Five things you need to know from UK football’s 23-21 win over North Carolina State
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Gator Bowl wrap-up: Kentucky 23, North Carolina State 21
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-North Carolina State Gator Bowl football game at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.
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Five things you need to know from Kentucky football’s 23-21 win over No. 24 North Carolina State in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl:
1. The Kentucky defense won the game. UK intercepted three Bailey Hockman passes. The last two, by Yusuf Corker and Jamin Davis off a De’Andre Square deflection, set up Kentucky’s final 10 points at a time when the Wildcats offense was struggling.
The Cats held an explosive N.C. State attack — which entered the game averaging over 31 points and 391 yards a game — to 318 total yards, only 50 on the ground.
2. A.J. Rose took a final star turn. The UK senior was often seen as “the other back” at Kentucky in his career, first to Benny Snell, then to Christopher Rodriguez.
But in what was presumably his final game in Wildcats blue, Rose was UK’s offensive star. Rose ran for 148 yards on only 12 carries.
In his final game as a Cat, Rose was unquestionably Kentucky’s star.
3. The Big Blue Wall went out in style. The powerful offensive line that the late John Schlarman built at Kentucky took a memorable curtain call.
With seniors Landon Young (left tackle), Drake Jackson (center) and Luke Fortner (right guard) graduating, and All-America right tackle Darian Kinnard NFL-Draft eligible as a junior, this was the final time UK fans will see this iteration of “The Big Blue Wall.”
Kentucky ran for 284 yards. With the Wildcats seeking to put the game away, Christopher Rodriguez ran 26 yards off the left side of the line untouched for the clinching TD.
It was an appropriate way for the offensive front that became the identity of the UK football program to go out.
3. Mark Stoops makes more UK football history. Stoops is now 3-2 in bowl games, joining Bear Bryant (3-1) and Rich Brooks (3-1) for the most bowl victories by a Kentucky head coach.
Stoops ends the season with a 49-50 overall mark as UK head man. He needs 12 more victories as Kentucky coach to pass Bryant (60-23-5 from 1946-53) as UK’s all-time winningest coach.
5. Another ranked victory for Stoops, UK. With its victory over the No. 24 Wolfpack, Kentucky finished its season 2-4 vs. opponents ranked in the AP Top 25 at the time of the game.
Stoops is now 7-19 vs. ranked teams as UK head man.
Only Bear Bryant (9-10) and Fran Curci (9-19-1) have more victories over ranked foes as Kentucky head coach than Stoops.
Fashion show
In its fifth-straight bowl game, Kentucky wore silver chrome helmets, blue jerseys with white letters and numbers and blue pants.
UK is now 5-1 in the silver chrome-blue-blue uniform combination since the start of the 2015 season.
This story was originally published January 2, 2021 at 3:47 PM.
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