LEXINGTON, Ky. -- In one of the most unusual season openers in program history, Kentucky had to outlast both Mother Nature and Southern Miss on Saturday night at Kroger Field.
Kickoff was delayed for two hours and 10 minutes after frequent lightning strikes in the area kept the teams and fans anxiously waiting for their first taste of college football this season. The game was ultimately suspended just before midnight as another lightning strike drove the teams off the field with Kentucky leading 31-0.
The teams mutually agreed under NCAA rules that the game was complete with 9:56 remaining in the third quarter. All statistics are considered complete and final.
"A very strange situation there," Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said. "I've been here 12 years and never been through the delays like that. I was proud of our team... the players handling that and coming out and playing relatively clean.
"Overall, just pleased with the operation."
Kentucky (1-0) got a strong showing from its new quarterback, junior transfer Brock Vandagriff, who completed 12 of 18 passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns with a tipped-ball interception. He also rushed for 35 yards on five carries.
"Brock, I thought, did a super job managing the game for a guy playing his first time starting like that in our stadium," Stoops said. "... 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. We hit some shots down the field as we were getting more plays."
Junior receiver Barion Brown caught four passes for 28 yards and two touchdowns, the first on a 12-yard pass in the opening quarter and the second coming on an end-around-type short pitch forward from Vandagriff for another 12-yard score just before halftime.
The Wildcats also got a touchdown run from Demie Sumo-Karngbaye and a touchdown catch from tight end Jordan Dingle to go along with a 41-yard field goal by Alex Raynor to round out the scoring.
In its first game under new offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan, Kentucky amassed 317 total yards in just over one half. That featured Hamdan's trademark balance, 169 through the air and 148 on the ground.
The UK defense held Southern Miss (0-1) to 131 total yards and picked off two passes. Linebacker Pop Dumas-Johnson and cornerback JQ Hardaway each had interceptions.
"It was kind of déjà vu," Dumas-Johnson said. "My freshman year at Georgia, my second play of the game, I had an interception."
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In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...
KEY MOMENT:
Kentucky turned the ball over after driving deep into Southern Miss territory to open the game. The Cats didn't have time to hang their heads, however, as transfer linebacker Pop Dumas-Johnson picked off a Golden Eagle pass two plays later to give UK possession at almost the same location it had turned it over. The Cats' defense came up with another turnover on USM's second possession, this time an end-zone pick by cornerback JQ Hardaway off a deflection by linebacker D'Eryk Jackson that denied the visitors a chance to tie the game.
GAME BALL:
Brock Vandagriff, Kentucky -- Making his first collegiate start, the former five-star recruit showed glimpses of why he was so highly regarded in the Class of 2021. He completed 67% of his pass attempts and connected on three touchdown strikes while spreading the ball around to five different targets. He also showed the ability to keep plays alive with his legs, either scrambling for nice gains or buying time for his receivers to come open. It was a fantastic start to his UK career.
BY THE NUMBERS:
3-for-3 - Kentucky junior wide receiver/return specialist Barion Brown has scored at least one touchdown in each of his season openers with the Wildcats. He is the first UK player to accomplish that since Marc Logan from 1984-86.
5 - Rushing yards for Southern Miss, the lowest output by a UK opponent since UT Martin was held to minus-12 in 2019.
8-3 - Kentucky's record under Mark Stoops in season openers.
42 - Offensive plays run for UK in little more than one half. The Cats averaged just 55 plays per game last season, which ranked dead last in Division I football.
2009 - The Wildcats' last shutout in a season opener, a 42-0 win over Miami of Ohio in Cincinnati. The last home opener shutout came in 1993, a 35-0 win over Kent State.
61,627 - Attendance at Kroger Field.
QUOTABLE:
"You guys also heard me talk a lot in the off-season about just getting plays, getting in a rhythm. I think you saw a glimpse of that today and we were certainly getting in good rhythm." -- UK head coach Mark Stoops on the improved tempo from the Cats.
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action next Saturday at Kroger Field in a crucial early SEC matchup with South Carolina. The Gamecocks (1-0) opened the season with a 23-19 win over Old Dominion on Saturday in Columbia, S.C. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
