ANOTHER Lightning Delay Disrupts Kentucky vs. Southern Miss
The Kentucky vs. Southern Miss game has hit another roadblock. With 9:56 left in the third quarter, lightning was spotted within eight miles of the stadium. The two teams were forced to evacuate the field for at least 30 minutes as an incoming storm approached.
The game was initially scheduled to kick off at 7:55 pm EST. It did not start until two hours and 10 minutes later. The game was paused just before midnight with the Cats leading Southern Miss 31-0.
The forecast this time around does not look good as a wave of red on the radar approaches the middle of Lexington.
After the long delay to start, the game was cruising along quickly. Once the Cats found a rhythm, they moved the ball efficiently to take a 24-0 first half lead, then turned to explosive plays in the third quarter. Brock Vandagriff dialed up a 46-yard bomb to Ja’Mori Maclin to set up a Jordan Dingle touchdown. Alex Raynor‘s PAT was the last play before lightning was detected and the premises was evacuated.
What will happen next is anyone’s guess, but there might be precedent for this situation. In Joker Phillips’ final season, Kentucky was trailing 49-7 in the third quarter at Arkansas when severe weather broke out in Fayetteville. Rather than ride out the storm, the game was called.
History may repeat itself, with the good guys on the winning end this time.
Kentucky Fans Were Locked In During the First Lightning Delay
Despite the early delay, it did not scare away Kentucky football fans. Storms produced lightning in the area around Kroger Field, but they did not dump buckets of water onto fans. With relatively mild weather at the venue, fans remained in the stands and patiently waited for the game to start.
During the lengthy delay, folks at Kroger Field wisely decided to liven up the atmosphere by turning on the new blue LED lights and pumping in some music. Fans responded and it turned into a scene unlike anything we’ve seen before at the home of the Kentucky Wildcats.
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