Georgia’s 13-12 victory over Kentucky can’t be considered just another game in the calendar year. It was an emotional, heart-pumping game and a reminder that some of the wars are not won in the cage. The Bulldogs may have left Lexington with a win on their backs. For Georgia’s head coach, Kirby Smart, the roller-coaster 60-minute ride against Kentucky was followed by an emotional exchange with two former players: Brock Vandagriff and Jamon Johnson.

“I love those kids; those kids were tremendous for our program,” Smart said in his post-game interview, visibly choking up. It brought memories to mind of the day when Brock visited him in his office, bristling with tears in his eyes and bidding to move on. “Brock did all kinds of things to help our team, scout team,” Smart continued.

A former high recruit of the Bulldogs, Brock Vandagriff, was struggling to even make the team behind Carson Beck. The decision to move to Kentucky University was out of the belief that he required playing minutes to prove himself. However, what would have been his move had not been an easy one to make and he had to leave Georgia. Yet, leaving Georgia wasn’t an easy decision for him. As Smart recalled, “He cried when he said he had to leave.”

During his post-game press conference, Smart was not shy and, at some point, came close to saying just how much Vandagriff had meant to the team, particularly in back-to-back national championships. “I don’t know if we win those championships without those guys on the roster,” Kirby said.

As a five-star recruit, Vandagriff appeared in 13 games for the Bulldogs. He completed 12/21 passes (165 yards and 2 TDs). Similarly, Johnson also made crucial plays for Georgia during their 2022 run to the national championship. Johnson posted 70 tackles and four sacks, helping the Dawgs go back-to-back as national champions.

Brock Vandagriff’s Kentucky debut: growing pains and flashes of promise

Not to be outdone by the Brock Lovefest, Carson Beck, the current holder of the title of QB1 in the state of Georgia, had something to say about it as well. “Awesome for him, proud of him. We had a pretty good game tonight, haven’t seen him forever,” Beck shared with reporters.  However, Vandagriff’s decision to Kentucky has not been a rosy ride, and this 2024 season has some prospects for the bowler. At the moment, he has passed for 313 total yards, scored 3 touchdowns, but also thrown for 2 interceptions with a QBR of 35. 6. 

In Kentucky’s first game of the season, Vandagriff threw for 169 yards, and the Wildcats cruised to an easy win with a score of 31-0 against Southern Miss. Though the next two games were a drag. Kentucky was beaten by South Carolina 31-6; Brock only threw for 30 yards. Against Georgia, he passed for 114 yards and put pressure on the Bulldogs the whole game. The Wildcats were close to causing this upset. It’s still early days for Brock Vandagriff in Kentucky. Nobody would predicted that the Bulldogs would struggle against Kentucky, but that’s the charm of college football. Even the ones sitting comfortably on the mountain can be brought down to earth in a matter of one game week.