The most excited UK football backers anywhere? Check out Beau Allen’s parents.
On Monday, Kentucky unveiled its initial depth chart of the 2020 college football season. Beau Allen, the true freshman quarterback from Lexington Catholic, was listed No. 2 behind senior starter Terry Wilson.
It was thirty-five years ago that Beau’s father, Bill Allen, dressed out as a UK quarterback for the first time. As a redshirt freshman, the former Morgan County star was a backup to Bill Ransdell when the Wildcats opened their 1985 season against Bowling Green.
If you wonder whether Bill Allen is more nervous about his son’s debut for No. 23 Kentucky on Saturday at No. 8 Auburn or if he had more butterflies before he launched his own UK career, it’s not close.
“Oh, gosh, I’m way more nervous now,” the elder Allen said. “Way more. No question about that.”
This should help you understand how excited Bill and Ingrid Allen are to see their only child on a football field in a Kentucky Wildcats uniform for the first time:
When I called Bill Allen on Thursday morning, he said, “We’re in the car. We decided to take off (for the Auburn game) a day early.”
UK has lost 17 of its past 18 games vs. Auburn. The exception came in 2009, when Randall Cobb led the Wildcats to a 21-14 road upset of the Tigers.
The Allen family, including a youthful Beau, was in Jordan-Hare Stadium that night. “That was such a special weekend for us,” Ingrid Allen said. “To be going back with Beau (now a UK player) is pretty cool.”
Bill Allen’s memories of his own first game dressing out as a Kentucky Wildcats quarterback are more vivid for the postgame aftermath than the pregame build-up.
Bowling Green foiled that 1985 opener for UK with a last-gasp touchdown pass that produced a 30-26 upset.
“I don’t remember a whole heck of a lot building up (to his first Kentucky game),” Bill Allen said. “What I do remember, we got beat at the end of the game. I remember it was Labor Day weekend. I remember on Monday, of course, school was out. And I remember practicing at least twice that (Monday), after that loss, maybe even three times.”
Beau Allen was not totally surprised, his dad says, about making the two-deep depth chart for Mark Stoops and Co. before his first college game.
“I know he started taking a lot more of the reps at the No. 2 position a few weeks ago,” Bill Allen said. “He was really, really excited about that. Very thankful.”
The game at Auburn marks Wilson’s return as Kentucky starting QB. He missed last season’s final 11 games after suffering a torn patellar tendon in his left knee vs. Eastern Michigan in week two.
Given that Wilson is coming back from a major injury, it behooves his backup to be ready.
Bill Allen knows from experience how fate can thrust a backup quarterback into unanticipated pressure.
In the sixth game of its 1985 season, Kentucky traveled to Baton Rouge to face LSU without the injured Ransdell (collapsed lung, broken rib). Back up Kevin Dooley got the start for the Cats.
In a game that was a scoreless tie deep into the second half, neither Dooley nor backup Tim Jones could get the Kentucky offense moving.
So Bill Allen got that chance.
All that week in practice, the UK brain trust instructed the Wildcats quarterbacks to watch the LSU defense for a specific read. When LSU flexed a defensive end from its base five-man front out in pass coverage, the Kentucky QBs were to audible into a trap running play.
In cavernous Tiger Stadium, Bill Allen came to the line and saw the LSU defensive end flexed out. However, having never played before in such a high-decibel venue, he decided the noise was too loud to risk calling an audible.
He didn’t change the play.
The Kentucky coaching staff was incensed.
The mood was not improved when UK went on to lose 10-0.
“I think the coaches lost confidence in me to some degree because, in their eyes, I missed (the check),” Bill Allen said. “I didn’t miss it. I just felt like it was the right thing to do to go with the play that was called.”
Bill Allen would go on to end his four-year Kentucky career having thrown only 13 total passes in college.
“I wish I would have went ahead and tried to change that play, I know that,” he says now. “That’s the hard part about being a backup. You’ve got to be ready.”
There are no guarantees, of course, but Beau Allen — a polished pocket passer with an unflappable demeanor — seems destined over the course of his career to leave a larger mark at Kentucky.
The start of a worthwhile journey always yields a unique excitement. That’s why Beau Allen’s parents were on the road to Auburn a day early.
“It’s gonna be so awesome to see (Beau) out there in that (Kentucky) uniform,” Bill Allen said. “I can’t wait. Just that alone is going to be so exciting.”
