QUICK TAKES: Kentucky 31, Southern Miss 0
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor
@JDrumUK
Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff kept a play alive by scrambling in the Wildcats' season opener against Southern Miss on Saturday night at Kroger Field. (Photo by Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
First of all, that's a very long day for a lot of fans who showed up early to have a good time and ended up waiting ... and waiting... and waiting. Kudos to those who stuck around to give the Cats a good crowd. Brock Vandagriff was very intriguing. The way he extends plays and makes things happen with his arm and his legs gives them something they haven't often had. I thought the offensive line started to form an identity as the game moved along. The defense didn't give up anything, and the inside linebackers made big-time plays. The special teams unit chipped in with a strong performance as well. This was domination by Kentucky and what you want to see a good team do. There are things to polish up for sure, but Vandagriff should benefit from experience gained and I think you have to feel good about their matchup with South Carolina.
JEFF DRUMMOND:
It was a weird night at Kroger Field, to say the least, but the Cats took care of business. I would have liked to see what would happen if they played a full 60 minutes -- would Gavin Wimsatt get some backup QB duty? -- but I understand why all parties involved decided to pull the plug just around midnight. Like Justin said, Brock Vandagriff was really impressive in his first collegiate start. He did a great job of sliding around in the pocket and using his feet to extend plays with his eyes downfield waiting for receivers to get open. I don't think we've seen that kind of presence from a UK quarterback in recent memory. I loved how Bush Hamdam mixed things up and kept Southern Miss off-balance with a lot of motion and misdirection, getting the ball in the hands of Barion Brown for some nice end-around plays, including a 12-yard touchdown run. The defense did a nice job of creating turnovers and getting constant pressure on the Southern Miss quarterback. Special teams converted a 41-yard field goal and were good in coverage. Overall, a really nice building block to take into the SEC opener next week against South Carolina. Big, big matchup for both teams early in the season.
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor
@JDrumUK
Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff kept a play alive by scrambling in the Wildcats' season opener against Southern Miss on Saturday night at Kroger Field. (Photo by Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
In our regular postgame feature, the Cats Illustrated staff offers its first impressions from Kentucky's 31-0 win over Southern Miss in a weather-delayed and shortened season opener at Kroger Field...
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
First of all, that's a very long day for a lot of fans who showed up early to have a good time and ended up waiting ... and waiting... and waiting. Kudos to those who stuck around to give the Cats a good crowd. Brock Vandagriff was very intriguing. The way he extends plays and makes things happen with his arm and his legs gives them something they haven't often had. I thought the offensive line started to form an identity as the game moved along. The defense didn't give up anything, and the inside linebackers made big-time plays. The special teams unit chipped in with a strong performance as well. This was domination by Kentucky and what you want to see a good team do. There are things to polish up for sure, but Vandagriff should benefit from experience gained and I think you have to feel good about their matchup with South Carolina.
JEFF DRUMMOND:
It was a weird night at Kroger Field, to say the least, but the Cats took care of business. I would have liked to see what would happen if they played a full 60 minutes -- would Gavin Wimsatt get some backup QB duty? -- but I understand why all parties involved decided to pull the plug just around midnight. Like Justin said, Brock Vandagriff was really impressive in his first collegiate start. He did a great job of sliding around in the pocket and using his feet to extend plays with his eyes downfield waiting for receivers to get open. I don't think we've seen that kind of presence from a UK quarterback in recent memory. I loved how Bush Hamdam mixed things up and kept Southern Miss off-balance with a lot of motion and misdirection, getting the ball in the hands of Barion Brown for some nice end-around plays, including a 12-yard touchdown run. The defense did a nice job of creating turnovers and getting constant pressure on the Southern Miss quarterback. Special teams converted a 41-yard field goal and were good in coverage. Overall, a really nice building block to take into the SEC opener next week against South Carolina. Big, big matchup for both teams early in the season.
