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RECAP: Kentucky Defeats Eastern Kentucky 28-17

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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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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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