Five things you need to know from Kentucky football’s Blue-White Spring Game
Five things you need to know from the Kentucky Wildcats football team’s Blue-White Spring Game at Kroger Field on Saturday:
1. The “frozen tundra” of Kroger Field. Nothing screams “spring football game” like the turf of your stadium covered by snow an hour before the proceedings.
That was the situation Saturday at Kroger Field.
A snow squall blew in and and created a “Lambeau Field” effect.
All that was missing was Vince Lombardi.
At a time when the Big Blue Nation is genuinely stoked about the Kentucky football program, the winter wonderland had to have played the major role in the sparse crowd in Kroger Field on Saturday afternoon.
2. First-team offense shines. The best unit in the scrimmage was UK’s starting offense.
As you would expect of a returning starter at quarterback in a spring game, Will Levis was sharp. The senior QB completed seven of eight passes for 98 yards and led touchdown marches on the only two drives in which he played.
All three Kentucky backup QBs — ex-Lexington Catholic star Beau Allen (4-of-11 passing for 75 yards), former Somerset star Kaiya Sheron (4-of-9 for 48 yards) and Iowa transfer Deuce Hogan (7-of-11 for 51 yards and a TD) — led one touchdown drive apiece.
Returning star running back Christopher Rodriguez carried the ball twice for 11 yards and caught two passes for 21 yards and a TD.
Backup backs Kavosiey Smoke (10 carries, 54 yards) and Mike Drennen (10 carries, 43 yards, two touchdowns) got the bulk of the rushing action.
As promised, new UK offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello kept his attack fairly vanilla.
The Kentucky rushing attack did look to include far more outside zone than last season.
3. “The Robinson role.” It would be unfair to expect incoming Virginia Tech transfer Tayvion Robinson to match the departed UK slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson’s record-shattering production of a season ago.
But like Wan’Dale did in 2021, Tayvion looked explosive and shifty Saturday.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound product of Virginia Beach, Va., caught three passes for 42 yards.
True freshman Dane Key, the former Frederick Douglass High School star, also looked good. The 6-3, 190-pounder caught two balls for 43 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown catch.
4. A defensive standout. The stat stuffer for the Kentucky defense was redshirt freshman safety Jordan Lovett.
The 6-2, 198-pound North Hardin product had a game-high nine tackles (four more than anyone else in the contest) and also had two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry.
5. First UK spring game in three years. The coronavirus canceled the Blue-White Spring Game in both 2020 and 2021.
So Saturday’s spring scrimmage was the first for a Kentucky football team since April 12, 2019.
How long ago was that?
Of the four quarterbacks who played in that game, none are still in the UK program.
In a 64-10 Blue victory over the White, incumbent starting quarterback Terry Wilson completed 10 of 12 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns.
Backup QB Gunnar Hoak completed 23 of 30 for 262 yards and two TDs; ex-Lafayette High School star Walker Wood completed three of five passes for 19 yards and an interception; walk-on Kolbe Langhi went 0-of-2 passing with a pick.
This story was originally published April 9, 2022 at 2:40 PM.
