LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Starting a game with a penalty is not typically a harbinger of good things to come from a football team.
In Kentucky's case Saturday, however, it was symbolic of everything the Wildcats were playing for against Vanderbilt.
Taking the field only two days after former UK star and beloved offensive line coach John Schlarman passed away from a two-year battle with cancer, the Cats lined up with an empty spot at his old position, left guard, for their first possession of the game and intentionally took a delay of game penalty before sending senior offensive lineman Landon Young onto the field wearing Schlarman's old No. 65 jersey.
The emotional start culminated with a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive to open the game, and Kentucky never looked back in a 38-35 win over the Commodores.
Kentucky (3-4) rolled up 458 yards in total offense, including 308 on the ground in honor of their fallen coach. The Cats scored on their first five offensive possessions of the game.
Sophomore running back Chris Rodriguez set a new career high with 149 yards rushing, and the UK offensive line did not allow a negative-yardage play or a quarterback hit behind the line of scrimmage the entire game.
"You could see it in their faces that they were just really sad," Rodriguez said of his offensive line the last two days at practice. "But today, you saw in their faces that they wanted to come out and play and win for (Schlarman)."
Said Young: "We lost a member of our family... We lost our coach and someone who was a father figure to every single offensive lineman to come through this program, so we were going to try to honor him any way we can just because of the impact and the influence he had on all of our lives.
"He was one of the toughest, greatest men I ever had the chance to meet in my life, and we left a spot out there for him because we were missing one of our Wildcats today."
Fighting back tears, Young relayed one of the final conversations he had with Schlarman. He said his old coach, with whom he had formed a relationship as a promising freshman at Lafayette High School, told him he was proud of his unit's performance in the Georgia game and that he was sorry he couldn't be with the team.
"For a man that was going through everything that he was, for him to say sorry for not being there, it hits hard," Young said. "The man gave everything that he had to this game, and I couldn't ask for a better coach to spend my last eight years with."
Young called wearing No. 65 "a blessing" on Saturday. "I was going to go out there and play my game and lead anyways, but I was able to do it for a little extra reason today, having that number on me."
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said it was not perfect day for his team, who uncharacteristically surrendered 408 yards and five touchdowns to an 0-6 Vanderbilt squad that entered the game averaging 12.8 points per game, but one that just had to end with the Cats on top.
"Obviously, it was extremely important for us to come away with a victory today," Stoops said. "It was important for us to play well for LeeAnne (Schlarman), for coach John Schlarman, for his family, for his kids. I was really proud of the team to get this victory. It wasn't easy. It was an emotional week."
The game also saw the return of Terry Wilson to the UK offense.The senior quarterback responded by completing 13 of 15 passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 83 yards and a score.
Vanderbilt stormed back from a 17-point deficit with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives to trim the lead to three but could not successfully execute an onside kick with 30 seconds remaining for a shot to pull the upset.
The Commodores were led by freshman quarterback Ken Seals with 225 yards and two touchdown passes. Sophomore running back Keyon Henry-Brooks added 121 yards rushing.
*****
WHAT WE LIKED:
Kentucky had to win this game today. It was not optional. Although it got a little too close for comfort late in the fourth quarter, the Cats ultimately got the feel-good W they were seeking to honor John Schlarman. UK also got the opportunity to go really deep down the depth chart and get some important snaps for a lot of young players, including the debut of freshman quarterback Beau Allen.
GAME BALL:
The Kentucky O-Line. It would be hard to give it to just one guy, so we'll let the entire unit share this one in honor of their fallen coach. It was particularly nice to see reserves like Austin Dotson and Quintin Wilson step up with both starting guards -- Kenneth Horsey and Luke Fortner -- unavailable for almost the entire game. They stepped up and played well, just like Schlarman would love to see.
KEY STAT:
The Cats averaged 8.8 yards per rushing attempt. Four different players had at least one explosive run of 15 yards or more.
QUOTABLE:
"It was hard to play today, but the last thing (John Schlarman) would have wanted was for us to be feeling sorry for ourselves." -- UK offensive tackle Landon Young
UP NEXT:
Kentucky is slated to travel to Alabama (6-0) next week for a matchup with the No. 1 Crimson Tide. That game may be up in the air, however, as the SEC attempts to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic. The league sent a memo on Friday noting that upcoming games and opponents could be shuffled five days in advance of the matchup, and Alabama's matchup with LSU that was postponed today needs a new date. Stay tuned.
