South Alabama’s quarterback situation could be one of the bigger wrinkles Kentucky faces at Kroger Field this weekend.
The Jaguars have opened the year playing well enough to quiet some of the noise around Major Applewhite’s “hot seat season,” and they’re coming off a home win in a shootout after taking Tulane down to the wire in Week 2. But that victory over Ohio came without their top quarterback, Bishop Davenport, who was a surprise scratch.
Davenport took over as South Alabama’s QB1 in 2025 after Gio Lopez left for North Carolina in the spring portal window. The former Utah State transfer has a solid résumé: 16 career starts, 3,374 career passing yards, 854 non-sack rushing yards and 32 career touchdowns. Even so, he didn’t suit up Saturday.
After the game, Applewhite explained the decision this way:
“He had an injury that was lingering from the Tulane game. It’s getting a lot better, and he would’ve been able to play in some capacity tonight, but I didn’t want him thinking about it too much,” Applewhite said. “It’s just one of those situations where you should go out there and be worried about executing or worry about getting what’s bothering you better.”
In Davenport’s place, Jared Hollins got his first career start and handled it well enough. The third-year South Alabama quarterback from Semmes, Ala., Mary G.
Montgomery completed 13 of 20 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown in the win. He’s not the same rushing threat Davenport is, but he did connect on a 49-yard vertical throw and kept the offense moving efficiently.
That leaves Kentucky preparing for a situation it may not fully know until game time. The Wildcats have been strong against the pass over the last two weeks, bothering both Keelon Russell and Marcel Reed. Whether they end up facing Davenport or Hollins, the Cats may have to adjust on the fly - and South Alabama may not be eager to make that choice obvious.
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