Terry Wilson's Kentucky football story isn't finished yet: 'I respect the way he responded'

LEXINGTON – The future is on hold for the Kentucky football offense. At least for now.

After missing the Georgia game with a wrist injury shortly after coach Mark Stoops opened the quarterback starting job for competition, Terry Wilson’s time as the Kentucky quarterback appeared to be nearing an end.

While highly touted Auburn transfer Joey Gatewood fared no better than Wilson had in recent weeks in his first career start against Georgia, the ability to find experience for Gatewood and freshman quarterback Beau Allen in preparation for 2021 seemed a logical goal with Kentucky’s only hopes of finishing at .500 this season resting on upsetting top-five teams Alabama and Florida on the road.

Kentucky’s off week was generally thought to be the obvious transition point from the Wilson era to the Gatewood or Allen one. But when the Wildcats took the field for the opening drive against Vanderbilt Saturday, it was Wilson behind center again.

“I'm proud of him and the way he responded, because that position is different,” Stoops said after the 38-35 win. “Let's just be honest, it is. There is so much scrutiny, pressure on that position, and you have to play well at that position to be successful.

“… There are times (the criticism) is deserving and there are times that it's not. But he didn't look for an opportunity to run and hide. He took that criticism, took the coaching, and he got better. I really respect the way he responded and the way he came back and play.”

More:Kentucky offensive line honors John Schlarman with dominant performance vs. Vanderbilt

While the debate about Kentucky’s best strategy for the future remains open, Wilson made a clear argument that he remains the best option for the present with one of his most efficient performances against the Commodores.

Wilson completed 13 of 15 passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns. He added 83 rushing yards and one touchdown on seven carries.

He provided one of the best plays of the game with a 27-yard scramble to convert a third-and-26 play that set up what ended up being an essential field goal just before halftime. Gatewood and Allen might be better passers than Wilson, but neither brings that type of elusiveness to an offense that needs all the big-play sources it can get.

“With my wrist, it’s kind of limited me,” Wilson said. “I couldn’t throw, so I had to sit out a couple practices. But once that started to get better and get back in the groove of things, just looking at things we can improve on and things I can do better to be able to go out and win a football game and continue to win football games. Locking down on what we have to do and what I have to do, to help the team.”

Stoops told the SEC Network crew before the game he hoped to get both Gatewood and Allen into the game, but Kentucky’s defensive struggles and Wilson’s stellar play prevented him from finding an opportunity until midway through the fourth quarter with Kentucky up by 17.

Even then, Stoops’ decision to pull his starters in order for Allen to make his debut almost backfired.

Stoops wanted Allen to run the normal offense instead of simply handing the ball off to a running back to grind down the clock. Allen responded with back-to-back completions to freshman wide receiver Mike Drennen and sophomore tight end Keaton Upshaw for 34 total yards, but his third pass on a deep ball was well short to an open Isaiah Epps for a possible touchdown and his fourth pass was batted down at the line of scrimmage.

Kentucky eventually punted, and Vanderbilt responded with a seven-play touchdown drive to pull within 10 points.

Gatewood took over the offense for the next drive but did not attempt a pass during a three-and-out. Vanderbilt scored another touchdown on its next drive to pull within three points.

Thankfully for Kentucky, wide receiver Josh Ali recovered the ensuing onside kick to prevent Vanderbilt from attempting a possible game-winning Hail Mary, but the risk of relying on the young offensive players without Wilson and the other starters had already been made clear.

“I felt like it was important for our program, important to give Beau some reps and throw the ball around a little bit,” Stoops said. “We're not in that opportunity too many times. Certainly, I didn't want to get it that close and probably would've been crucified had they got that on-side kick and come back. Again, I want to continue to push the program forward, so I did feel like the game was in control.”

Also:What we learned from Kentucky footballs 38-35 win over Vanderbilt

The Southeastern Conference’s football schedule is in flux following a weekend of COVID-19 postponements. It is possible the order of Kentucky’s final three games will change, but the daunting trips to Alabama and Florida will remain, as will a home game against South Carolina.

Kentucky’s odds of winning the two road games remain small, but Wilson performing like he did against a winless Vanderbilt team offers the best hope.

In a season where players are being asked to make personal sacrifices to adhere to the coronavirus protocols, the importance of Stoops showing his locker room he is still trying to win games now cannot be overstated. That means staying loyal to Wilson and other veteran contributors.

Gatewood and Allen remain the future of Kentucky’s offense, but Wilson showed Saturday his Kentucky story is not quite finished yet.

“I thought he played very well and he was very efficient,” Stoops said. “… Now, we expect him to do that every week. That's the standard which we need him to play at and that is across the board.”

Email Jon Hale at jahale@courier-journal.com; Follow him on Twitter at @JonHale_CJ.