The Kentucky Wildcats move to 3-0 after defeating the Akron Zips 35-3. Yet again, Kentucky struggled to move the ball due to tempo issues and costly and downright elementary penalties. This caused some frustration from the staff following the game, with Mark Stoops saying he is “pissed” with the performance.

However, Kentucky was still able to dominate thanks to being the more talented team, and thanks to an excellent effort from the defense and special teams, the Cats coasted to a victory.

To start the game, it seemed like Kentucky would 50-piece Akron. Almost immediately, Devin Leary completed a short pass to Ray Davis that turned into a 39-yard gain. Then, less than a minute into the game, Leary found Josh Kattus in the end zone to make it 7-0 early.

The 2nd quarter began with a Leary pass to Jordan Dingle for a 59-yard bomb, but he Dingle would fumble the ball into the end zone, resulting in a touchback. An Akron drive that ended in a missed field goal following a Trevin Wallace sack followed. Again, to close out the first half, Leary found Tayvion Robinson for a touchdown to make it 14-0 after two quarters of play.

Dingle fumbling the ball into the end zone costed Kentucky at least 6 points, and unfortunately, more points would be left off the board. Leary connected with Anthony Brown-Stephens for a 64-yard touchdown, but a holding penalty would erase that, and Akron scored their only points of the night on a field goal after that. However, as a swarm of Zips was about to bring Devin Leary down for a sack, he found Ray Davis who scrambled around to score a 58-yard touchdown.

With the score being 21-3 heading into the 4th, the game was seemingly over, but Kentucky wasn’t done yet. Ray Davis would rush for 55 yards to make the score 28-3 immediately. After another Akron missed field goal, Devin Leary gets the wind knocked out of him, and Kaiya Sheron filled his role for the remainder of the game. The game would end with two Demie Sumo-Karngbaye runs that made the score 35-3.

The Big Blue Wall has Some Holes

In the past, Kentucky’s offensive line play has been among the best in the nation. From Drake Jackson to Darian Kinnard, the standard has always been sky-high. This season, however, the offensive line just isn’t clicking. Missing blocks is one thing, but simple errors are what’s killing Kentucky. Two bad snaps and penalties during key moments erased 14 points off the board for UK, and that just won’t hang in SEC play.

Ray Davis Has a Breakout Game

The MVP of Saturday’s contest was Ray Davis. Not only did he have a solid game on the ground, rushing for 72 yards and a touchdown, but he played a huge role in the receiving game. Davis finished with 97 receiving yards, including this 55-yard touchdown.

The BBN Made a Difference

The defense played a really solid game. Although Akron may not be the most imposing competition, holding an opponent to just 3 points is very impressive. Some of that credit should go to the BBN, however. On many occasions, and especially on 3rd down, Kroger Field got so loud that Akron couldn’t communicate, and that went a long way in keeping the Zips almost scoreless.

Next week, the Cats will go on the road for the first time this season, as they will square off against the Vanderbilt Commodores. You can see the final box score from Kentucky’s 35-3 win over Akron here.