needs four more to reach the top three in school history.
• K Alex Raynor extended his streak to four straight field goals - a stretch that began last season against Tennessee at Kroger Field on Oct. 28, 2023 – after 41-yarder in the second quarter.
  • He is 4-of-4 between 40- and 49-yard field goals in his career at Kentucky.
  • He added 4-of-4 extra points.

First Starts

• First collegiate starts at any school: OG Jalen Farmer, RB Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, QB Brock Vandagriff
• Transfers who had started at other schools but making their first start at UK: LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson, WR, Ja’Mori Maclin, OT Gerald Mincey

Game Captains

• DL Deone Walker, WR Dane Key, SS Zion Childress, C Eli Cox