In a game that started in August and ended in September, the Golden Eagles were shut out 31-0 in the season opener against Kentucky. The game was suspended due to lightning with about 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Southern Miss (0-1) endured a two-hour, 20-minute rain delay before the game began and took the field for an accelerated warm-up period. The wait was not worth it, as they suffered the second shutout of the Will Hall era, the first since 2021 when they lost 34-0 to UAB.
Here was the release by the SEC:
“By mutual agreement of the participating institutions as permitted by NCAA rules, tonight’s game between Kentucky and Southern Miss has been terminated and is considered a complete game with a final score of 31-0 in favor of Kentucky. All statistics in the game are considered final and complete.”
Kentucky (1-0) elected to receive the ball first and drove straight down the field into the red zone against the Southern Miss defense. However, they didn’t break, as Ja’len Sims tipped a pass from Kentucky starting quarterback Brock Vandagriff, leading to Dylan Lawrence’s first interception of the year.
After weeks of speculation, the starting quarterback job was finally answered when Tate Rodemaker took the field for the Golden Eagles’ first possession. He immediately connected with Dannis Jackson for a 29-yard gain.
On the next play, a Wildcat tipped the ball, and Jamon Dumas-Johnson intercepted Rodemaker.
That turnover sparked the Wildcats’ first scoring drive, as Vandagriff led his team 59 yards in 10 plays, culminating in a 12-yard touchdown pass to Barion Brown, putting the Wildcats ahead 7-0.
Southern Miss responded with a promising drive. Rodemaker found Kyirin Heath for a 34-yard completion on third-and-18 from their own 9-yard line. Later, on third-and-8, Rodemaker connected with Davis Dalton for a 21-yard completion, setting Southern Miss up in the red zone.
However, on the next third down, Rodemaker’s pass was tipped in the end zone on a poor read and intercepted. That play seemed to shift the momentum entirely in Kentucky’s favor.
Kentucky put together back-to-back scoring drives after the teams traded three-and-outs. The first drive ended with a 41-yard field goal from Alex Raynor, and the second with a 1-yard touchdown run from Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, extending the Wildcats’ lead to 17-0.
Just before the end of the half, the Golden Eagles attempted a fake punt on their own 31-yard line, which failed.
Kentucky capitalized on the short field, with Vandagriff throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass to Brown, putting the Wildcats up 24-0 at halftime.
The Golden Eagles had a net rushing total of just five yards at halftime, two turnovers, and too many miscues to stay competitive against an opponent of Kentucky’s caliber. These mistakes included a dropped pick-six by Ques McNeil and a shanked punt by Bryce Lofton, setting up one of Kentucky’s scoring drives.
Southern Miss received the ball to start the second half and managed to move it down the field but had to punt after a costly penalty stalled the drive past midfield.
Kentucky delivered the final blow on their next drive, easily moving down the field with a seven-play, 84-yard drive, capped off with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Vandagriff to Jordan Dingle, giving the Wildcats a commanding 31-0 lead.
After that drive, the game entered another lightning delay around midnight Eastern time, with 9:56 left in the third quarter. After about 45 minutes, Southern Miss and Kentucky agreed to suspend the game and keep the stats and score, awarding Kentucky the victory.
Rodemaker finished the game 13-for-19 with 126 yards and two interceptions. Southern Miss recorded just five rushing yards, with Ethan Crawford accounting for the most on the ground.
Lawrence had an interception on Kentucky’s first drive of the game and led Southern Miss with six tackles.
Jackson led the Golden Eagles in receiving with 42 yards on three catches, followed by Heath with 34 yards on one reception.
The Golden Eagles fall to 0-1 and are now 1-3 in season-opening games under Hall. They will be at home next weekend to host Southeastern Louisiana (0-1).
