He won his first five games as Kentucky’s starting quarterback before the wheels fell off a bit for junior college transfer Terry Wilson during the 20-14 overtime loss at Texas A&M.
Now he’ll try to bounce back Saturday after an open week and lead UK to a win over visiting Vanderbilt in the first Southeastern Conference game where the Cats have been favored to win this season.
He’s completed 75 of 113 passes for 703 yards and three touchdowns with five interceptions this year. He’s also ran 66 times for 304 yards and three scores. At A&M he was just 13 of 20 passing for 108 yards — but 54 yards came on a simple forward pitch to Lynn Bowden. He was way too indecisive at times but coach Mark Stoops insisted last week that he was convinced the reasons for Wilson’s struggles would be corrected.
His mother, Loise Wilson, was at the Texas A&M game. She’ll be back at Kroger Field Saturday night to watch him. She’s confident Kentucky fans will continue to be as supportive as what they have been since he arrived on campus in January.
“I love the way he is with fans, especially the younger kids, and how the fans have treated him,” said Loise Wilson. “He did a camp this past summer with high school, middle school quarterbacks and loved it. For the most part, you are going to have some people (fans) who are going to be indifferent no matter what. But the UK fans have shown the love for him and embraced him. They have just really, really been welcoming. He has the same heart for people and loves people, so it has been a good relationship.”
She remembers waiting for him after UK’s win over Mississippi State. She knew he was a “little dinged” from the beating he took when she saw a young fan stop him.
“The kid wanted a picture and autograph, so Terry stopped. He really enjoys that. I knew he would stop,” Loise Wilson said. “He wants the fans to know he is here doing this for them. It’s not just about him but the whole football program.”
The UK quarterback met his girlfriend, Kristen Yokiyama, the one year he was at Oregon. She is now an Oregon graduate and has moved to Lexington.
“She is a very bright, very sweet young lady. She is really smart,” Loise Wilson said. “Her dream was to study law but right now she is working. She’s been good for him. She even came from Oregon last year when he was playing junior college (in Kansas). He’s been on three teams in not much over a year and he’s pretty far from home (in Oklahoma). I think with her being in Lexington, he feels like he has a ‘little rock’ with him. I am glad she is there for him. She’s been with him when things were not always good. She’s been there in the low times. I know she has the same heart I have for him.
“Terry is not anti-social but he is not a big party guy. Never has been. In high school he would have a big game, win and he might go get a burger or something. But as far as hanging out, he never did do that. That’s just not Terry. That’s why right now he’s just consumed with football.”
If all goes well against Vanderbilt and then at Missouri, Kentucky will host Georgia with first place in the SEC Eastern Division at stake. A Kentucky win in that game along with wins over Vanderbilt and Missouri would put UK in position to play in the SEC title game in Atlanta.
Yet even Wilson’s mother at one time didn’t expect him to be at Kentucky after one year at Oregon before he transferred to Garden City Community College for a year. She calls it “divine intervention” that got her son to UK.
The family had plane reservations for a visit to Florida and then planned to maybe come to UK for a visit.
“But we talked to coach (Vince) Marrow and decided for some reason to go to Kentucky instead of Florida to visit,” Loise Wilson said. “The flights, reservations in Florida were made. But in less than 24 hour, we changed and decided to go to Kentucky. Terry just had a short window of time (to make visits). He wanted to sign by Dec. 20. He had been talking to (Florida) coach (Dan) Mullen a lot. It was just divine intervention that we didn’t go to Florida and I am so grateful because he is where he’s supposed to be now.
“We honestly had not talked about Kentucky that much until Terry just changed his mind about where we were going. I had talked to coach Marrow a few times. He was telling me about the program and I thought it sounds good but other schools were also calling. I am a very, very faithful person and I just believe things work out the way they are supposed to and that’s exactly what happened here.
“When we got to Kentucky for our visit, he was listening to everybody. He went to practice and watched workouts. They really wanted him and needed him. Even if he was not the starter, he saw a program that really wanted him and knew right then this place was special. He was lucky he got to reset his recruitment and go to a major, major program like this.”