Kentucky Takes Care of Business in Sloppy 35-3 Win over Akron
Kentucky concluded the first quarter of the 2023 season like it did in each of the first three games. They produced some eye-opening moments in-between some ugly mistakes that prevented the Cats from blowing the doors off a non-Power Five opponent at Kroger Field. Kentucky eventually pulled away in the fourth quarter with a 35-3 victory over Akron.
The Big Blue Nation will litigate the mistakes throughout the week, but first, the good. Devin Leary completed 16-of-26 passes for 315 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. His most impressive play of the day wasn’t made with his arm. The throw was easy. Shaking off four tacklers was the challenge.
Some how, some way, Leary stayed on his feet and floated the ball out to Ray Davis in the flat. The Kentucky running back turned a bunch of sour lemons into lemonade by flipping the field and going 58 yards to the house.
Davis doubled-down three players later with another incredible explosive play. Following an Akron three-and-out, Coen put the ball back in Davis’ hands and the Vanderbilt transfer knifed through the Zips for a 55-yard diving score. He finished the day with 169 total yards and two touchdowns.
Kentucky Self-Inflicted Mistakes Continue
Two plays sum up Kentucky’s season to this point in a nutshell. Devin Leary fit a pass into a tight window down the seam. Jordan Dingle made the contested one-handed catch look easy, hauling the pass in stride while marching 59 yards down the field and into the red zone. But instead of falling to the ground when the second and third Akron tacklers swarmed, he kept fighting and pushing. The ball was stripped and recovered by Akron in the end zone.
The self-inflicted mistakes continued in the third quarter. Leary bought time, scrambled left and found a WIDE open Anthony Brown-Stephens deep downfield for a 64-yard touchdown pass. Two yellow flags waived off the freshman’s first career touchdown, holding by Jager Burton. Leary threw an interception on the next play, a miscommunication with his intended target.
Kentucky has looked so good at times, and also shot themselves in the foot so many times. Two snaps over Devin Leary’s head cost Kentucky 33 yards and nearly derailed a two-minute drive before halftime. A delay of game penalty pushed the Cats out of field goal range. In the fourth quarter Tayvion Robinson muffed a punt. Three weeks into the season and Kentucky still hasn’t outgrown its growing pains.
Tayvion Robinson makes another Terrific Touchdown Catch
In week two Leary delivered a dime to Tayvion Robinson to get a much-needed touchdown in the final seconds before halftime. The encore in week three might have been even more impressive.
Following the second bad snap of the night, Kentucky stared down the barrel at third and goal from the 22-yard line. There was no panic in the offense. Leary calmly sat back in the pocket and put the ball right on the money for Robinson to reel in another excellent touchdown with only eight seconds on the clock.
Kentucky Defense Applies Pressure (and gets Third Down Stops)
One trend that did change in week three: the Kentucky defense got off the field on third downs. Entering Saturday’s game against Akron the Wildcats ranked No. 124 on third down defense, allowing opponents to convert 51.7% of the time. This week’s opponent got Zipped up.
Akron only converted 6-of-15 third downs, in large part thanks to pressure in the backfield. Trevin Wallace had two of Kentucky’s five sacks. If D.J. Irons got a pass off, Maxwell Hairston and the Kentucky secondary were screaming down the field to make the tackle. The UK cornerback led the team in tackles with seven as the Wildcats held Akron to just 189 total yards before the Zips’ moved the sticks in garbage time.
Kentucky vs. Akron Box Score
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