Beau Allen, one of Kentucky’s most prolific high school QBs, makes UK debut
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Game day: Kentucky 38, Vanderbilt 35
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Vanderbilt football game at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky.
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University of Kentucky quarterback Beau Allen made his first appearance for the Wildcats during their game against Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Allen, a true freshman out of Lexington Catholic High School, entered the game with Kentucky leading, 38-21, with 8:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.
After a handoff on his first play from scrimmage, Allen hit fellow freshman Mike Drennen for a 14-yard pass play. On the very next snap, Allen found tight end Keaton Upshaw for a 20-yard pass down the sideline. Those two completions were followed by a delay of game call, an underthrown ball down the field, and a pass that was batted down at the line of scrimmage. The ensuing third-and-15 play was a screen pass to Bryce Oliver that went for 6 yards and set up Kentucky’s second punt of the day.
Allen left the field at 3-for-5 passing for 40 yards on that first possession.
Kentucky starting quarterback Terry Wilson went 13-for-15 for 110 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions to help the Cats get out to a comfortable lead. Wilson also had seven carries for 83 yards and a touchdown.
UK Coach Mark Stoops said on the pregame radio show that — while Wilson would be the Cats’ starter — he was hoping that Allen and fellow backup quarterback Joey Gatewood would both see action aganst the Commodores. Allen got on the field before Gatewood, who came in on UK’s next possession with a little more than three minutes left in the game.
“We’ll see how it goes. We’re going to start with Terry, but — to be honest with you — I’d like to see all three of the quarterbacks, if we can. I really do,” Stoops said. “I believe Joey needs another opportunity. And I’ve been saying all year that I want to see Beau. So I really would like to see all three quarterbacks today. We’ll see how the game goes.”
Gatewood, a sophomore, made his first career start against Georgia two weeks ago in place of the injured Wilson, who started UK’s first five games and on Saturday against Vanderbilt. Allen was listed as Wilson’s backup through the Cats’ first two games and as a co-backup along with Gatewood in its previous three games; he was listed as the sole backup against Georgia but through six games did not see the field.
UK head coach Mark Stoops and co-offensive coordinator Eddie Gran were excited by what they saw from Allen throughout fall camp.
“He’s done some things that are really special,” Gran said about a month ago. “He’s taken some alerts and he’s really, really accurate with the ball. I love what I see out of him. He’s out there, he’s studying it all the time. He’s a junkie when it comes to football and that’s what makes him a really special quarterback.”
The Louisville Quarterback Club presented its 27th annual high school Paul Hornung Award to Allen following his senior season. He was a Mr. Football finalist following that campaign, during which he threw for 3,682 yards and 38 touchdowns, and led the Knights in rushing with 478 yards and 12 TDs. Allen was a 2019 Class of the Commonwealth selection and finished his high school career with more than 11,000 passing yards and 126 TD passes, landing him in the top five of both categories in state history.
Allen committed to Kentucky before his senior season, spurring offers from Duke, Georgia, Michigan and West Virginia, among others. Rivals rated him as a four-star prospect and the No. 13 quarterback in the country, while 247Sports tabbed him as a three-star recruit and the 18th best pro-style quarterback in the country.
He enrolled at UK in January.
“It’s a little surreal, that’s for sure,” Allen said in February, the only time he’s been made available to media. “I’ve always been a fan my whole life and just to be here every day is a blessing.”
Allen’s father, Bill Allen, was a quarterback at Kentucky after an all-state career at Morgan County High School. He at one time owned the state’s career record for passing yards, setting it in 1983 with 6,440 yards; that record has more than doubled since and now sits at 13,652 (Clay County’s Zack Lewis, 2005-2008).
This story was originally published November 14, 2020 at 3:01 PM.
