It wasn’t an easy week for Kentucky.

The death of offensive line coach John Schlarman was the most notable situation and the one that likely exacted the greatest emotional toll on those around the program. But there were other issues in play, too.

The ‘Cats were down 2 other offensive staff members for much of the week. All-American punter Max Duffy and starting kicker Matt Ruffolo were both missing in action. When questioned about their situation, head coach Mark Stoops would only say, “You could probably read between the lines.”

While the explicit truth was never stated, it seemed pretty certain that COVID-19 impacted some of Kentucky’s personnel. Offensive linemen Kenneth Horsey was out, and linebacker DeAndre Square apparently had an ankle issue that kept him out.

It hasn’t been an easy season for the Wildcats anyway. Starting quarterback Terry Wilson missed the Georgia game amid rumors that he would opt out for the rest of the season. Not only were those rumors inaccurate, but Wilson was back as the starting QB for Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt. Kentucky’s wide receiver play had been poor, and the Wildcats, at 2-4, were 11th in the SEC in total offense coming in to Saturday’s game.

Their 38-35 win over Vanderbilt was not pretty, but it was a win. And in many ways, it was a tribute to the notion of the next man stepping up, in several key areas.

Kentucky’s offensive line came together for a banner effort in tribute to its fallen coach, paving the way for 308 yards rushing and allowing no sacks. On the first play of the game, the Wildcats left a guard spot open on their offensive formation, in tribute to Schlarman, who started 40 games at guard for UK from 1994-97. When Vanderbilt declined the delay of game penalty that resulted, UK sent standout senior tackle Landon Young out to join the team, wearing Schlarman’s old No. 65.

“They wanted to honor John and play a very tough, physical game — like the way Coach Schlarman lived. And they did that,” Stoops said afterward.

But the rest of UK’s on-the-spot squad also stepped up. Linebacker Marquez Bembry, starting in place of Square, had 10 tackles. Reserve kicker Chance Poore connected on all 4 extra points and a 28-yard field goal to end the 1st half that ended up being the margin of victory. Reserve punter Colin Goodfellow punted for a 46.3-yard average and filled in for Duffy as the holder on kicks.

Finally, the beleaguered Wilson re-emerged to post what was likely his best all-around game of 2020, completing 13 of 15 passes for 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns and adding 83 yards and a touchdown on the ground. That included a 32-yard scoring scramble in the 1st quarter and a 27-yard run on 3rd-and-26 to set up Poore’s field goal to end the 1st half.

“I felt like this was the Terry that I expect to play each and every week,” Stoops said.

Even Kentucky’s receivers stepped up, with tight ends Keaton Upshaw and Justin Rigg delivering touchdown catches among several highlights. Kentucky got a few snaps for freshman QB Beau Allen and fellow freshman WR Mike Drennen in the 4th quarter, and when the 2 hooked up on a 14-yard pass play, it was a possible preview of the 2022 or 2023 seasons in Lexington.

Yes, Kentucky was sloppy, particularly on defense, which allowed Vandy to rack up 407 yards and 35 points. Much of the damage came after Kentucky took a 38-21 lead and then substituted liberally. With Vandy going up and down the field against a prevent defense, the Commodores tacked on 2 late touchdowns that probably made the game look deceptively competitive.

But for Kentucky, the story was that they won a game that they badly needed to win, even on a week when there were plenty of issues making things difficult. Like their fallen coach, the Wildcats dug deep, played inspired football and did their level best to fill the shoes of those who couldn’t be there. On Saturday, it was good enough for a much-needed W.