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The Morning After: Recapping Kentucky’s Season Opening Win Over Miami (OH)

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UK Athletics

On Saturday night, the Kentucky Wildcats kicked off the season against the Miami (OH) Redhawks.

On the first drive, the Wildcats fell victim to an efficient 5-minute, 75-yard drive from the Redhawks. However, Will Levis and the offense quickly answered with a two-minute, 79-yard touchdown drive of their own, which started with a 45-yard connection to Tayvion Robinson.

Despite the two quick scores to start the game, neither team could put together any real rhythm to follow that. Kentucky did make it to the red zone three more times, but it resulted in an interception and two field goals as they entered halftime with a 13-10 lead.

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Coming out of the half, Barion Brown returned the kickoff for a touchdown, which was immediately followed by a Miami turnover that Kentucky was able to capitalize on. Just 1 minute and 2 seconds into the third quarter, Kentucky pushed the lead to 27-10.

Kentucky retained that lead fairly easily and extended it over the remainder of the game, winning 37-13.

While it wasn’t the flashy and perfect win the fans were looking for, the Wildcats played through their inexperience and performed much better in the second half, walking out with a 24-point win.

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

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Replacing Wan’Dale with another good Robinson

Losing Wan’Dale Robinson, who produced the greatest single season for a receiver in Kentucky football history is no easy task, but Virginia Tech transfer Tayvion Robinson looks to be a great replacement.

In his Wildcat debut, Tayvion caught 6 passes on 8 targets for a total of 136 yards – the first 100+ yard game of his career. Not shown on the stat sheet, was his ability to make the big play – similar to Wan’Dale. On multiple occasions, when the Kentucky offense was flat, Tayvion made the big play to give the team momentum.

While Tayvion is not the individual talent that Wan’Dale is, he showed tonight – albeit against an inferior secondary – the potential to be Wan’Dale lite due to his speed and evasion.

Finally using the tight ends

For several seasons, one major complaint of the Kentucky Wildcat offense has been the lack of usage of the tight ends, despite having NFL-level talent at the position.

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At media day, new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello – who comes from a 49ers offense that is heavily reliant on multiple tight-end personnel – talked about the tight ends and was quoted saying, “three or four or five in that room that are going to play on Sundays”.

After the first game, we may get to see more of them.

The first drive ended with a tight-end touchdown, caught by Brenden Bates and redshirt freshman Jordan Dingle had two receptions on his two targets.

I know targets to the tight ends don’t sound like a lot, but most of those came from the first half alone and that is a step up from previous seasons.

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The freshmen receivers are going to be stars

Get used to the name Barion Brown and Dane Key because they are going to be stars at the University of Kentucky.

Both true freshmen have been raved about as they stepped on campus and it didn’t take long for the two to make an impact. In their first game, Key caught four passes for 53 yards and a touchdown, while Brown caught three passes for 45 yards and scored a touchdown on a kickoff return at a much-needed time.

Following the game, Rich Scangarello, Will Levis, and Tayvion Robinson talked all about the duo’s impressive performance, with each of them saying their best football is ahead of them.

It will be interesting to see how bright these future stars shine in Florida next week.

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Chris Rodriguez was missed BADLY

Dating back to Benny Snell, Kentucky has had a running back with the ability to make a play and to provide consistent production, with Chris Rodriguez now in that role. On Saturday night, Kentucky did not have that.

When it was announced that Rodriguez would be missing multiple games, most still assumed that Kentucky would still have success running the ball against inferior competition, but that was certainly not the case.

Kentucky rushed for just 50 yards, which is the lowest since last season’s loss against Mississippi State (66) and just the lowest since a non-Power Five opponent since Eastern Michigan (53) in 2017, another MAC team.

Some of the struggles were at the fault of the offensive line, but there also just isn’t another back similar to Rodriguez on the roster who could make up for some of those mistakes.

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If Kentucky wants to beat Florida next week, they must have a better running attack, and without Rodriguez, that may be a taller task than originally expected.

Line of scrimmage troubles

For several seasons, it has been taken for granted that Kentucky had a talented offensive and defensive line, but with a lack of returning starters and plenty of inexperience, there is cause for concern.

While the receiving core showed the ability to make the best of their opportunities, Will Levis was not consistently given ample time by the offensive line to read the defense and make a play. In fact, the offensive line gave up four sacks for a loss of 26 total yards. As mentioned earlier, the lack of protection was also a factor in the running back struggles, giving up several tackles for loss.

On the defensive side of the ball, Kentucky only allowed six points after Miami’s first drive. However, they failed to get consistent pressure on Miami’s quarterback Brett Gabbert. While the stat sheet does show three sacks, the Wildcats only had one prior to the fourth quarter, in addition to one QB hurry. The rush defense was better, but they allowed Miami several key conversions.

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Things need to improve at the line scrimmage because it is not going to be any easier against SEC competition.

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Maxwell Hairston Drafted No. 30 To The Buffalo Bills

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Maxwell Hairston
Caleb Bowlin | UK Athletics

Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston has officially started the next chapter of his career, selected No. 30 by the Buffalo Bills in the late first round.

At 6-foot-1 and 186 pounds, Hairston has come a long way since signing with the Wildcats as a 3-star prospect out of Michigan in 2021.

Although he missed five games this past season due to injury,  Hairston was still selected to Second-Team All-SEC with 19 tackles, two forced fumbles, an interception and four deflections.

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“Mad Max” took a huge jump in the draft boards after running the fastest 40-yard dash among cornerbacks in Indianapolis, completing the drill in just 4.28 seconds.

At 21 years old, Hairston brings a level of experience from the toughest conference in college football, the SEC, to go along with elite speed and length to make him a potential starter for defensive coordinator Bobby Babich.

As one of the few invited to the NFL Draft, Big Blue Nation had a good look at Hairston with his family before his name was called.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called the former Wildcats’ name just before the night ended, making the West Bloomfield native’s dreams come true.

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Ray Davis went to social media to share his excitement to have a familiar face in the locker room.

The National Football League shared an emotional video of Hairston embracing his father after the Bills drafted him.

Time will tell how Hairston’s role will pan out in the league, but rest assured, “Mad Max” will go down as one of the best defensive players in the Mark Stoops era.

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Running Back Revamp: Kentucky Adds Former Oklahoma, New Mexico State Transfer

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New Mexico State University Athletics

The Wildcats bolstered their backfield with the addition of former Oklahoma and New Mexico State running back Seth McGowan on April 20, per KSR’s Nick Roush.

Standing at 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, McGowan brings size and downhill power to Kentucky’s offense. Coming off a productive season at New Mexico State, he rushed for 823 yards and three touchdowns while adding 23 receptions for 277 yards and three more scores through the air.

A former four-star recruit in the class of 2019, McGowan originally signed with Oklahoma and logged 370 rushing yards, three touchdowns and 201 receiving yards with one touchdown during his lone season with the Sooners.

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On May 7, 2021, McGowan was removed from Oklahoma following his involvement in a legal case in which he was arrested and charged with robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. The charges were ultimately dismissed, but he pleaded guilty to larceny from a person at nighttime in December of that year.

After a stint at NAIA school Texas College in 2022, where he did not see game action, McGowan continued his path back to Division I football, playing six games with Butler Community College before transferring to New Mexico State for the 2024 season.

Now, with his past behind him, McGowan has a chance to turn the page and contribute in a major way to the Wildcats’ offense.

Running backs coach Jay Boulware, who helped Oklahoma sign McGowan out of high school, likely played a role in bringing him to Kentucky, where he is expected to have one year of eligibility remaining.

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Along with Nebraska transfer Dante Dowdell, McGowan could be a part of a versatile and punishing backfield tandem for the Wildcats. While Dowdell brings a physical, downhill rushing style, McGowan’s ability to contribute in both the run and pass game adds a dynamic layer to offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan’s pro-style system, which emphasizes balance and explosive playmaking.

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Jamon Dumas-Johnson: A NFL Draft Steal

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Kentucky Wildcats linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson (2) makes the sign of the cross while taking a knee before the game.
Carter Skaggs | Imagn

Before he transferred to Kentucky, Jamon Dumas-Johnson was an All-American at Georgia, with waves to at least test the NFL draft after winning a National Championship. However, with the decision to play his last collegiate season as a Wildcat, Dumas-Johnson was a cornerstone piece for the Kentucky defense, finishing the season with 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks during his 11 starts for the team. 

His athleticism spoke volumes at Kentucky football’s NFL pro day, where current NFL draft boards now list the linebacker as one of the best athletes at the position and has earned himself a “top 10” feel ahead of the draft. Before pro day, publications such as Bleacher Report had him listed as No. 13 at his position. 

Dumas-Johnson proved himself with the highest vertical jump (37.5) and the longest broad jump (10.60) out of the Wildcats who competed in said events, and ran an impressive best 4.50 40-yard dash. At 245 pounds, he also managed to press 16 reps of 225, which could technically be “better” compared to NFL standards, but is impressive nonetheless in hindsight.

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At 23 years old, this linebacker exploits explosiveness, agility and can hawk down any playmaker on the field. Out the 31 NFL teams that attended the event (a Cleveland Browns representative did not attend), one will be getting a prize steal of the draft with Dumas-Johnson. 

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