LEXINGTON, Ky. — It was not always pretty, but Kentucky opened its most hyped season in decades with a 37-13 win over Miami (Ohio) on Saturday.
The game started on an inauspicious note for Kentucky with Miami driving 75 yards on 13 plays for an opening touchdown. UK needed just more than two minutes to respond with its own five-play, 79-yard touchdown drive capped off by a 6-yard pass from senior quarterback Will Levis to senior tight end Brenden Bates.
Kentucky took a 10-7 lead on a 34-yard Matt Ruffolo field goal with 9:22 left in the second quarter, but Miami answered with a 48-yard field goal to tie the game just more than three minutes later. Ruffolo put the Wildcats ahead again with a 25-yard field goal at the halftime buzzer.
Freshman wide receiver Barion Brown returned the opening kickoff of the second half 100 yards for a touchdown to give Kentucky the momentum it lacked in the first half. The Wildcats took control of the game two plays later after scoring a touchdown on a short field provided by a fumble recovery.
Levis completed 21 of 32 passes for 303 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Senior wide receiver Tayvion Robinson accounted for six catches for 136 yards. Playing without star running back Chris Rodriguez, who is expected to be suspended for multiple games to open the season due to an undisclosed off-field issue, the Wildcats totaled just 116 rushing yards in the game.
Kentucky’s defense held a Miami offense that ranked 21st nationally in passing offense (278.5 yards per game) last season to 179 passing yards.
The highlight of the Wildcats’ performance came from a highly touted group of freshmen. Brown caught three passes for 45 yards in addition to his kickoff return for a touchdown. Wide receiver Dane Key totaled four catches for 53 yards and one touchdown. Defensive tackle Deone Walker was credited with four tackles. Nickel back Alex Afari tallied six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack. Outside linebacker Keaten Wade was credited with three tackles and a key pass breakup on third down.
Turning point
With Kentucky nursing a 13-10 halftime lead, Brown showed why the recruiting analysts were so high on his potential with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half. It was the first kickoff return for a touchdown by a Kentucky player since Derrick Locke on Sept. 19, 2009. Two plays later, super senior safety Tyrell Ajian forced a fumble that Ole Miss cornerback transfer Keidron Smith returned to the Miami 8-yard lien to set up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Levis to sophomore wide receiver Chauncey Magwood.
Player of the Game: Tayvion Robinson
Earlier this week, Robinson said he was ready to move past the frequent comparisons to former Wildcat Wan’Dale Robinson, the slot receiver he was recruited to replace, but Tayvion did his best Wan’Dale impersonation in his debut. In three years at Virginia Tech, Robinson never recorded a 100-yard receiving game, but he had reached that plateau by halftime of his first game for Kentucky. Throughout the summer, Levis and UK coaches talked about the improved depth in the receiving room. That was on display with nine different players being targeted for passes, but just like Wan’Dale Robinson a year ago, Tayvion Robinson was the overwhelming favorite target of Levis with eight passes thrown his direction.
Key stat: sacks allowed
With Kentucky coaches choosing to ease senior left guard Kenneth Horsey back into action after an injury caused him to miss much of preseason camp, the Wildcat offensive line featured new starters at all five positions: left tackle David Wohlabaugh, left guard Jager Burton, center Eli Cox, right guard Tashawn Manning and right tackle Jeremy Flax. Horsey was back on the field for the second drive, but the offensive line looked like a group still finding its footing for most of the game. Levis was sacked four times. Kentucky averaged 1.9 sacks allowed per game last season. The pass protection was particularly worrisome in third-and-long situations where Miami knew Levis needed to pass. The issue did not cost Kentucky a win Saturday, but it’s difficult to imagine the Wildcats winning at Florida in a week without improvement protecting Levis.
