Kentucky’s present and future at quarterback showed promise against Vanderbilt
READ MORE
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.
Expand All
In the moment, the third-and-26 scramble for 27 yards by Kentucky Terry Wilson was just another exciting, explosive play in a game that featured several for a Wildcats offense that often has struggled to pop big gains in 2020.
In hindsight, one could argue it was the game’s most important one: that run set up a successful 28-yard field goal by Chance Poore as time expired in the first half to extend UK’s lead to 24-14.
Kentucky’s final margin of victory over Vanderbilt? Three points, 38-35.
Wilson, starting his sixth game of the season after missing the Georgia loss because of a wrist injury, posted the most efficient performance of his career (13 of 15, tying a 1987 performance by Kevin Dooley for the second-best single game completion percentage in school history) and threw for 110 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 83 yards and a score on just seven carries.
His first nine passes were completions and what would have been the 10th was underthrown just a hair to A.J. Rose, who would have trotted in for a touchdown. From his arm to his legs, it was the most comfortable Wilson looked making decisions this season.
“I felt like this was the Terry that I expect him to play each and every week,” UK head coach Mark Stoops said. “… He was very efficient, and let me say, I’m very proud of him and the way he responded. That position is different. Let’s just be honest. It is. There’s so much scrutiny, there’s so much pressure on that position and you have to play well at that position to be successful. There’s time when it all comes down on him and there’s times that it’s deserving and there’s times that it’s not. But he didn’t look for an opportunity to run and hide. He took that criticism, he took the coaching, and he got better.”
Wilson was able to nurse his wrist during Kentucky’s bye week, which, based on Saturday’s returns, went well for the offense as a whole: the Wildcats came up with 458 total yards, their second highest output of the season and just the second time this year they’ve managed to crack at least 300 yards. Ten different players caught passes, and five different players carried the ball for 308 yards, an average of 8.8 yards per rush.
A fumble in the fourth quarter — recovered by teammate Justin Rigg, to whom he threw one of his two touchdowns — was the only noticeable blemish on Wilson’s day.
“I just felt like I was out there playing football,” Wilson said. “Just trying to take care of the football, making the right reads, being decisive on my reads. … Once you’re in that mood, you’ve got your rhythm together and you’re just trying to make plays out there, you’re just trying to do what you can do to help the team.”
The future
Leading up to Saturday, Stoops and his staff talked about starting the quarterback for the rest of this season who gives them the best chance to win games this year and not looking to build toward 2021. Wilson, it appears, is that guy.
Both of UK’s immediate backups — Beau Allen and Joey Gatewood — got some light work in the fourth quarter. Gatewood started against Georgia and spelled Wilson at times prior to Saturday, but it was the first time Allen had ever seen the field in his freshman season.
Stoops gave the Lexington Catholic High School graduate the green light in a moment where UK typically tries to chew up clock. He was 3-for-5 for 40 yards, and his first two throws went for completions of 14 yards (to Mike Drennen) and 20 yards (Keaton Upshaw). It was the smallest of sample sizes against a reeling defense, but it provided a glimpse of what could be in store for UK’s offense down the line as it moves on from Wilson and possibly to a more traditional pocket passer.
“I felt like it was very important to get Beau in the game instead of going to our normal ground and pound,” Stoops said. “… It was important for our program, important to get Beau some reps and throw the football around a little bit. We’re not in that opportunity too many times.”
This story was originally published November 14, 2020 at 6:10 PM.
