Jamie Vaught: Vandagriff makes solid start in abbreviated opener; Gamecocks up next for Cats

We knew junior Brock Vandagriff had to be a very good quarterback when he came to Kentucky from powerhouse Georgia where the five-star prospect spent three years as a backup QB.

And it was very encouraging to see Vandagriff perform very well in his first collegiate start against Southern Miss Saturday night as the Wildcats won 31-0 in the abbreviated game. Officials stopped the contest in the mid-third quarter due to lightning. He completed 12 of 18 passes for 169 yards, including three TD passes along with one interception. In addition, he had an impressive running game, rushing for 35 yards on five carries with a long of 14 yards.

“Brock, I thought, did a super job managing the game,” said UK coach Mark Stoops. “For a guy playing his first time starting like that in our stadium, I thought he did an excellent job of making good decisions, pulling the ball down and scrambling for tough yards, and buying time in the pocket to throw it. And then throwing it on time and in rhythm as well.”

Stoops said Vandagriff, who has two years of eligibility left, reminded him of former UK and current Tennessee Titans QB Will Levis in many ways. “He did look like Will on a couple of those runs. He’s tough and physical, and he played about like I expected him to,” said the coach. “I thought he showed maturity, and he showed some toughness. He’s grown up. It’s a great starting point for him.”

On weather delays due to lightning, including a two-plus hour delay at kickoff, Vandagriff said, “It was the first time that I have ever had any monster delay like this. It was definitely different. There were several times we got up and got our shoulder pads on and beginning to walk out and, ‘oh, nope you got to go back.’ That happened two or three times.

“So finally, people were just taking off their shoulder pads and laying on the ground. It was just different, definitely mentally, trying to get ready three different times and stuff like that. At the end of the day, both teams had to do it. Same circumstances. That is how it was for me.”

Jamie H. Vaught, a longtime sports columnist in Kentucky, is the author of six books about UK basketball, including recently-published “Forever Crazy About The Cats: An Improbable Journey of a Kentucky Sportswriter Overcoming Adversity.” Now a retired college professor who taught at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College in Middlesboro., he is the editor and founder of KySportsStyle.com Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter @KySportsStyle or reach him via email at KySportsStyle@gmail.com .

UK linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, a senior transfer who also was Vandagriff’s teammate at Georgia, commented the QB did a nice job.

“I didn’t have any expectations for him,” said Dumas-Johnson, who played in 38 career games with 24 starting assignments with the Bulldogs. “I just wanted him to go out there and play freely. First game, first start, he had a lot of practice reps. To be live, he did a good job. Interceptions happen and things like that. It will only go up from here. Expectations only going up from here. SEC opponent (South Carolina) this week, so have to turn it up a little bit and keep moving on.”

It was Dumas-Johnson who had an interception in the first defensive series, setting up Kentucky’s first touchdown.

South Carolina coming to Kroger Field

The Gamecocks, coming off a 5-7 performance last season, barely survived their season opener Saturday evening when they bounced back in the fourth quarter to defeat Old Dominion of the Sun Belt Conference 23-19.

Even with USC’s victory, the fans booed the team at Williams-Brice Stadium. It wasn’t a pretty sight as the Gamecocks were a 20.5-point favorite. Instead, they won by 4. The fans, obviously, were expecting a blowout.

In his postgame press conference, fourth-year coach Shane Beamer, who has an overall coaching record of 21-18, agreed his young South Carolina club played sloppy ball against Old Dominion despite the win.

Unlike last season when USC had star QB Spencer Rattler, who now plays for the New Orleans Saints in the NFL, the Gamecocks now feature redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers, a 6-3, 242-pounder from Florence, S.C. Playing behind Rattler last season, Sellars saw limited action in three contests but has excellent size, speed and arm strength.

Against Old Dominion, Sellers rushed 22 times for 68 net yards while passing 10 of 23 tries for 114 yards. He was sacked four times.

Another player to watch is Raheim “Rocket” Sanders who made his much-anticipated Gamecock debut against ODU, rushing for 88 net yards in 24 carries. A 6-0, 230-pound senior transfer from Arkansas, Sanders was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2022 after rushing for 1,443 yards and 10 touchdowns as a Razorback. To put that in perspective, the Gamecocks rushed for 1,021 yards as a team in 2023.

While at Arkansas last fall, Sanders, a preseason All-American, was limited to just six games after suffering a knee injury in the season opener.

The Gamecocks will try to improve Saturday when they visit the Wildcats. The 3:30 p.m. ET matchup will be televised on ABC with Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst) and Molly McGrath (sideline) calling the action.

And don’t forget the SEC Network’s weekly, traveling pre-game show, SEC Nation Presented by Dr. Pepper, will be heading to Big Blue Nation this weekend. The set will be broadcasting live from the Orange Lot, near E.S. Good Barn, at Kroger Field. The Paul Finebaum Show will be on Friday 3-7 p.m. On Saturday, Marty & McGee will be from 9-10 a.m. and SEC Nation goes from 10 a.m. to noon. Fans are invited to attend all shows.

Despite winning seven of the last 10 meetings between both schools, UK will attempt to end its two-game losing skid to South Carolina, last defeating them 16-10 in 2021 in Columbia. According to the early betting lines (as of Monday), Kentucky is a 9.5-point favorite. But I don’t quite agree. I think the contest will be closer than that.

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