‘It was really important to get Walker in there.’ Lexington native makes UK debut.
READ MORE
Game day: Kentucky at Vanderbilt
Click below to view more of Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s 38-14 University of Kentucky football victory over Vanderbilt at Nashville, Tenn.
Expand All
Lexington native Walker Wood, a graduate of Lafayette High School, took over at quarterback for the University of Kentucky during its game at Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Wood, making his debut as a Wildcat, entered the game with 5:39 left with Kentucky leading 38-14 in the fourth quarter. He played for the remainder of the game, taking the knee that capped a UK victory. Wood finished with 12 yards on two carries and threw one pass, a 7-yard completion to Bryce Oliver.
“It was really important to get Walker in there,” UK head coach Mark Stoops said after the game. “And that’s been on my mind, to get him in the game. So (I’m) really proud of him and just what he’s done and what he’s meant to this program. And so I wanted to give him a few throws and get him out there, get him some snaps and just see what he can do. He deserves it. So that was good to see.”
Lynn Bowden, a wide receiver, started at quarterback for the fifth straight game. Sawyer Smith, a transfer from Troy, had made three straight starts in place of Terry Wilson before the Arkansas game and briefly played against Missouri.
Wood has been listed as UK’s backup quarterback since Wilson was injured but had not played until Saturday.
Smith suffered a right shoulder injury during Kentucky’s game at Mississippi State after hurting his wrist on the same arm against Florida the week prior. He also sustained an injury to a “lower extremity” at some point, too, during Kentucky’s game at South Carolina. Smith has made a few brief appearances since, including at Vanderbilt. He converted a third-and-1 run early in the game and was the first quarterback to relieve Bowden in the fourth quarter.
Wood, a sophomore, had never played a snap at UK. He was a Mr. Football finalist at Lafayette, which he led to two straight Class 6A championship game appearances. He suffered a knee injury in his final high school game and has twice had surgery on his right shoulder, including once since arriving on campus.
This offseason was his first taking significant reps with the team.
“I kind of had to recreate the way I throw just cause my shoulder wasn’t the same as it was before,” Wood said in April. “I’ve put a lot of time and work into that and I think this spring I’ve showed glimpses of my arm strength and other things coming back, so I’m proud of that, but I gotta keep working.”
This story was originally published November 16, 2019 at 6:34 PM.
