LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Last season, the University of Kentucky football team enjoyed a three-game runway before launching itself into the most desirable Southeastern Conference start imaginable: a game against Vanderbilt.
That's not how life will unfold for the Wildcats and coach Mark Stoops in his 12th season in Lexington. UK gets Southern Miss for its opener and then moves directly into SEC play with home games against South Carolina and top-ranked Georgia.
Will that translate into less experimentation and more focus against the lowly Golden Eagles, who are 16-31 over the last four seasons?
Tune in Saturday night.
The Time: Saturday, 7:55 p.m.; Kroger Field, Lexington, Kentucky.
How to Watch/Listen: TV — SEC Network (Tom Hart, play by play; Jordan Rodgers, analyst; Cole Cubelic, sidelines); Radio — UK Sports Network 840 WHAS Louisville (Tom Leach, play by play; Jeff Piecoro, analyst; Dick Gabriel, sidelines).
The Line:Â Kentucky favored by 28 points; Over/under total points scored: 50.
The Last Time: The Wildcats opened their 2017 season with a 24-17 win in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
The Series: UK leads, 3-1, with the Golden Eagles scoring their only win (44-35) in the 2016 season opener in Lexington.
The Records: It's the first game for both clubs. UK finished last season 7-6 after losing the Gator Bowl to Clemson. Southern Miss, a member of the Sun Belt Conference, finished 3-9, which was the program's third three-win season in the last four years.
Player to Watch for Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles have tried to play the ol' Guess the Quarterback game, but insiders are convinced that former Florida State backup Tate Rodemaker will get the start.
Rodemaker started two November games for the Seminoles after Jordan Travis was injured, but then he got hurt, too, and was unavailable for FSU's Atlantic Coast Conference title game against Louisville or the team's bowl loss to Georgia.
Rather than stay and fight for the job, Rodemaker bolted to Hattiesburg. He completed only 57% of his throws last season but did not have an interception in 56 attempts, He is a fifth-year player.
Player to Watch for Kentucky: The Wildcats also habe a quarterback with something to prove: Brock Vandagriff, a transfer from Georgia.
A five-star prospect as high school player, Vandagriff was stuck behind Stetson Bennett and Carson Beck during his three seasons in Athens. Rather than remain behind Beck in another chase for a national title this season, Vandagriff chose to follow the path of Will Levis (Penn State) and Devin Leary (North Carolina State) and transfer into a guaranteed opportunity in Lexington.
At 6 feet, 3 inches tall and 217 pounds, Vandagriff is considered a solid drop back thrower who completed nearly 71% of his throws as a high school senior and 67% last season at Georgia.
Sideline Storylines:
- Kentucky has won its last 16 regular-season non-conference games.
- Nine starters return on a Kentucky defense that ranked second in the SEC in rushing defense and seventh in total defense.
- According to UK, 16 players have experienced "significant action," over the last two seasons either with the Wildcats or another FBS program.
- Receiver Barion Brown returned a kickoff for a touchdown in UK's 2022 and 2023 season openers.
- This will be the first game for UK offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan, who arrived from Boise State.
- UK's offensive line features players who have started 143 games at the FBS level.
- Southern Miss has lost eight straight games against SEC programs. The Golden Eagles' last win over an SEC opponent came against UK in 2016. Prior to that win, Southern Miss lost 16 straight to SEC programs.
- Southern Miss coach Will Wall has a career record of 13-24 in Hattiesburg.
The Quote: Southern Miss coach Will Hall, discussing the challenge of opening the season on the road against an SEC opponent:
“We are probably in the top 5-10% of roster carryover in the country, so the majority of the team that will travel to Kentucky understands our culture and understands what it takes. A lot of those kids at one point in their lives have played in SEC venues, so I don't think our kids will be in awe of that by any means.
"We are going to have respect for that but we are not going to be in awe of that. We understand, at the end of the day, it's football. It's like the movie 'Hoosiers.' They throw that thing up there and drop it down, the rim is 10-feet tall, no matter where you play basketball. This is football on turf and our kids are going to play football, and we're looking forward to it."
The Pick: Kentucky 38, Southern Miss 10.
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