The page turns to week two for Kentucky football, which will host the Akron Zips. But first, we give another look at an impressive week one win.
In a game where Kentucky was favored to win by as many as 26.5, the Wildcats didn’t disappoint, topping Ball State, 44-14. Despite only having possession of the football but a little more than 20 minutes, UK made the most of their offensive drives, scoring on six of their nine possessions.
Plenty of Wildcats had a hand in the win, as the 30-point victory was the largest margin for Kentucky football since a week three win over Youngstown State last season.
Overall, big blue nation should be proud of a big win over a respectable FBS opponent, in a week where many power conference teams beat up on FCS teams.
These are the game balls and position group grades we give out for Kentucky football against Ball State:
Game Balls: Ray Davis (RB), Dane Key (WR), Kahlil Saunders (DL)
I do want to start with some honorable mentions. Wide receiver Barion Brown had 3 receptions for 39 yards and a 99-yard kick return for a touchdown. Trevin Wallace led the Wildcats with 12 total tackles, with 2 going for a loss, including 0.5 sacks. Alex Afari Jr. also impressed with 8 tackles, with 1.5 TFL.
However, Ray Davis, Dane Key, and Kahlil Saunders were all dominant from start to finish, propelling Kentucky football to a 1-0 start.
Ray Davis
The transfer from Vanderbilt didn’t waste any time in showing out for his new SEC team. Davis led the ground attack with 14 carries for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns. His longest rush went for 30 yards and he also caught 3 passes for 10 yards.
On a day where Devin Leary was good, but not great, Davis made up for it. Kentucky will gain a lot of attention for their skill in the passing game, but it’s clear that the rushing game might not be too far behind. Davis is a veteran and had the best game of any UK offensive player.
Dane Key
While Barion Brown may have had the most electrifying play for the Wildcats, Key actually outperformed his teammate in the receiving game. Last season, Key was second or third to Brown in most receiving categories but did finish with the most TDs (6). Against Ball State, Key looked like the top option.
The rising sophomore finished with 5 receptions, 96 yards, and a touchdown. His 5-yard TD reception helped give the Wildcats a 30-7 lead, and a 44-yard catch on the first play of the game was his longest of the day. Key lived up to his name, as one of the keys for the Wildcats’ big win.
Kahlil Saunders
A defensive lineman for the Wildcats, Saunders’ impact was felt by opposing quarterbacks Layne Hatcher and Kadin Semonza.
Near the end of the second half, Saunders came up with a huge sack of Hatcher for a loss of 10 yards. It helped Kentucky get the ball back on offense, which led to an extra field goal before halftime.
Then, to start the third quarter, Saunders and Trevin Wallace combined for a sack of Semonza on third down. That was crucial, as the Cardinals were in Kentucky territory only down two possessions. It forced a punt and UK capitalized and put the game out of reach with a touchdown drive.
Grading the offense:
Against a solid MAC team in Ball State, Kentucky football showed why they are a competitive SEC team. The Wildcats went for 37 points on offense and 357 total yards. UK averaged 5.8 yards per rush and put up these numbers while only having possession of the football for 21:44 of game time.
With this being said, it was far from an offensive showcase. After week one, Kentucky football was 12th out of the 14 SEC teams in total yards. They were also bottom five in points scored.
Obviously, the lack of time of possession played into this, but Devin Leary also wasn’t as sharp as could be. The NC State transfer completed less than 60% of his passes and threw an interception. While he still looked all the part of a talented starter, he had some hiccups and didn’t maximize how good the offense could have been. If Leary can play better week two against Akron, the offensive grade will go up.
Offensive grade: B+
Grading the defense:
Coming into the game, I predicted Ball State to cover at +26.5, and part of the reason was an experienced offensive group. UK ended up covering, and that’s largely in part due to a Wildcats defense holding the Cardinals to 14 points.
Back to the time of possession, you can certainly fault the Wildcats D for not letting the Wildcats O on the field as much. In fact, Ball State finished with 18 first downs, to Kentucky’s 17.
But when it comes down to it, the defense continually held the Cardinals off the board. Only allowing 14 points and coming up with two turnovers is a recipe for a win pretty much every time.
The Wildcats team defense also gave up less than 300 yards, which is a pretty good goal to reach. More weeks like this will lead to more wins. SEC play won’t be this easy, but it’s a good sign of what’s ahead.
Defensive grade: A-
Grading the special teams:
Can you really chalk it up much better?
Kentucky kicked off six times. They went for six touchbacks.
The Wildcats also punted twice for a total of three yards.
But UK made their presence felt on the other end. Brown’s 99-yard TD return pretty much automatically gives this grade an A+. When you get points from special teams and allow next to no return yards, that’s a pretty good day.
Special teams grade: A+