Cats Keep Momentum Going
Following their huge road win over Florida a week ago the Kentucky football team looked to keep their hot streak going Saturday. The big victory propelled them into the Top 10 for the first time since 2007. As far as the game UK followed a familiar script with a slow start followed by a strong finish led by their defense. Let’s break it all down as Kentucky blanks Youngstown State 31-0.
A Troubling Pattern
Maybe it was the NOON kickoff on a warm Saturday afternoon. Perhaps it was a “Florida victory hangover.” Whatever the case for the third straight game the Wildcats had trouble finding their groove. Before the game, the school had a ceremony honoring Mark Stoops for becoming the school’s all-time winningest coach. His family was in attendance including his brother Bob. For a good part of the first half that was the highlight.
Following a scoreless first quarter, Kentucky finally broke through on a one-yard run by Will Levis. On the next drive, Levis hit Dane Key for a three-yard touchdown. That put the freshman in some great company.
.@DaneKey6 has already tied the @UKFootball record for most touchdown catches by a freshman in a season (3) (also done by Derek Abney in 2000 and Tommy Cook in 2001)
— Corey Price (@coreyp08) September 17, 2022
In addition, he’s the first player to have a touchdown reception in the season’s first three games since La’Rod King in 2011. A Levis to Chris Lewis score just before the half gave the Wildcats a 21-0 lead. The lead could have been bigger if not for a Levis interception at the three-yard line.
Kentucky dominated the time of possession in the second half while putting 10 more points on the board. A Kavosiey Smoke seven-yard touchdown followed by a 22-yard Matt Ruffolo field goal gave the Cats their final margin.
How About That Defense
Playing against an FCS team Brad White’s defense did what you would expect, dominate the game. They held Youngstown State to 192 total yards to Kentucky’s 480. ThePenguins only gained 58 yards on the ground, and 23 of those came late in the game when the Cats had their reserves in.
Furthermore, the Penguins went 0-10 on third down chances and 0-2 on fourth down. The had a really good chance of getting on the board but a Carrington Valentine interception in the end zone preserved the shutout as Kentucky blanks Youngstown State 31-0.
Looking Ahead
With the win, Kentucky moves to 3-0 on the season and is now 15-3 going back to the last two games of 2020. Next week they’ll have another non-conference game as a very good Northern Illinois club comes to town. It’s the second straight week the Huskies play an SEC team. They lost 38-28 to Vanderbilt on Saturday.
As for the Penguins, they fall to 2-1 on the season. They have a week off before traveling to Fargo, North Dakota to play perennial power and top-ranked North Dakota State.
Some Final Thoughts
It was a special day with Stoops and associate head coach Vince Marrow playing their hometown school. After downplaying it all week the UK headman said after the game he was glad to have this game over with. The win on Saturday marked the first time since 1977 that Kentucky won a game as a Top Ten ranked school. Levis had another strong game completing 27 of 35 passes for 377 yards and two touchdowns. However, he had two more interceptions. After all the talk of improving the category, he led the SEC in last year Levis has four picks in three games this season.
Pass protection remains a concern after the Penguins sacked the quarterback four times. In addition, they had 10 tackles for a loss. Now for some positives, the defense was spectacular. It was the first time in 12 years that the Wildcats shut out an opponent. Back on September 5, 2009, Kentucky beat Miami (Ohio) 42-0.
At wide receiver, Key had another huge game leading the Cats with six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. Tayvion Robinson had six receptions for 66 yards as 10 different receivers caught passes.
Again Kentucky blanks Youngstown State 31-0 to go to 3-0 on the year. They’ll likely remain in the Sugar Bowl when our new projections come out.
