Kentucky football: Mark Stoops discusses delays in 2024 opener
Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops talks about the initial 2-hour delay and the delay that took them to Sunday against Southern Miss at Kroger Field.
LEXINGTON — Kentucky football had to wait just a bit longer to begin its 2024 season.
UK’s opener against Southern Miss initially was slated to kick off at 7:45 p.m. at Kroger Field. But inclement weather in the area forced the game into a delay. The delay, caused by lightning, pushed back kickoff more than two hours beyond the originally scheduled time. Per NCAA rules, if lightning is detected “within 8 miles of (a) facility, all play or practice is suspended and all persons (players, coaches, officials, and fans) are directed to seek shelter. Athletic activities are not resumed until at least 30 minutes after the last cloud-to-ground lightning is detected within the 15-mile radius.”
At approximately 7:45 p.m., Southern Miss players took the field for pregame warmups. UK’s kickers and snappers followed shortly after. At one point, the official UK Athletics account posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that Saturday’s game would kick off at 8:15 p.m. But more lightning strikes in the area once again sent the teams back into the locker room.
At 9:36 p.m., UK Athletics announced the teams would retake the field at 9:40 p.m.
“Updated planned kickoff time: 10:05 p.m. Teams will have full use of the field for warmups, there will be a coin toss and kickoff,” UK Athletics posted on X.
The game indeed began, as scheduled, at 10:05 p.m.
Mother Nature played a role before the teams even took the field for pregame warmups.
Kentucky’s pregame Cat Walk moved indoors because of lightning. The Wildcats’ team arrival also was closed to the public. Gates didn’t even open to spectators until approximately 7:05 p.m.
The matchup with the Golden Eagles is a highly anticipated one for the Wildcats, as quarterback Brock Vandagriff (a transfer from Georgia) and offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan will make their program debuts tonight.
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops also wants to wash away memories of the last meeting with Southern Miss in Lexington: After the hosts jumped to a 35-10 lead in the second quarter, the visitors rallied to stun the Wildcats, 44-35, in the 2016 opener.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
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Publish date : 2024-08-31 12:25:00
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