Kentucky Records Within Reach for Wan'Dale Robinson

On3 imageby:Nick Roush11/12/21

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It has not been a great month for the Kentucky football program. Despite the three-game losing streak, a few Wildcats have records within reach. Nobody is climbing the UK record book quicker than Wan’Dale Robinson.

Robinson currently has 71 receptions for 811 yards and six touchdowns. With three regular season games remaining and a bowl game, the UK pass-catcher has four opportunities to etch his name into the Kentucky football record book.

What Wan’Dale Must Do to Break Records

  • Receptions — James Whalen had 90 receptions in 1999. Wan’Dale needs to catch 20 more passes, or five a game down the stretch. He’s only had one game with less than five receptions this season.
  • Receiving Yards — Craig Yeast racked up 1,311 receiving yards in 1999. Wan’Dale needs exactly 500 to tie that mark, a difficult but obtainable task. Even if he does not reach that mark by averaging 125 yards over the final four games, he could become the first Mark Stoops player to record 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Lynn Bowden’s 745 in 2018 are the most by a receiver in the Stoops era.
  • 100-yard Receiving Games — Only two players have recorded more 100-yard receiving games in a single season, James Whalen (5) and Craig Yeast (7). To catch Yeast’s receiving yards record, he’ll probably have to set this record too.

Other Record-Chasing Wildcats

Wan’Dale is not alone. A few other Wildcats have records within reach. Chris Rodriguez had consecutive subpar performances against Georgia and Mississippi State, but he can still have an historic season.

  • If Rodriguez maintains his current average of 102 yards per game, he’ll finish the season with 1,316 rushing yards, just a few outside of the top five rushing totals in UK history.
  • Lynn Bowden has the most rushing yards in a season by a Mark Stoops player (which is wild, considering it was just half a season). Rodriguez needs to average 137.8 yards per game to surpass Bowden’s 1,468 yards from 2019.
  • Initially on track to take down Moe Williams’ seemingly untouchable 1,600-yard record, he’s got a lot of work to do. It will take at least 170.75 yards per game over the last four to hold the UK single-season rushing record.
  • If Rodriguez maintains his 6.5 yards per carry average, he’ll finish his career ranked third, only trailing Bowden and Boom Williams.

Josh Paschal has recorded 10.5 tackles for loss in just nine games. With 31 in his career, he only needs two more to rank sixth in UK history. Six TFLs in the final four games is a tall task, but it would move him into a tie for fifth with Bud Dupree, Marlon McCree and Vincent “Sweet Pea” Burns. What’s even more remarkable is that he’s done it all while also defeating cancer.

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2024-03-28