UK may not have a QB controversy, but Brock Vandagriff and Gavin Wimsatt will both play

Yes, Kentucky football quarterback Brock Vandagriff struggled so much in the Wildcats’ loss to South Carolina that coaches had little choice but to bench him for the fourth quarter.

No, Kentucky does not yet have a quarterback controversy.

“Brock, we saw him play a complete game in game one, and we saw the way he’s capable of playing,” UK coach Mark Stoops said. “We did not have a good game on Saturday. That is not all on Brock.

“We didn’t give him a chance half the time, let’s be honest. So, you can’t put that on him.”

Vandagriff’s numbers against South Carolina were not pretty.

He completed just 3 of 10 passes for 30 yards with one interception that was returned for a touchdown. Vandagriff was sacked four times.

The porous pass protection can be blamed for much of the struggles, but Vandagriff appeared to be affected by the frequent hits even when he did have time to find an open receiver. Even in his strong showing against Southern Miss in the weather-shortened opener, Vandagriff showed a worrisome frequency to lock in on receivers.

He threw one interception in the opener and another pass that should have been intercepted and returned for a touchdown if the Southern Miss defender had not dropped it. Against South Carolina, Vandagriff could have finished with at least one more interception.

Backup Gavin Wimsatt was no more effective as a passer during the fourth quarter, completing just 3 of 7 throws for 14 yards and one interception, but he was more effective as a runner with six carries for 44 yards. Even before Vandagriff was benched, Kentucky used Wimsatt on multiple “wildcat formation” plays where Vandagriff stayed in the game but split out wide.

“We really think Gavin got in there and provided a lot in the time he got in,” Hamdan said. “I thought he made two, three good runs, explosive runs.

“We love to have the two of them out there so we don’t get Brock out of rhythm. That’s certainly the plan. But again, just with the current situation right now, with what you’re looking at with Demie (Sumo-Karngbaye) taking most of the (running back) reps and freshmen as the backups who haven’t played, Gavin’s a guy that’s rushed for over 100 yards versus very good teams in the Big Ten, and we’ve got to utilize that.”

Wimsatt, a former Owensboro High School star who transferred to UK from Rutgers in the spring, has completed just 46.5% of his passes in 26 college games but has rushed for 672 yards and 11 touchdowns.

His only 100-yard rushing performance at Rutgers came last season against a three-win Indiana team, but he also rushed for 87 yards and one touchdown in a win over Virginia Tech, 49 yards in a loss to Ohio State and 48 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Maryland.

Kentucky fans have a complicated history with the “wildcat formation,” having seemingly soured on it since former offensive coordinator Neal Brown used it to great success with Jojo Kemp early in Stoops’ tenure, but Wimsatt’s version of the “wildcat” could offer a bigger return since he is at least a threat to pass as well.

Against South Carolina, Wimsatt recorded a 2-yard gain on a second-and-5 “wildcat” carry on Kentucky’s first drive. He also handed off to wide receiver Anthony Brown-Stephens for an 8-yard gain on a second-and-10 jet sweep out of the formation.

“Definitely different,” Wimsatt said of his UK role after starting at quarterback for Rutgers last season. “I think that’s probably the biggest thing, just coming in, getting used to it. But getting more, I guess, comfortable in that position where I have to be ready, but also I’m working like I’m the starter.

“I just know, like any point I could go out there. One play away, so just try to stay ready.”

The problem with using both Wimsatt and Vandagriff behind center is Vandagriff clearly needs game reps. Against South Carolina, he looked like a quarterback making his first SEC start who had not played a significant snap in more than three years.

“There’s never any perfect scenarios there,” Hamdan said.

Facing his former teammates with No. 1 Georgia this week does not look like a scenario where Vandagriff will be able to build much momentum and work out evident rust. If the offensive line protects him well enough to stay healthy — coaches and Vandagriff acknowledged after the South Carolina game he had tweaked his shoulder on a Week 1 hit — he should have an opportunity to do that next week against Ohio.

Another difficult test follows in the first road trip of the season at No. 5 Ole Miss before UK’s first bye week.

Kentucky returns from the bye week on Oct. 12 for the start of a three-game stretch against Vanderbilt, Florida and Auburn that seems likely to determine if UK extends its bowl streak. By then, Stoops and Hamdan will need to know if Vandagriff looks capable of leading an effective offense.

If at any point it appears going with a Lynn Bowden-type offense with Wimsatt at quarterback is the best path to bowl eligibility, Stoops will have to weigh the immediate need against the risk that returning to a one-dimensional attack would lead to a transfer portal exodus among skill position players and more trouble recruiting offensive talent moving forward. Perhaps freshman quarterback Cutter Boley would be an option by that point.

Those are decisions for the future though. For now, Vandagriff is the unquestioned starter and needs to bounce back from the South Carolina debacle.

“It’s gonna be a weekly thing,” Vandagriff said. “Sit down on Sundays and and say, ‘Hey, this way you did good, this way you did bad.’ Highlight the things you did bad and get better at those.”

Saturday

No. 1 Georgia at Kentucky

When: 7:30 p.m.

TV: ABC

Records: Kentucky 1-1 (0-1 SEC), Georgia 2-0 (0-0)

Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1

Series: Georgia leads 63-12-2

Last meeting: Georgia won 51-13 on Oct. 7, 2023, in Athens, Ga.

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