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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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Grammy Nominated Music Star Has Credit Card Stolen, Thief Buys 15 Hotdogs at Kentucky Football Game

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A Kentucky football fan stole music artist Noah Kahan's wallet at an airport and purchased 15 overpriced hot dogs.
Piet Levy | Imagn

Not a lot of good things came from Kentucky’s 24-10 loss to Auburn on Saturday, but one fan did get FIFTEEN (yes, 1-5) hot dogs courtesy of Grammy-nominated folk-pop artist Noah Kahan.

To clarify it was not a gift, rather the fan stole Kahan’s wallet at Laguardia Airport in New York City. Of all the places for it to venture to, it was Kroger Field.

“The guy who took my wallet went to a Kentucky football game last night,” Kahan shared on social media. “I just know that Mofo bought 15 overpriced hot dogs.”

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Kahan has found comedy in the situation, despite having hundreds of dollars in hot dogs purchased on his dime.

“Come on dawg we gotta be collaborative in our spending!! Check with me first,” Kahan shared.

Kahan headlined Railbird Music Festival in Lexington this past summer. Maybe the next time he is in town, he can get a hot dog of his own.

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RECAP: Auburn defeats Kentucky, 24-10

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The Tigers came into Kroger Field looking for their first SEC win while Kentucky was trying to keep bowl hopes alive after disappointing back-to-back losses to Vanderbilt and Florida. Auburn hadn’t won at Kentucky since their 2015 campaign where they came away with a close 30-27 victory in Lexington.

The Cat Walk crowd was less than usual despite the three-crew fighter jet flyby. Many wondered if fans would show up and show out for the Cats this week and early it looked like it might be a slim crowd, but as game time neared Kroger Field began to take shape and fans flowed in.

First Half Battle

Kentucky opened the game up quickly, Dane Key helped get the Cats started with an impressive 21-yard grab on the left sideline, later kicker Alex Raynor put the ‘Cats up first with a 46-yard field goal, with 11:28 to go in the first quarter.

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Next, The ‘Cats’ tough defense forced an Auburn three and out at the Auburn 9-yard line to retake possession. Dane Key wasn’t done just yet, again he made another big grab this time for 34 yards which set up Jason Patterson for a 23-yard run to put Kentucky in scoring position and it was a score this time from freshman Jamarion Wilcox for his first career touchdown run to put the ‘Cats up 10-0 in the first quarter. JQ Hardaway later gave Kentucky the ball back after a pick that put Kentucky into scoring position but was later halted after a holding penalty and forced the ‘Cats to punt.

The second quarter was a little different with Kentucky opening up with a punt that later led to Auburn points with a touchdown from wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith which trimmed the Kentucky lead to just three with 10:56 to go in the half. Later in the quarter, Brock Vandagriff dropped back to throw which led to an Auburn interception from Keyron Crawford on the sideline that gave the Tigers possession at the Auburn 37-yard line and led to 3 points for the Tigers which tied the game at 10 a piece.

Then in a turn of events Auburn star running back Jaquez Hunter broke two runs to put the Tigers in scoring position before the half but Kentucky’s JJ Weaver sacked Payton Thorne which left Auburn with no timeouts and didn’t allow any time for the late field goal which ended the quarter at a 10 to 10 tie.

Second Half Disaster

Auburn’s offense began the half fast and so did running back Jarquez Hunter who found the end zone to give the Tigers a 17 to 10 lead with 7:53 to go in the third quarter. Kentucky’s first possession was a quick three-and-out,

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which led to Auburn getting the football and giving it to their guy Jarquez Hunter who ran for 50 yards but Kentucky’s defense prevailed to stop the Tigers which forced a 47-yard field goal miss from kicker Alex McPherson.

It was much the same in the final quarter of play in which Auburn and Hunter went on a 4-minute 45-second scoring drive where Hunter took it to the House for 45 yards with 12:11 to go. The Cats did however get into the red zone but the Tigers’ goal line defense stopped the Cats and forced a Gavin Wimsatt interception after coming to in the game for Brock Vandergriff after a sloppy performance, Kayin Lee was the defender who made the pick to give Auburn the ball back. Then on Auburn’s final drive, it was yet again another long gain from Jarquez Hunter who ran it for 46 yards to later lead to Auburn and Peyton Thorne kneeling it out. The Auburn would later come out of Kroger field victorious and beat the Kentucky Wildcats 24-10.

Jarquez Hunter’s record breaking game

There were many key takeaways from a very disappointing outcome but it was no bigger than running back Jarquez Hunter who rushed for 278 yards and 2 touchdowns, his 278 yards set a new record for most rushing yards by an opposing player against Kentucky inside Kroger Field credit to Corey Price for the record stat, after the game coach Mark Stoops had high praise for Hunter, saying “He’s an NFL back”, Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft doesn’t it have him within the top 10 running backs but that will likely change after his record performance.

Bowl Chances?

Kentucky likely drops themselves out of bowl eligibility standing now at 3-5 on the season and 1-5 in the SEC moving them to 15th in the conference standing only ahead of Mississippi State, Kentucky’s schedule isn’t easy either playing on the road at top 10 Tennessee in Knoxville, a Bye week follows the game before taking on the Murray State Racers at home, the next game is a road trip to Austin where the ‘Cats will play the Texas Longhorns who are high favorites to win the College Football Playoffs, and a season finale against arch rival Louisville on senior day for the ‘Cats. The schedule couldn’t get any tougher and the ‘Cats would have to win 3 of their last 4 games to become bowl-eligible to salvage what has really been a disaster of a season.

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Who’s the quarterback going forward?

Kentucky and Mark Stoops have a big decision to make with four games remaining. In the second half, backup Gavin Wimsatt took over for Brock Vandagriff after some sloppy play to try and give the ‘Cats a much-needed boost and keep them in reach. It was, however, much of the same with Wimsatt that many in the fan base are questioning. Wimsatt finished with just 34 yards on 3 of 10 passing while Brock Vandagriff finished with 120 yards on 9 of 17 passing.

Mark Stoops after the game said he “Just wanted to get a good look at Gavin and see if he can help us move the ball.” also said ” I don’t want any headlines on that. Gavin has been playing all year. We had – we planned on putting him in the third series of the game. But we moved the ball very well in the first two. Right? So. If I put him in in the first series of the game, but in hindsight, it would have run out anyway but you’d be asking me why in the world did I take him out when we were moving the ball. You know what I’m saying? I think we judge that and say we are moving the ball pretty well, let’s stick with what is going right. We went three and out and you know, that’s it.” when asked about a potential quarterback battle late in the season. It sure is unknown what’s next for the Kentucky football program but time will tell as the ‘Cats get ready for a tough top 10 Tennessee Volunteers squad that has already defeated Alabama at home 24-17.

Where to watch the Cats versus Vols

The Kentucky versus Tennessee game will be at 7:45 PM on Saturday, November 2nd. The game can be found on the SEC NETWORK as Mark Stoops’ squad looks to get back on track on ole Rocky Top.

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Ray Davis and His Journey From Homelessness to the NFL, “When I Was on the Field, All My Worries Disappeared

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Buffalo Bills rookie running back Ray Davis opens up about his journey from homelessness to the NFL, and his desire to help others.
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Ray Davis has faced more challenges than most on his way to the NFL. Growing up, he experienced homelessness, moving from shelter to shelter with his family. Kentucky Insider wrote about this last season. But rather than let these hardships define him, Davis used them as motivation to chase his dreams of playing football at the highest level.

In a recent interview with Good Morning Football, Davis opened up again about his past and how his experiences shaped him. He explained that during those difficult years, football provided an escape and a sense of purpose. “When I was on the field, all my worries disappeared,” Davis shared.

His college football journey was unique, he started at Temple University, where he impressed with his strong performance as a freshman. Afterward, he transferred to Vanderbilt, where he continued to hone his skills against top competition. Finally, Davis found his way to the University of Kentucky, where he became a standout running back. At every stop, he faced adversity and improved from it.

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“I just kind of kept putting my head down and understanding every adversity that came towards me, I got to face it,” Davis said. “There’s no running away. If I ran away, I wouldn’t be here today. I wouldn’t be able to have this voice, this platform, and just this ability to showcase a new world where no matter who tells you you can’t make it, if you live by what you believe in, you will achieve anything that you want to achieve.”

Now in the NFL, Davis hopes to continue sharing his story. He uses his platform to encourage people going through tough times to stay determined. “No matter how tough life gets, don’t give up,” he advises. His journey reminds us that success isn’t just about talent—it’s about perseverance, dedication, and staying true to your dreams.

Davis not only plays for himself but also for all those who face similar challenges. He hopes his journey from homelessness to the NFL can inspire others to believe in themselves, no matter their circumstances. His story is one of resilience and a relentless belief that hard work can change lives.

“For me, it was about, at the day, everybody goes through adversity, everybody faces challenges that, you know, they feel like they can or cannot overcome,” Davis said. “And I understood the position I was in, that if I were to give up, who would be an advocate for kids, who would be a spokesman, who could be a mentor, who could be a role model? I felt that at the age of 12 and at the age of 14, 15, and so on, that I was going to have to be that role model. I was willing to take the lead and to show everybody that there is a way, there is a possibility to achieve the dream that you want. It may not be the most easiest ride, but at the end of the day, there might be a lot of bumps and bruises, but you’ll make it there. You’ll get there.”

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Catch the full interview here.

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