UK Football

Watch: Kentucky DB Jalen Geiger gets pick-six in first career start

Jalen Geiger (34) returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown against Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Jalen Geiger (34) returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown against Vanderbilt on Saturday. swalker@herald-leader.com

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Game day: Kentucky 34, Vanderbilt 17

Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday night’s Kentucky-Vanderbilt football game at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.

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Jalen Geiger made his first start for the University of Kentucky count.

Geiger, a sophomore in his third season at UK, returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter of the Wildcats’ game against Vanderbilt. The score at the time put UK ahead, 21-3, with 13:09 remaining in the period. Commodores quarterback Ken Seals, after starting 9-for-11 passing, lobbed the ball right into the direction of Geiger, who caught it and ran into the end zone untouched.

Geiger, a defensive back from Columbia, S.C., signed as a three-star prospect as part of UK’s 2019 recruiting class. He played in nine games over his first two seasons and had appeared in every game this season, primarily on special teams. Before Saturday he had recorded nine total tackles, including one for a loss of six yards, through UK’s first nine games.

It was UK’s fourth interception of the season and second returned for a touchdown; safety Ty Ajian returned one 95 yards in the Wildcats’ 28-23 win over Chattanooga earlier this season.

Geiger, along with fellow sophomore Vito Tisdale, made their first starts of the season for a Kentucky secondary that coming into the Vanderbilt game had struggled to stop the last three quarterbacks it faced.

Jalen Geiger (left) celebrated with another UK defender after returning an interception for a touchdown on Saturday.
Jalen Geiger (left) celebrated with another UK defender after returning an interception for a touchdown on Saturday. Silas Walker swalker@herald-leader.com

This story was originally published November 13, 2021 at 8:13 PM.

Josh Moore
Lexington Herald-Leader
Josh Moore covers the University of Kentucky football team for the Lexington Herald-Leader, where he’s been employed since 2009. Moore, a Martin County native, graduated from UK with a B.A. in Integrated Strategic Communication and English in 2013. He’s a fan of the NBA, Power Rangers and Pokémon. Support my work with a digital subscription
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Game day: Kentucky 34, Vanderbilt 17

Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday night’s Kentucky-Vanderbilt football game at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.