{"id":51082,"date":"2023-09-17T11:00:40","date_gmt":"2023-09-17T15:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=51082"},"modified":"2023-09-16T23:35:04","modified_gmt":"2023-09-17T03:35:04","slug":"kentucky-beats-akron-35-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2023\/09\/17\/kentucky-beats-akron-35-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Kentucky Beats Akron 35-3"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Saturday the Kentucky Wildcats had their final tune-up before conference play begins. Facing their second Mid-American Conference foe in three games\u00a0<\/span>Mark Stoops<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0was looking for improvement on both sides of the ball. What happened was another tale of two halves that UK’s done in every game. Let’s break it down as Kentucky Beats Akron 35-3<\/span><\/p>\n

Bookend Positives<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you\u00a0<\/span>read our game preview\u00a0<\/span><\/a>we said one thing Kentucky’s been working on is playing faster. On the first drive of the game, they did just that. Going 75 yards in seven plays\u00a0<\/span>Devin Leary<\/span><\/a>\u00a0hit tight end\u00a0<\/span>Josh Kattus<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on a six-yard touchdown and it was 7-0 Cats.<\/span><\/p>\n

From there Kentucky went three and out twice before striking on another big play. Leary hit\u00a0<\/span>Jordan Dingle<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on a long pass and it looked like another score. However, he fumbled and the Zips recovered in the end zone. That gave them a chance to break out their “Turnover Tire.” Yes, you read that correctly. Unfortunately for the BBN that wasn’t the only time they’d show it off. Later a Leary to\u00a0<\/span>Anthony Brown-Stephens<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0touchdown was called back by a holding penalty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, before the half Kentucky put it all together as Leary hit\u00a0<\/span>Tayvion Robinson<\/span><\/a>\u00a0with a 22-yard score and it was 14-0 at the half. But again the Cats should have been up by more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Following A Trend<\/span><\/h3>\n

In both games, Kentucky played much better in the second half than the first and that happened again in game three. After Akron got on the board with a field goal the UK signal caller put his stamp on a SportsCenter Top 10. Leary miraculously avoided a sack to hit\u00a0<\/span>Ray Davis<\/span><\/a>\u00a0who did the rest for an electric 58-yard score putting the Cats up 21-3. Davis wrapped up his huge day with a 55-yard touchdown run. Finally, North Carolina State transfer\u00a0<\/span>Demi Sumo-Karngbaye<\/span><\/a>\u00a0took it in to complete the scoring as Kentucky beat Akron 35-3.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only was it the first night game of the year for Kentucky but a landmark day for the school.<\/span><\/p>\n

Golden Anniversary<\/span><\/h3>\n

This weekend marked a special one for the university as it was the 50th Anniversary of Commonwealth Stadium\/Kroger Field.\u00a0<\/span>On September 15th, 1973 Kentucky beat Virginia Tech 31-26 in\u00a0<\/span>Fran Curci’s<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0initial game as Wildcat head coach. The Wildcats’ record is now 185-141-4 overall at home. In addition, Stoops runs his record to 49-26 in Lexington.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

As part of our celebration of 50 years of football in Kroger Field, captains representing each of the decades they played in were honored during the game. <\/p>\n

1970s: Ray Barga
1980s: Oliver White
1990s: Tim Couch
2000s: Dougie Allen
2010s: Jojo Kemp pic.twitter.com\/VpQdSAZSSO<\/a><\/p>\n

— Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthletics) September 17, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n