As I begin this middle of the week column on a glorious Tuesday morning, my ability, or more accurately, my inability to see very well is an issue. I just made another visit to the eye doctor, and while there, had my eyes dilated, so that’s my convenient excuse for any errors and typos you may notice in this piece.
I cannot use that excuse for the obvious booboo made in Saturday’s column, but that was just proof that I am human, contrary to what some may believe. With that out of the way, let’s muddle through and touch on a few football notes.
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LIGHTNING DELAYS (AND ENDS) OPENER – Kentucky’s football season was scheduled to begin at 7:45 p.m. Saturday night in Lexington, but Mother Nature, who like Father Time remains undefeated, had other ideas. The game eventually kicked off at 10:05, and with 9:56 remaining in the third quarter, lightning strikes in the area abruptly ended things with the Wildcats leading 31-0 over an outmanned Southern Mississippi squad. Safe to say that if the game was played in its entirety, UK could have fattened their offensive stats even more, and won by more than 50.
It’s a bit difficult to gauge Kentucky’s offensive performance, simply because the Golden Eagles are not a very good football team, and didn’t offer much resistance. Even so, there were signs that new offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan has a vast array of weapons at his disposal, beginning with quarterback Brock Vandagriff. The Georgia transfer overcame a shaky start and an early interception to pass for 169 yards on 12-of-18 attempts and three touchdowns in the lightning-shortened contest. He had ample assistance from the running game, which racked up 148 yards, led by Demie Sumo-Karngbaye’s 59-yard effort on just eight carries.
Vandagriff appeared to get more comfortable with his receiving corps as the game progressed, finding Barion Brown for four completions and
a pair of scores, Dane Key had 60 yards on three catches, Ja’Mori Maclin two receptions for 66 yards, and tight end Jordan Dingle had a couple of catches, including a five-yard touchdown.
The Kentucky defense played as advertised with few exceptions, limiting USM to 131 total yards, with just five coming on the ground. The opportunistic Cats also picked off a pair of passes.
The Cats now turn their attention to Saturday afternoon’s home clash against South Carolina, in an important Southeastern Conference battle. The Gamecocks were forced to rally in their opener to pull out a 23-19 win over Old Dominion, but they have won the past two meetings vs. UK, 17-14 last year in Columbia, and 24-14 in 2022 in Lexington.
USC is led by senior running back Raheim Sanders, who ran for 88 yards and a touchdown last week. Sanders ran for 1,443 yards and 10 touchdowns at Arkansas two years ago before a knee injury sidelined the 230-pounder much of last season. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers, a redshirt freshman, rushed for 68 yards and a score, but completed just 10-of-23 pass attempts for 114 yards vs. the Monarchs.
On paper anyway, which we have learned is not always a good barometer, the Cats should be able to put away the Gamecocks with relative ease. This game represents one of the perceived toss-ups – along with Vanderbilt, Florida and Auburn — on the SEC schedule for UK, adding to the importance of coming out with a W in this one. The other SEC games on the Kentucky schedule – Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas – will likely have the Cats as decided underdogs.
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BLOWOUTS HIGHLIGHT WEEK ONE – Speaking of underdogs, several teams who opened the season playing on the road against SEC teams, found the going less than ideal. But at least, those programs did receive a sizable check for getting their respective butts kicked.
One notable exception was Notre Dame, which went into College Station and knocked off Texas A&M 23-13. The new quarterback and team leader in South Bend, Duke transfer Riley Leonard, along with a
powerful Irish rushing attack led the way for the Golden Domers, who have a legitimate shot at running the table.
A couple of other SEC teams – Florida and LSU — went down in their openers, and they were among the few teams in the conference not playing a decidedly lesser foe to begin the season. The Gators were embarrassed in Gainesville by Miami 41-17, and the Tigers fell in Las Vegas to an inspired Southern California bunch 27-20. In the other game that was expected to be somewhat close, top-ranked Georgia used a 28-point second half to pull away from Clemson 34-3.
Give those teams credit for playing quality opponents right out of the gate, and not feasting on a cupcake to begin the season. College football fans want to see matchups featuring a pair of respected teams facing off in out of conference battles, but most coaches want to ease into the season and see what they have, which is understandable as well. Even though the smaller schools receive a nice payday, it couldn’t have been a lot of fun for the players on the losing end of these games to SEC members:
Auburn 73, Alabama A&M 3
Ole Miss 76, Furman 0
Alabama 63, Western Kentucky 0
Missouri 51, Murray State 0
Arkansas 70, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 0
Oklahoma 51, Temple 3
Texas 52, Colorado State 0
Tennessee 69, Chattanooga 3
Mississippi State 56, Eastern Kentucky 7
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BIG WIN IN MUSIC CITY – The other SEC team beginning its season Saturday was Vanderbilt, and their 34-27 overtime win over favored Virginia Tech was one of the most exciting games of the weekend.
Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia, generously listed at 6-foot, 220 lbs., a transfer from New Mexico State, put on a show. Pavia, a determined and fearless runner, rushed for 104 yards on 26 carries,
including the 4-yard scoring run in OT that gave Vandy the win. Pavia also tossed for 190 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 12-of-16 through the air.
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NFL OPENS WITH A BANG – The National Football League begins play tomorrow night with a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game, when the Baltimore Ravens venture to Arrowhead Stadium to meet the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.
There’s no shortage of NFL pundits who feel this game will also be a preview of this season’s AFC title tilt. Cincinnati Bengals fans are hoping that is not the case, and they will get a shot at the Chiefs in Kansas City in Week 2. We will take a longer look at the upcoming season for the Men in Stripes, who open at home against New England on Sunday afternoon, in Saturday’s column.
The second game of the NFL campaign takes place in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Friday night, when the Green Bay Packers tangle with the Philadelphia Eagles. The matchup between two of the best teams in the NFC marks the first time an NFL game will be played in South America.
The marquee game on Sunday pits the Rams against the Lions at 8:20 p.m. in Detroit, and the Monday night game features the San Francisco 49ers hosting the New York Jets.
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“It’s kind of hard to rally around a math class.” – Former Kentucky, Texas A&M and Alabama head football coach Bear Bryant
***** “In religion and politics people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them are not worth a brass farthing.” – Mark Twain
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