Football Tim Letcher
The Wildcats also needed to pick up their offensive output after scoring a combined 13 points in their previous two games. Kentucky was looking for much more production against Vanderbilt.
Turns out that the Wildcats were able to do both in Saturday's 38-35 win.
The tributes to Schlarman were many. Kentucky wore "JS" stickers on their chrome helmets on Saturday. Starting left tackle Landon Young wore number 65, the number that Schlarman wore when he played at UK in the 1990s.
Then, on UK's first offensive play of the game, the Kentucky offensive line got into formation with a spot remaining unfilled at left guard in honor of Schlarman. After a delay of game penalty, which Vanderbilt declined, Kentucky sent Young onto the field with number 65 on his back.
The tributes would continue, in a different way, throughout the game. The Cats would use the Big Blue Wall that Schlarman built to rush the ball early and often against Vanderbilt. Kentucky carried the ball 35 times in the game for 308 yards, the second-highest total of the 2020 season for the Cats.
Young knew how important it was for the team to honor Schlarman with their play in Saturday's contest.
"We lost a member of our family. We lost our coach and someone who was a father figure to every offensive lineman that's come through this program," Young said. "One of the toughest, greatest men I've met in my life. Having the opportunity to wear his number was a blessing for me."
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops knew that the best way to honor Schlarman was to come out and play the game the way he would have, and to win.
"Obviously, it was extremely important for us to come away with a victory today," Stoops said. "As it's been well documented all week, it was extremely important for to us play well for Lee Anne (Schlarman), coach John Schlarman, his family, his kids, and was really proud of the team to get this victory."
Stoops acknowledged that this has been a very difficult week for his team.
"Wasn't easy. It was an emotional week," Stoops said. "Certainly very discouraging news this week with the passing of John. There was no getting around it that that was important to me and it was important to our team to win for them and to honor John and the man that he was, to continue his legacy."
Another way to honor Schlarman was to run the ball, and the Cats did exactly that on Saturday. Leading the way was junior running back Chris Rodriguez Jr., who had a career-high 149 yards on just 13 carries. That's an average of 11.5 yards per carry. Rodriguez also had two touchdowns, including a career-long 74-yard jaunt in the second half.
Rodriguez played well behind an offensive line he knew was hurting due to the loss of their leader.
"I feel like it was hard for those guys all week," Rodriguez said. "You could just see it in their face, they're really sad. But you could see it in their face today that they wanted to come out today and honor him."
Not to be outdone, quarterback Terry Wilson had a solid all-around game for the Cats on Saturday. Wilson hit on 13 of 15 through the air for 110 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed seven times for 83 yards, an average of 11.9 yards per carry, and a touchdown. Wilson gave much of the credit to Schlarman and the offensive line.
"Coach Schlarman would want those guys to go out there and do what they do," Wilson said. "That's the guy Coach Schlarman was. (The offensive line) executed and did what they are supposed to do."
Kentucky has enjoyed quite a bit of recent success and much of that is due to the offensive line that Schlarman built. The Big Blue Wall led Kentucky to a 10-3 mark in 2018 and four straight bowl appearances.
"We've been able to change this program and a lot of that is due to him," Young said. "He left a great legacy. He's definitely looking down on us."
And on Saturday, the players he coached for so long did exactly what Schlarman would have wanted them to do. They dominated the line of scrimmage and led the Cats to a victory.
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