Kentucky Football Countdown: 11 days till kickoff

Kentucky football season is almost here. Now only 11 days away from Football Time in the Bluegrass, let’s take a closer look at this year’s No. 11 and dive into some Kentucky football history.

#11 Zion Childress

Zion Childress is a new addition to the Kentucky secondary after spending the first two years of his collegiate career at Texas State. He was also pursued in the transfer portal by TCU and Washington before ultimately choosing to play for the Wildcats.

A low three-star recruit from New Caney, Tx., he played quarterback in high school but was recruited by many as a wide receiver. Despite his lack of experience on defense, he started in six games at nickel for Texas State as a true freshman. A starter last fall, Childress finished the season as a top 20 tackler in the Sun Belt. He accumulated 135 tackles, nine pass defections and an interception over two seasons . A versatile athlete that can play near the line of scrimmage or deep in the secondary, he is beginning his Kentucky career as a safety. It’s unclear how much he will play right away, but Zion Childress gives the defensive backs much-needed depth.

#11 Rick Norton

Babe Parilli was the first great Kentucky quarterback. A little more than a decade late Rick Norton rose to stardom for the Wildcats. A first team All-American in 1965, he set the single-season UK passing record with 1,823 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was a first round draft pick by the Miami Dolphins in 1966, the expansion franchise’s first ever draft selection.

No. 11 in the AP Poll

That is where the Wildcats fell in the final AP Poll of the 2018 season, tied for the third-best finish in school history. Lynn Bowden starred for that team at wide receiver. He concluded his Kentucky career averaging 11.65 yards per play. Not too shabby.

Josh Allen was the best defensive player in college football. An explosive disruptor, he forced 11 fumbles in throughout his Kentucky football career. It’s one of the few records he did not outright break. Allen is tied with Danny Trevathan for the most forced fumbles in UK history.

An Historic Kentucky Football Win

In 2011 Kentucky shocked the world by rolling out wide receiver Matt Roark at quarterback in the season finale at Commonwealth Stadium. Completely thrown off guard, unsuspecting Tennessee allowed a field goal on the opening drive, a score that would prove to tilt the game in the Wildcats’ favor. Roark ran for 124 yards and Kentucky rocky topped Tennessee 10-7, snapping a 26-year losing streak to the Volunteers.