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Kentucky Football: Players Who Broke Out Against NMSU

By Maxwell Ogden

Sep 17, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats tight end C.J. Conrad (87) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New Mexico State Aggies in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats tight end C.J. Conrad (87) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New Mexico State Aggies in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 17, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Stephen Johnson (15) drops back to pass the ball against the New Mexico State Aggies in the first quarter at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Stephen Johnson (15) drops back to pass the ball against the New Mexico State Aggies in the first quarter at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /

Stephen Johnson

Easily the most pleasant surprise for the Kentucky Wildcats was the outstanding performance by quarterback Stephen Johnson. A junior transfer, Johnson stepped in for the injured Drew Barker and absolutely dominated New Mexico State.

If Kentucky football had a quarterback problem before, then Johnson has silenced the concerns about the position for at least the next week.

That’s tremendous progress from the 55 passing yards Kentucky accumulated against the Florida Gators.

Johnson completed 17 of his 22 pass attempts for 310 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also ran for 51 yards on 10 carries, which thus opened the field for both the receivers and the running backs.

Johnson capitalized on the opportunities to move the ball downfield with his cannon of an arm.

Johnson was just as impressive when he tucked it and ran.

That’s passion.

Six different receivers caught passes against New Mexico State, which is a healthy way for Kentucky to run the offense. Johnson himself found a number of different players for significant gains, including the 54-yard bomb to Jeff Badet.

Johnson may or may not be the future of the Kentucky football program, but he proved quite capable of leading the offense in the short-term.

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