Three takeaways from Kentucky football’s win over the Akron Zips
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Game day: Kentucky 35, Akron 3
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Akron football game at Kroger Field in Lexington.
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Three takeaways from Kentucky football’s 35-3 win over the Akron Zips on Saturday night at Kroger Field:
1. Kentucky is 3-0 and unhappy
So the Cats are unbeaten. Three up, three down. They’ve won each o the three by double digits — 44-14 over Ball State; 28-17 over Eastern Kentucky and 35-3 over Akron. Three nonconference home games where Kentucky has taken care of business. On the scoreboard, at least.
So why are head coach Mark Stoops and offensive coordinator Liam Coen fuming? Because they have every right to be.
For the third straight game, UK’s offense turned in another frustrating performance.
On the one hand, the Cats scored 35 points on just 49 offensive plays. They outgained the visitors 450-239. Quarterback Devin Leary threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Ray Davis turned a broken pass play into a 58-yard touchdown, then sped 55 yards on the ground for another score. Tayvion Robinson caught five passes for 86 yards and a score. Tight end Jordan Dingle made four catches for 89 yards.
And yet, once again the Cats made too many mistakes. Penalties. Turnovers. Dingle fumbled into the end zone after making a 59-yard catch. A 64-yard TD pass from Leary to freshman Anthony Brown-Stephens was nullified by a holding penalty on Jager Burton. Akron intercepted a Leary pass when the quarterback and receiver Dane Key.
When will those mistakes be fixed?
“When it matters enough for us to fix them,” Coen said. “That’s when it’ll get fixed.”
2. Kentucky does have playmakers
With all the frustration on the offensive side of the ball, the Cats did average 9.2 yards per play. They produced 10 plays for 20-plus yards. One reason, Kentucky had just 49 offensive snaps was because they had so many home run plays.
Take Ray Davis. You knew the ex-Vanderbilt running back was good. He rushed for over 1,000 yards last year for the Commodores before transferring to Lexington. You might not have known he owned such big-play ability. Davis has good hands, great balance and an impressive burst. He finished with 72 rushing yards on seven carries and 97 receiving yards on three catches. His yards after catch: 105.
Take Tayvion Robinson. The senior wideout did muff a fourth quarter punt that gave Akron great field position. Before that, however, the ex-Virginia Tech Hokie made a terrific catch of a Leary pass for a 22-yard touchdown on a third-and-goal.
Take Jordan Dingle and Josh Kattus. Kentucky’s tight ends had caught just three passes through the first two games. Saturday, Kattus caught a 6-yard pass from Leary for the game’s first score and the Cincinnati native’s first collegiate touchdown. Even after Dingle fumbled into the end zone — “That can’t happen,” Coen said — Leary came right back to the sophomore for a 25-yard gain.
“We have guys who can make plays,” Stoops said. “We just need to be more consistent.”
3. Kudos to the Kentucky defense
There was plenty of talk during the week about the creative play-calling of Akron coach Joe Moorhead. Sure, the Zips were just 1-1, with the victory coming on a late scoop-and-score against FCS foe Morgan State. Moorhead’s presence on the opposite sideline made Akron dangerous.
At night’s end, Brad White’s defense had held the Zips out of the end zone. Akron averaged just 3.6 yards per play. The Zips gained just 49 rushing yards on 25 attempts. They completed 29 of 41 passes but for just 190 yards.
“I really appreciate the way the defense played the entire night,” Stoops said.
Now comes the SEC tests. Next Saturday brings not only UK’s first road game of the season, but also its first conference game in Vanderbilt. The Commodores are 2-2 after losing a heartbreaker 40-37 on a last-second field goal at UNLV on Saturday night.
But remember, Vanderbilt beat Kentucky 24-21 last season in Lexington. The Commodores are capable.
This story was originally published September 17, 2023 at 12:19 AM.
