Kentucky
First time under the lights: Kentucky football hosts Akron
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky football looks to move on from a stumbling start against Eastern Kentucky last week as it prepares to host Akron this Saturday at Kroger Field.
The Wildcats will play their first game under the lights when they host the Zips with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m.
The Cats are 16-4 in their last 20 home night games, and they went 3-1 last season in night games at home. UK will host Akron for just the second time in program history, with the Wildcats topping the Zips, 47-10, in their lone meeting in 2010.
The high-powered Kentucky offense expected with the return of Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen, who is expected to return to the sidelines Saturday, has yet to reach its potential. How the game — and perhaps the rest of the season — will fare, may rest on the shoulders of transfer quarterback Devin Leary. Leary’s stat sheet is respectable, completing 60% of his passes for five touchdowns on two interceptions for the season. But the offense had stalled starts against both Ball State and EKU with him under center.
In his Monday press conference, head coach Mark Stoops acknowledged some missteps in the offense but noted Leary’s improved play in the second half against EKU. “I have a ton of confidence in him [Leary],” Stoop said. “He missed some throws. We mis-ID’ed a couple things we’ve got to continue to tighten down. We had a couple of drops and in the second half we didn’t.”
Kentucky has plenty of offensive weapons at its disposal. To fill the gap left by three-year starter Chris Rodriguez Jr., the Wildcats have turned to senior Ray Davis as their featured running back. Davis leads all rushers with 164 rushing yards on 26 careers and two touchdowns. JuTahn McClain and Ramon Jefferson have also taken handoffs from Leary, accounting for a combined 50 yards.
UK has a bevy of talented receivers to choose from as well. Senior Tayvion Robinson leads all receivers with 174 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore duo Dane Key and Barion Brown have also seen the end zone once each, with 138 receiving yards and 90 receiving yards, respectively.
Solid play from UK’s defense has been a balm for a stilted offense. The Kentucky defense has held both of its opponents to under 20 points. They held Ball State under 300 years and allowed just 311 total yards to EKU.
Akron is the second Mid-American Conference opponent to face the Wildcats at Kroger Field. The Zips are 1-1 on the season, with a win 24-21 win over Morgan State last week and a 24-21 road loss to Temple in Week 1.
One thing to look for will be who is under center for the Zips. Senior DJ Irons leads the team with 262 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception. Against Morgan State, fellow senior Jeff Undercuffler also saw some action, completing 72% of his passes for one touchdown and three interceptions. Irons is listed as QB 1 on the depth chart.
So far, the Zips don’t have much of a ground game to speak of. Lead rusher Drake Anderson has 67 rushing yards on 13 carries and Akron has just 78 cumulative rushing yards for the season.
Kentucky will see some familiar faces on the opposing sideline Saturday. Ashland native Blake Hester is the kick returner for the Zips, with 139 yards on five kickoff returns, including a 47-yard return against Morgan State. Former UK tight end Nik Ognenovic transferred to Akron after two seasons with the Cats.
A win for Kentucky would be the program’s 19th straight nonconference win in the regular season and its 17th straight nonconference win at Kroger Field.
Kentucky
Former Sheriff Shawn ‘Mickey’ Stines indicted for murder of Kentucky judge
Two months after video showed him shooting a Kentucky judge at point-blank range in his chambers, former Sheriff Shawn ‘Mickey’ Stines has been indicted for murder.
The indictment, announced jointly by state and local prosecutors, charges Stines with shooting and killing Letcher County District Court Judge Kevin Mullins. Stines is scheduled to appear for his arraignment on Monday, Nov. 25.
RELATED STORY | Video shows Kentucky judge try to hide as he’s gunned down in chambers
At a probable cause hearing in October, prosecutors showed a silent video that appeared to show Stines walking into the judge’s chambers with a weapon and firing multiple times at the victim, who frantically tried to escape under his desk.
Stines, who was sheriff at the time of the shooting, resigned on Oct. 1, hours before appearing in court to plead not guilty to murder charges.
RELATED STORY | Kentucky sheriff charged with fatally shooting a judge pleads not guilty in first court appearance
Investigators have not offered any potential motive for the murder. Those who knew Stines and Mullins said the two had worked together for years and were friends.
To date, prosecutors have not announced whether they will seek the death penalty.
This story was originally published by Lauren Silver at Court TV.
Kentucky
BY THE NUMBERS: Texas 31, UK 14
Kentucky played Texas competitively during stretches of Saturday’s game in Austin but an ugly stretch in the second quarter gave the Horns a lead they would never relinquish.
Here are some of the key numbers that tell the story of what happened in the game.
209 … More yards for Texas than Kentucky. That’s not surprising but speaks to the challenge. The Horns had 441 yards of offense with a lot of balance (250 on the ground, 191 through the air) while the Cats mustered only 211 yards of offense, almost all of which was passing.
160 … The total passing yards for Cutter Boley. The freshman was 10/18 for 160 yards and an interception. Boley entered the game because Brock Vandagriff was struggling and he did a lot to impress. He saw the field well, made some confident reads and delivered catchable balls down the field.
158 … Rushing yards for Texas’ Quintrevion Wisner. The Longhorns rushed for 250 yards on the game.
25:30 … Time of possession for Kentucky in the game. Any upset bid would have been aided by Kentucky controlling the ball more than Texas. That did not happen.
20 … Carries for Kentucky running backs Jamarion Wilcox (50 yards) and Demie Sumo-Karngbaye (30 yards). Wilcox had a long of 18 while DSK’s long was just six yards. The backs had decent success considering the opponent but Boley was charged with -57 rushing yards.
17 … Second quarter points for the Longhorns. That’s when the game appeared to be decided. First, the Horns went 65 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown. Then after a Vandagriff pick they scored again quickly before adding a field goal as the half ran out.
11 … Fumbles in the game. It was almost comical how often the ball was bouncing at times. Kentucky fumbled five times but didn’t lose one of them, while Texas fumbled six times and lost two.
10 … Tackles for sophomore Texas linebacker Anthony Hill, who we said coming into the game was playing at an All-American level. He had two sacks and three tackles for loss as the most active, productive Texas defender in the game. He was a problem Kentucky couldn’t account for.
6 … Sacks by the Texas defense. That led to UK only being credited with 21 rushing yards on the game, but more important was the impact on UK’s offensive results. The protection issues have been persistent all season.
2/12 ... Kentucky on third down. That’s not going to get it done in a game like this. That’s a big reason why Texas ran 23 more plays than Kentucky, and had the ball for 10 minutes longer. The big problem was that Kentucky averaged 11.1 yards to go on third down today.
0 … The turnover margin in the game. That gave Kentucky a chance to play somewhat competitively. Both teams had seven points off turnovers with UK’s being Jamon Dumas-Johnson’s return.
Kentucky
Quinn Ewers Returns vs. Kentucky Wildcats After Exiting Medical Tent
AUSTIN — Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers went into the medical tent in the second quarter of Saturday’s home finale against the Kentucky Wildcats after the conclusion of a touchdown drive. Ewers appeared to have his ankle rolled up on earlier in the possession but never went off to the sidelines despite having a small limp.
Fortunately for the Longhorns, he was right back on the field for Texas’ next drive after an acrobatic interception from Jelani McDonald. A few plays later, he connected with Gunnar Helm for his second touchdown catch of the day on a 17-yard score.
Ewers has, of course, been no stranger to injuries during his time at Texas. He’s in his third year with Texas but has missed a total of seven games as a Longhorn due to injury, with at least two absences in each season. This included two missed games this season due to an oblique injury he suffered against UTSA.
Naturally, the conversation of him earning the “injury-prone” label is a real one to have, but head coach Steve Sarkisian sees things differently.
“I don’t necessarily think so,” Sarkisian said. “Sometimes injuries happen because they happen, you know? … I mean, when a guy gets pile-drived on his shoulder, there’s a pretty good chance — it doesn’t matter who you are — your shoulder is probably going to be sore to some capacity. Or when you get pile-drived and your clavicle gets, gets popped. I mean, I don’t know many guys that would have withstood that hit from Dallas Turner a couple years ago. That was an odd hit. And I’ve seen that injury, that same injury Quinn had that year, Jalen Hurts had as well. Oddly enough, he has the oblique strain there a few weeks ago, and I’m watching the game the other night. Derek Carr is out of the game, oblique strain.”
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