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Recapping Kentucky’s Opening Season Win Over Ball State

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Tayvion Robinson and Brenden Bates celebrating with Dane Key after a Kentucky touchdown at Kroger Field.
UK Athletics/Elliot Hess

On Saturday afternoon, Kentucky kicked off the 2023 season facing off against the Ball State Cardinals.

Kentucky won the coin toss electing to take the ball with an explosive first play going 44 yards to Dane Key but quickly stalled after that settling for a field goal going up 3-0.

Following punts by both teams, Ball State put together a 14-play 73-yard drive to put the Cardinals up 7-3 at the end of a surprising 1st quarter.

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The next drive Kentucky was able to drive down the field to take the lead following Vanderbilt transfer Ray Davis punching in the first score of the 2023 season. This would propel the Cats to wake up and take charge the rest of the game.

Shortly on Ball State’s next drive, a huge hit by Alex Afari Jr. led to a scoop and score by Jalen Geiger, a huge moment after his season was cut short last year due to a torn ACL.

Kentucky added 2 field goals before the half to make the score 23-7 going into the locker room.
Coming out of halftime Kentucky put together a stellar drive after a Ball State punt going up 30-7. Ball State then answered with a drive of their own shortening the lead to 16.

Then Barion Brown strikes in the opener again in back-to-back seasons with a 99-yard touchdown return which brought the score to 37-14. Then a late touchdown by Ray Davis brought the final score to 44-14.

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Let’s take a look at some takeaways from today’s game.

Special Teams Shine

One of the low spots of the team in 2022 was special teams whether that was the snaps or the placekicking. In the opener in 2023, Jay Boulware seems to have fixed a lot of that for the upcoming season.

Starting with the long snapper on field goals and punts not having one miscue is a great sign for the season. This in turn to fantastic kicks by senior kicker Alex Raynor with one of 41 and two of 46 yards looking very impressive in his debut this season.

This of course was followed by the always impressive Barion Brown and his 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown down to the surprise of no one after he guaranteed it earlier this summer at football media days. Needless to say, teams should not be kicking to Brown and it’s a mistake if they do.

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Ray Davis Shows Out in Debut

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Vanderbilt transfer Ray Davis, especially following his performance at Kroger Field last season as a commodore.

Davis showed out today racking 112 yards averaging 8 yards per carry along with 2 touchdowns. He also scored the first touchdown of the Cats season at the beginning of the 2nd quarter.

It’s clear that Kentucky has found a good running back to replace Chris Rodriguez, but will the offensive line be able to block well enough for Ray Davis to be able to be special?

Defense Improved at Stopping Run

With constant injuries last season in the front 7, it was hard for Kentucky to find a rhythm leading to being below average in stopping the run last season.

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With some new young leaders this season including Trevin Wallace, Keeshawn Silver, and Deone Walker, Kentucky looks much improved in this department in game one.

Wallace racked up 12 tackles including 2 tackles for loss proving to be maybe the best defender on the Cats defense. Kahlil Saunders also wreaked havoc against Ball State racking up 1.5 sacks taking a huge step forward into a bigger role this season for the defense.

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Louisville Football Player Charged With First-Degree Strangulation, Days After Committing Game Losing Personal Foul

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Louisville Cardinals defensive back Tayon Holloway (20) reacts to his defensive play.
Eric Canha | Imagn

On Monday, Louisville football defensive back Tayon Holloway was detained and charged with first-degree strangulation and fourth-degree assault.

This comes just days after the former four-star prospect committed a costly personal foul to put a 2-7 Stanford team in field goal range and upset Louosillve 38-35 with a walk-off field goal.

As expected, Holloway has been indefinitely suspended from the team.

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“The University of Louisville is aware of the arrest of football student-athlete Tayon Holloway,” the university said in a statement. “As we gather more information, Tayon has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.”

Things Cardinals seem to be in a downward trend as the Commonwealth Cup nears, November 30th.

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Kentucky snaps four game losing streak defeats Murray State 48-6

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops talking to Murray State football coach Jody Wright.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

Kentucky gets a much-needed victory over Murray St 48-6 to snap its four-game losing Streak. Brock Vandagriff led the way for the Cats, going 12-19 for 183 passing yards and two touchdown passes to Hardley Gilmore IV and Ja’Mori Maclin. 48 Points is the most points Kentucky has scored in a game since 2021 when the Cats scored 51 points against Louisville.

The defense held Murray St. without a touchdown. For the second time this season, Kentucky’s defense has held an opponent without a touchdown.

Freshman Standout today:

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For the second time this season, Kentucky breaks the 40-point mark as three freshmen make impacts for Kentucky. Jamarion Wilcox had 13 carries and 124 yards with a touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

Receiver Hardley Gilmore IV had two receptions for 72 yards and caught the 52-yard touchdown pass from Brock Vandagriff on the game-opening drive.

Four-star quarterback Cutter Boley started the second half for the Cats, going 10-14 and passing for 130 yards with two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, both touchdown passes to sophomore receiver Anthony Brown-Stephens.

Defense Bounces Back:

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After giving up over 475 yards of total offense each of the last three games, Kentucky’s defense holds Murray State to 256 total yards of offense while also having three takeaways from the Murray State offense

Defensive Lineman Tre’vonn Rybka led the way for the defense with five tackles and the only sack of the game for Kentucky’s defense. Jordan Lovett had two takeaways in the first half for Kentucky and one in the red zone in the second quarter. Jackson Schultz had the final takeaway, picking off Jim Ogle’s pass late in the fourth quarter.

Box Score

With the win today over Murray St., Kentucky moves to 4-6 (1-6 SEC) with two games remaining. They look to keep their bowl eligibility alive as they travel to Austin, Texas, and face the No. 3 ranked Texas Longhorns at 3:30 pm on ABC. 

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Mark Stoops Responds to Retirement Rumors, “Zero Percent Chance I Do That”

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops responds to retirement rumors amidst disappointing season. "Zero percent chance I do that."
Jordan Prather | Imagn

To say there is unrest in the Kentucky Football fanbase would be an understatement. With a 3-6 record overall, and 1-6 in the SEC (15th out of 16) things look bleak, and there is still a quarter of the season to go. Considering the regression from the previous two seasons as well, it’s difficult to be optimistic about the future.

Over the last few weeks, rumors have circled that head coach Mark Stoops has considered retiring at the end of the season. Optics wise it makes sense, his older brother Bob Stoops surprisingly retired from Oklahoma at just 56, and Mark, now 57, has expressed a desire to spend more time with his children.

At his weekly press conference, Stoops was asked directly if there is any chance that he would walk away from Kentucky and retire at the season. To which he responded, bluntly:

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“Zero percent chance I do that. Next question.”

Mark Stoops is still owed more than $44 million on his contract. That’s A LOT of money to leave on the table and is the reason that the decision will be Stoops’ to make, as Kentucky cannot afford the buyout.

If Stoops holds true to his word and returns next season, NIL fundraising efforts may be the most difficult it has been for him. However, he hopes it sparks motivation to donate.

“I’ve seen it at other SEC schools,” Stoops said. “I want to stay away from that. I really get tired of — I don’t want to be like I am whining, I am crying. It is reality. You have to have dollars.”

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