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RECAP: Kentucky Defeats Eastern Kentucky 28-17

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1 year ago

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Kentucky linebacker Trevin Wallace celebrating a play against Eastern Kentucky at Kroger Field.
Ethan Rand/UK Athletics

After losing to the Cincinnati Bearcats 66-13 in Week 1, many people didn’t expect EKU to march into Kroger Field and give Kentucky much competition, but they did. After a very slow and sloppy first half, UK slipped by EKU with a 28-17 victory.

Momentum for EKU Early On

To open the game, the crowd was very excited to see how Liam Coen and the UK offense would do against an FCS opponent, but after a big completion to Dane Key, the offense stalled. Kentucky would then fail to move the chains, meaning that they were forced to punt around midfield. Things would proceed to go from bad to worse as Wilson Berry’s punt was blocked.

This resulted in a great field position for the EKU Colonels. Parker McKinney would put on a show on EKU’s opening drive, and ultimately would McKinney scramble for a touchdown to make it 7-0 right out of the gate.

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Late in the first quarter, Kentucky would march down the field, but after being stopped on the 33-yard line, Mark Stoops elected to go for it on 4th and 9. In disastrous fashion, Devin Leary was sacked for a big loss.

Starting to Turn Things Around

The 2nd quarter would prove to be more friendly for the Cats. When it looked like UK was about to go down by two scores, Maxwell Hairston got an interception at the EKU 4 yard line. The sophomore DB’s 1st career pick was pivotal in swinging the momentum in favor of Kentucky.

With halftime just a mere 42 seconds away, Devin Leary found Tayvion Robinson in the back of the end zone to tie the game at 7. Finally, Kentucky had gotten on the board.

Offense Gaining Steam

Following the 2nd half kickoff, EKU had a long drive that would go all the way inside the 10-yard line. However, Brad White and the UK defense were able to keep the Colonels out of the end zone. EKU would kick a chip-shot field goal to make the score 10-7 with 9:41 in the 3rd quarter.

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Leary would then find Robinson yet again in the end zone minutes later, giving Kentucky a 14-10 lead. Quickly, Kentucky would add more salt to EKU’s wound, as Barion Brown also managed to get into the end zone, meaning UK led 21-10 after three-quarters of play.

Finishing Things Off

To begin the 4th quarter, McKinney found an open receiver for a quick touchdown, which made the score 21-17. All of a sudden EKU had clawed back into the game, and their was an overwhelming feeling of anxiety glooming over Kroger Field.

Ray Davis would give UK some cushion, however, after getting into the end zone with a reception. That would make the score 28-17, giving UK some breathing room with regulation coming to a close.

As EKU drove down the field to try to make a comeback, Deone Walker shut things down with a sack to make it 4th and 14. That would up being the final nail in the coffin, and Kentucky advanced to 2-0, avoiding the major upset.

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View the box score from the game here. Below, you can find the full UK vs EKU highlight reel:

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Kentucky Athletic Collectives Rank 11th of 16 Teams in SEC, Bring in over $11 Million

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2 weeks ago

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December 10, 2024

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Kentucky ranks 11th of 16 SEC teams in collective fundraising.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

For better or for worse of college sports, NIL is here to stay and it certainly gives an advantage to schools with more money. Just looking at the SEC alone, collectives raised more than $200 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year. Unfortunately, Kentucky is ranked in the lower half of that.

According to documents from the House v. NCAA proposed settlement, Kentucky raised $11,254,204 from athletics collectives for the 2023-24 fiscal year. That ranks 11th of the 15 public universities in the SEC and is just more than half of the top collective, Texas who raised over $22 million.

Full Rankings

Rank
School NameCollective Funding
1Texas22,272,474
2LSU20,137,141
3Georgia18,326,566
4Texas A&M17,228,714
5Alabama15,995,406
6Florida15,802,237
7Oklahoma14,817,595
8Tennessee11,602,164
9Auburn11,588,953
10Arkansas11,544,039
11Kentucky11,254,204
12S. Carolina9,554,700
13Ole Miss8,872,378
14Missouri7,146,859
15Mississippi St.6,467,166
NRVanderbiltNot Available (Private School)

While collective funding is low, Kentucky has been a top 20 athletic program in total revenue, partly thanks to being a school that profits from its basketball program. Looking ahead to 2025, Kentucky is expected to stay in the top 20 nationally in athletic revenue, fifth in the SEC by bringing in an estimated 131,139,792. Ahead of programs like Georgia, LSU, Florida, and Tennessee.

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With revenue sharing coming in the near future, even more money is going to be involved in roster and program building. Schools in the Big Ten and SEC have an even bigger advantage due to their new TV deals, giving them up to an extra $70 million or more.

A new era of college sports is here. It’s time to prepare and embrace it.

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Kentucky Wide Receiver Calls for “A Lot” More Leadership and Accountability from Staff

Published

3 weeks ago

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December 2, 2024

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Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops walks onto the field before the game against the Louisville Cardinals.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

A poor offensive line. Inconsistent quarterback play. A lot of things led to Kentucky football’s abysmal 2024 season. However, they had the talent to finish better than 4-8, only defeating one power opponent this season. So what could have helped?

Kentucky wide receiver Ja’Mori Maclin was asked that question after the Wildcats’ loss to Louisville on Saturday. To his credit, he answered honestly and professionally.

“A lot more leadership,” Maclin said. “Holding guys accountable for things. A lot more discipline for all the guys… All around, players and coaches. We’re still a team, I don’t want to point at any one person or specific group. All around we need better leadership.”

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Maclin is a junior and could return for another season. Despite talking about Kentucky taking the next step, he has not made his decision and will be returning home to talk to his family to do so. If Maclin does return, it sounds like Kentucky will have a leader in the receiving room.

Despite being a 1,000-yard receiver at North Texas, Maclin was not targeted often. However, on his 13 receptions, he caught four for touchdowns, the most of any receiver on the team.

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Kentucky Player Seen At Concession Stand During Kentucky’s 41-14 Loss to Louisville

Published

3 weeks ago

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December 2, 2024

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A Kentucky football player was seen at buying food from the concession stand in Kentucky's 41-14 loss to Louisville.

Kentucky’s on-field product against Louisville was poor to say the least, sending 99% of Wildcat fans home early. It even sent an injured player from the sideline to get a snack…

Yes, offensive lineman Gerald Mincey, one of Kentucky’s most expensive transfer portal additions, was seen at one of the concession stands at Kroger Field during Kentucky’s 41-14 defeat.

Watching a 4-8 team is bad, but even worse to do on an empty stomach.

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Mincey is a senior and will not be returning next season, but it is nice to see him reinvesting some money back into the program.

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