DeAndre Square Makes Historic Play Through Pain. "I don't know how he did it."
DeAndre Square left the Camping World Stadium locker room on crutches. Moments earlier he was leaping through the air to pick off an errant Iowa pass and secure a 20-17 Citrus Bowl victory, Kentucky’s tenth of the 2021 season.
“He knew he couldn’t come out,” Mark Stoops said after the game. “We were getting thin. And the way he played through that pain, I don’t know how he did it.”
The Kentucky Wildcat’s memorable Willis Reed moment was no fabrication. Square was told not to go back into the game. Jacquez Jones and Trevin Wallace were also sidelined, limiting Brad White’s options at linebacker. Iowa’s offense was rolling with Square on the sideline and Kentucky desperately needed a stop.
“I was ruled out. I wasn’t even supposed to come back in,” said Square. “But Coach Stoops talked about doing something bigger than yourself, and all I could think about is my teammates. I seen the way the game was going, and I just felt like I needed to step in no matter how I was feeling. We got a lot of days to rest. I can rest up, so I didn’t care.”
Help from Marquan McCall
Square was frustrated and in pain on the sideline, waiting for the locker room drugs to kick in and go to work. That’s when another senior from Detroit got his attention.
“Marquan (McCall) grabbed me. It was a timeout, he grabbed me. He like yanked me and was like, ‘We need you,’ and then something clicked at that moment,” said Square.
Once McCall got his attention, Square could run without pain (at least temporarily). It was enough for the trainers to give him the green light to return to the game. Square immediately injected energy into the defense.
“Square’s the key to our defense,” said McCall. “To see him come back into the game, even though he’s hurting a little, to come back into the game and make the game-winning play, you can’t ask for nothing more.”
Square immediately produced results. After allowing points on conseucitve possessions, he teamed up with Tre’vonn Rybka for a tackle for loss on third and one, helping swing momentum back in UK’s favor.
Square’s Sensational Interception
Chris Rodriguez punched in the go-ahead score with 1:48 on the clock. There was plenty of time for Iowa to go back down the field and score. Ahead of that series, Square had one request for defensive coordinator Brad White.
“He was not going to miss those last couple drives,” said White. “He came up to me and said, ‘Coach, as much as we can keep me from dropping, the better.’ I said, ‘Well I can’t promise that.'”
Thankfully, White did not make that promise. He called a safety blitz, bringing Yusuf Corker off the edge to apply pressure. It forced a wild throw from Spencer Petras that went right to where Square dropped back.
“I wasn’t even looking at the ball and I seen something flying and I’m like, whoa, there’s the ball,” he laughed. “I was like, okay, do I just let it fall or am I close enough to catch it? I’m like, I’m close enough to catch it, so I just get under and it fit right in the pocket. I didn’t have to do anything. It fit perfectly.”
His position coach, new Troy head coach Jon Sumrall, was nearly in tears when talking about Square’s interception.
Storybook Ending
Kentucky’s mantra in 2021 are the words from the late, great John Schlarman, “For the Team.” Kentucky faced seemingly insurmountable adversity, falling behind in the second half with almost a dozen players sidelined by injury or Covid. At the darkest moment, Square found inspiration to play for the team by looking at his friend on the sideline, Chris Oats.
“I’m in pain and I want to stop, and I thought about him and I’m like, I’ve got to go,” said Square. “I’ve got to do this.”
Kentucky needed somebody to make an heroic play. It was delivered by somebody who should not have even been on the field. It’s a story the Big Blue Nation will never forget.
“It’s a storybook ending, he gets ruled out, goes back in there,” Will Levis said. “And to go back out there, not only just to play but to get the same-stealing interception, first of all, I mean, how many dropped picks have we had this year and then you make an acrobatic play like that? Just a storybook ending. I’m so happy for him, and he deserves all the recognition.”
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