Three Plays: Old faces, new faces shine for Kentucky

There are a pair of practices to get through this week, but for the most part, Kentucky wrapped up its spring football schedule on Saturday in a modified spring game at Kroger Field. Not a whole lot was shown, but enough was there to know what Kentucky has.

After taking in the game live and then reviewing the broadcast replay on Sunday, there were a few plays that jumped out as the Wildcats seem prepared to make some noise in 2022. Similar to what KSR does after every football game in the fall, we’re pulling out the three plays that caught our eye on Saturday.

Both new and old faces made an impact.

Chris Rodriguez remains a key target in the red zone

When you looked at the stats at the end of the season and realized that Chris Rodriguez Jr. only had nine rushing touchdowns despite collecting 1,379 yards on the ground. However, Kentucky went to a unique approach in goal-to-go situations.

Instead of hammering Chris Rodriguez up the middle, Kentucky threw to the tailback multiple times, and the star running back recorded receiving touchdowns against Iowa, LSU, and Missouri. That does not appear to be going away under new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello.

On the first possession of the game, Will Levis hit Chris Rodriguez on a checkdown to get the drive started. On a third down inside the 10, Kentucky goes to a nifty screen call to create an easy touchdown.

Scangarello catches the defense in a five-man rush look with linebacker Jacquez Jones running a loop to rush off the edge and fill the C gap. That allows Rodriguez to sneak to make a nifty one-hand grab as center Quintin Wilson records the key block to give Kentucky an early touchdown.

Throwing the ball to the back appears to be a point of emphasis this season. Expect the Wildcats to continually target this position in goal-to-go situations.

Darrion Henry-Young flashes his tools

Tashawn Manning (Auburn) and Tayvion Robinson (Virginia Tech) have gotten more attention as new additions added in the spring from the transfer portal, but Kentucky also added a piece for the defensive line. Darrion Henry-Young (Ohio State) joins the program with a ton of upside.

The redshirt sophomore is playing defensive end for Kentucky and brings a ton of length to the position. That could allow him to make a pass-rushing impact, but that skill set can also be used when fitting the run.

On the run concept, Young beats right guard Jager Burton to the punch and that immediately gives the defender a heavy advantage. Once the arms get extended, Henry-Young is in the driver’s seat to make a play as long as he keeps leverage on the ball. The transfer does a good job locating the ball carrier and finishes the rep with a havoc play.

The former top-150 recruit has some legit playmaking juice, and that should give him a role on the defense this season.

Dane Key flashes

Legacy recruit Dane Key was always a huge target on the trail for the Kentucky football program. The Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass wideout picked the home school over Michigan, Oregon, and South Carolina and decided to enroll early. The 6-foot-3 receiver is going to make an impact.

The best offensive play of the scrimmage occurred when Beau Allen was behind center with the ones.

On the play-action concept, Allen gets a nice, clean pocket that is created by a seven-man protection. Meanwhile, the run action helps open up some holes in zone coverage. Before the linebackers can get back to the required depth in their drops, Allen layers the ball into Key on the dig route. The freshman wideout gives his quarterback a big target and reels in the reception with some arm extension to create a big play.

Expect play-action concepts to be heavily utilized on early downs in the Kentucky offense as defenses will be committed to stopping the run. That will ultimately create throwing lanes in the middle of the field where a big outside receiver like Key can make an impact due to his size and catch radius.