Three takeaways from Kentucky football’s shutout win over Youngstown State
Three takeaways from ninth-ranked Kentucky football’s 31-0 win over the Youngstown State Penguins on Saturday at Kroger Field:
1. No J.J. Weaver no problem, for now
Less than five minutes into the game Saturday, Kentucky lost possibly the best defensive player on its entire team when outside linebacker J.J. Weaver went down with what appeared to be an arm injury. The junior was taken to the locker room and never returned. He was seen watching the game from the tunnel with a brace on his elbow.
Weaver’s absence didn’t matter Saturday as the Wildcats blanked their FCS visitors for the first shutout of the Mark Stoops era and UK’s first since a 42-0 thumping of Miami (Ohio) at Paul Brown Stadium in 2009. It was Kentucky’s first home shutout since 1996.
Through three games, Brad White’s unit has turned in three stellar performances. It held Miami (Ohio) to a touchdown and two field goals in the opener. Last Saturday, at then No. 12-ranked Florida, the Wildcats made the night’s key plays — Jordan Wright’s game-changing interception; Keidron Smith’s pick six; two fourth-down stops in the fourth quarter — on the way to a 26-16 Kentucky victory.
Saturday, UK limited Youngstown State to 192 yards, 64 of which came on a well-designed screen pass. The Penguins were 0-for-10 on third down and managed just nine first downs on the entire afternoon.
Weaver’s injury is worrisome, however. After all, Weaver and Wright were outstanding on the edges at Florida. In his postgame press conference, Stoops said he should have a better medical update on Monday. He did say that he does not believe Weaver’s injury was anything season-ending. That’s good news. But with the meat of UK’s SEC schedule starting Oct. 1 at Ole Miss, the sooner Weaver can return, the better.
2. Chris Rodriguez’s return can’t come soon enough
Speaking of Ole Miss, we learned earlier in the week that Chris Rodriguez, UK’s first-team All-SEC running back, will be eligible to play starting with that trip to Oxford. The reason for Rodriguez’s suspension, as reported by the Herald-Leader’s Jon Hale, apparently has to do with an investigation into a UK hospital program that employed the school’s football players.
Without Rodriguez, and with a revamped offensive line, Kentucky’s rushing attack has struggled through these first three games. In the first quarter Saturday, six of Kentucky’s 12 official rushing plays (sacks included) produced negative yardage. By game’s end, the Wildcats managed 103 yards on 36 carries.
That’s a far cry from past campaigns, even last season when Stoops hired Liam Coen from the Los Angeles Rams to install a more NFL-style balanced attack. New coordinator Rich Scangarello, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach, has strived for the same balance. It’s been tough sledding so far, however. UK entered Saturday 123rd out of 131 FBS teams in rushing offense.
The offensive line figures heavily into the equation, of course. The Cats did lose a pair of NFL Draft choices (Luke Fortner and Darian Kinnard) from a year ago. Eli Cox was moved from guard to center. Kenneth Horsey was moved from tackle. Saturday, UK was without starting guard Tashawn Manning, who was held out while nursing an injury.
In fact, Kentucky’s second-stringers along the offensive line did not enter Saturday’s game until the game’s final two plays. No doubt Scangarello and new offensive line coach Zach Yenser feel the new line — Horsey at left tackle; Jager Burton at left guard; Cox at center; Quintin Wilson subbing for Manning at right guard; Jeremy Flax at right tackle — need as many snaps as possible.
“We need to be more consistent,” Stoops said Saturday. “That’s the biggest thing.”
3. Young receivers continue to be a bright spot
UK quarterback Will Levis was on point for most of the game, hitting 27 of 35 passes for 377 yards and two touchdowns. Levis did throw a pair of interceptions. He’s now thrown for six touchdowns with four interceptions on the season.
“Will continues to play at a high level,” Stoops said. “We need to be better around him.”
Stoops’ receivers, however, are stepping up to the task. True freshman Dane Key has now caught a touchdown pass in each of his first three college games. Key made six grabs for 90 yards and a score on Saturday. Fellow true freshman Barion Brown made five catches for 56 yards.
As promised by Scangarello early in the week, we got our first look at redshirt freshman Dekel Crowdus and true freshman speedster Jordan Anthony. Under pressure, Levis underthrew Anthony on a go-pattern. Crowdus, the former Frederick Douglass star, caught two balls for 17 yards.
“He can help us soon,” Stoops said Crowdus. “He can help us this year.”
Meanwhile, through three games, Key has 13 catches for 226 yards and three touchdowns, including that 55-yard score at Florida. Brown has nine catches for 99 yards. And don’t forget he returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in the season opener against Miami (Ohio).
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