Three things to be happy and worried about before Kentucky football’s SEC opener

With one game down — though a weather-shortened one — and the SEC opener coming Saturday against South Carolina, here are three things for Kentucky fans to be pleased about and three things to be worried about.

Three to be pleased about:

1. Brock Vandagriff’s mobility

Back in 2022, then UK offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello frowned upon the idea of quarterback Will Levis running with the football. Never mind that Levis was a running QB at Penn State and an effective, if sometimes reckless, runner his first year at Kentucky under then coordinator Liam Coen. Devin Leary, the Cats’ starting quarterback last season, was a pocket passer. A pure pocket passer.

If last week’s 31-0 win over Southern Miss is any indication, that’s not going to be a problem with Brock Vandagriff. The Georgia transfer showed he’s not afraid to tuck-and-run and is certainly not afraid to take a hit. And as head coach Mark Stoops remarked Monday, “I thought his pocket presence was very good.”

At his introductory press conference, new player-caller Bush Hamdan said he wanted his quarterback to pick up at least two first downs with his legs. Vandagriff can be the man for that plan.

2. Disciplined offense

You know how openers are supposed to go. They’re supposed to be sloppy affairs with plenty of yellow laundry on the field.

With Hamdan harping on eliminating pre-snap penalties during training camp, the Cats did not commit a single false start, however. True, the game lasted just 34 minutes, instead of the full 60. Stoops had to burn a couple of timeouts, but that was something he was prepared to do. “I wasn’t panicking about that,” he said.

3. Defense forced turnovers

Brad White’s defense came up with 18 turnovers a year ago. Good. Not great.

Kentucky picked off Southern Miss passes on back-to-back possessions last Saturday. Georgia transfer Jamon Dumas-Johnson intercepted a pass on Southern Miss’s second play. Next USM possession, UK linebacker D’Eryk Jackson tipped a ball that ended up in the arms of teammate JQ Hardaway for a touchback.

Surprisingly enough, Stoops’ teams have succeeded despite an average ranking of 68th nationally in turnover margin. The Cats were 81st last season after finishing 87th the year before. They’ll need to be higher this season.

Three to be worried about:

1. Kentucky did not play a full game Saturday

On one hand, with the victory all but clinched, UK did not have to put anything more on tape for South Carolina after the game was called with 9:56 left in the third quarter. On the other hand, with the victory all but clinched, UK did would have liked more on the teaching tape for its young players.

The SEC can be a slog of a season. Those non-conference “guarantee” games are there for backups to acquire reps and freshmen to acquire experience. You never know when they might be needed.

2. South Carolina can rush the passer

The Gamecocks had to pull out a 23-19 opening-game win over visiting Old Dominion. A late ODU fumble to set up the go-ahead touchdown for Shane Beamer’s club.. New quarterback LaNorris Sellers struggled in the passing game.

Still, the Gamecocks got after the quarterback. Really got after the quarterback. Beamer’s defense recorded five sacks, all in the first half. It was also a Gamecocks defensive lineman who punched the ball loose from the ODU quarterback on the game’s key play.

That lineman was Dylan Stewart, a five-star true freshman edge rusher from Washington, D.C. Stewart recorded 1.5 sacks in his collegiate debut. Georgia Tech transfer Kyle Kennard registered 2.5 sacks, which ranks fourth in the nation after Week 1 games.

3. The schedule doesn’t look any easier

Don’t be fooled by the fact that the SEC lost three of its four marquee games over the weekend. LSU lost to USC and Texas A&M lost to Notre Dame, but Kentucky doesn’t play either the Tigers or the Aggies this season. Florida was manhandled by Miami, but UK’s game with the Gators is in Gainesville. And it’s a month away.

Meanwhile, Ole Miss put 76 points on Furman; Auburn 73 on Alabama A&M; Tennessee 69 on Chattanooga; Texas 52 on Colorado State. Kentucky plays all four of those winners — with three (Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas) coming on the road.

Plus, Vanderbilt upset Virginia Tech 34-27 in Nashville last Saturday. Yes, Vanderbilt. Against a Virginia Tech team that was 27th in the AP preseason poll. Could the Commodores actually be good? Guess we’ll find out Oct. 12 when Clark Lea’s team comes to Kroger Field.

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