Live. Breathe. Blue. Kentucky Wildcats Football - Hard Hats Required by Dr. John Huang

I went to a construction site, and a Kentucky-Vanderbilt football game broke out.

For the record, Kentucky beat the Commodores 45 – 28, aided by two interception returns for touchdowns—both by sophomore cornerback Maxwell Hairston. Ray Davis—in his triumphant return to Music City—rushed 17 times for 78 yards and powered his way across the goal line for two additional scores.

The game wasn’t really as close as the final score indicated. The Wildcats dominated both sides of the ball all afternoon except for a short blip around the middle of the contest where they inexplicably forgot how to play football. Dropped passes, boneheaded penalties, an O-line in progress, and an inefficient running attack continue to plague head coach Mark Stoops and what may be the worst 4 – 0 team in college football.

Outside the lines of the playing field, however, the big story surrounding the victory had to be the ongoing construction around Vanderbilt’s stadium. Huge cranes, towering steel girders, gravel pits, and miles of fencing surely wouldn’t dull the enthusiasm of the thousands of Big Blue fans making the trip down I-65. Or would it? This particular road trip certainly had the potential for chaos—and wherever chaos occurs, I didn’t want to miss out.

Arriving in my pre-arranged parking spot off of West End Avenue, I immediately knew I was in for a real treat. Joining the throngs exiting the garage, we could see the stadium just to our left—only a couple of hundred feet away. Unfortunately, security directed us in the opposite direction.

It turns out that to enter the stadium securely, you had to pass through Memorial Gym, the Vanderbilt basketball facility. And I’m not talking about just a small section of facility either. They directed us through the entire entrails—concourses, stairwells, concession stands, bathrooms, and even an occasional stroll past the “Memorial Magic” playing surface.

Out of breath after the marathon hike, we finally found ourselves officially inside FirstBank Stadium. Since both endzones are undergoing massive renovations as part of the university’s $300 million “Vandy United Project,” I knew it’d be a challenge navigating from one sideline to another. As luck would have it, my seat was in the media press box, located on the opposite side of the field. No way was I traipsing through dirt and gravel while dodging falling debris and inhaling jackhammer dust. At least not without hazard pay.

In situations like this, it’s best to just walk around like you own the place. I did just that, flashing my media credential while crossing the playing surface directly through all the pregame warmup drills. Safely on the opposite concourse, it was on to the elevators and smooth sailing up to press row.

Thankfully inside the press box, it was business as usual. Shoutout to the Vanderbilt Media relations crew for their hospitality under less-than-ideal circumstances. The guy making the ham and cheese omelets was my definite MVP.

After the final horn sounded, it was the usual mad rush to the postgame press conferences. Like salmon swimming upstream, our media group threaded our way through the maze of construction clutter, clueless attendants, and temporary alleyways at the back of the stadium. Passing the infamous visiting locker room tent, we finally landed at the makeshift trailer housing the visiting team’s presser.

“I told [the team] what the situation was, that we were going to be in temporary lockers, that things were torn down, that it was going to be a different stadium with all the construction they had going on,” Stoops explained to media inside the cramped and stuffy quarters. “And our guys didn’t blink. They went into that structure over there and they came out and we started really hot. Playing at eleven [o’clock], and being on the road, and driving three and a half hours is not always a lot of fun.”

I couldn’t disagree more. It was a heckuva lot of fun for everyone who made the trip. It’s not often you get to experience the mass chaos of an active construction zone while celebrating a big conference win. In fact, to heck with Rupp Arena. Let’s keep Memorial Coliseum open for Women’s basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics during its ongoing facelift this year. If Vanderbilt can pull it off for its multi-million-dollar football remodel, Kentucky should find a way to do it too.

Pass out the hardhats. The Football Cats are 4 – 0.

Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. He currently serves as a reporter and sports columnist for Nolan Group Media. He is the author/coauthor of four books, Cut To The Chase, Kentucky Passion, From The Rafters Of Rupp, and Serving Up Winners. His latest book, They Call Me Mr. Secretary, is scheduled for a fall release. You can follow Dr. Huang on social media @KYHuangs.