Patience Pays Off for Kentucky During Late Night with Lightning Delays
Brock Vandagriff has been waiting his whole life for the chance to start in a college football game. Ahead of this momentous occasion, he had a feeling he would not be able to sleep. Once he finally arrived in the team locker room, he was ready to roll, but the quarterback had to wait, and wait, and wait.
Kentucky’s season-opening game was delayed for more than two hours before the Cats finally kicked off against the Golden Eagles. During those two hours, Big Blue Nation was getting rowdy in the stands, ready to cheer on the Wildcats. Vandagriff was prepared to hit the field but had to remain patient. Once he started throwing the ball, we learned that patience is one of his strengths.
“It was kind of the first time I’ve ever had any monster delay like this. It’s definitely different,” the quarterback said after midnight on Sunday morning.
“There were several times where we’re getting up, putting our shoulder pads on, getting ready to walk out. ‘Naw, you gotta go back.’ It happened two or three times. Then finally, people just took off their shoulder pads and were laying on the ground. It’s definitely different, trying to get mentally ready three different times. But at the end of the day, both teams had to do it.”
Despite the circumstances, the Kentucky Wildcats had no other choice but to stay locked in and mentally prepared.
“It’s a game. It’s a game, right? Right. The record’s on the line, right? Stay locked in. Ball is ball,” said Jamon Dumas-Johnson. “We were going to stay out here till midnight to play if we had to.”
Patience Turns Into Production
Kentucky’s patience paid off. It took no time for Dumas-Johnson to pop. He picked off a pass on his second play in a Kentucky uniform. Vandagriff and the Kentucky offense did not immediately settle in, but once they found a rhythm, they were Brocking and rolling. Vandagriff completed 12-of-18 passes for 169 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. He also used his legs to move the chains, rushing for 35 yards.
“He played like I thought he would, and he’s not perfect, and none of our team is,” said Mark Stoops. “But I think there’s a lot to build on that. We all know that the challenge is going to step up starting this week, but I really like what I saw.”
Patience eventually produced points as Vandagriff kept plays alive with his legs before dialing up balls down the field. The offense was hitting another gear in the third quarter when he connected with Ja’Mori Maclin for a 46-yard gain. His final pass of the day was a touchdown to Jordan Dingle, the final play from scrimmage before lightning prematurely ended the game.
Late Night is an Early Wake Up Call for Vandagriff
The initial lightning delay lasted longer than the 1:43 that Kentucky actually spent on the field against Southern Miss. Stoops was pleased with his team’s limited performance and proud of their composure through the lengthy distraction. Now it’s time to get some rest and move on to next week’s matchup with South Carolina.
“We’ll make the most of it and I’m proud of our guys. We got to get back to work. We got a league game next week, so we’ve got to get some sleep. It’s late for these guys getting out of here. They got to get home and try to get some sleep. I’m sure they’re going to go right home and get to bed,” Stoops joked.
Stoops doesn’t have to worry about his quarterback. After a rough night of sleep, Vandagriff was ready to exhale and unwind following his first collegiate start.
“It’s gonna be tough waking up for church tomorrow,” said Vandagriff. “Last night wasn’t the best night’s sleep, but that’s normal at this point. But obviously this is way past my bedtime, even on a normal night. It’ll be rough waking up for church, but we’ll be there.”
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