Levis, big special teams plays carry UK past Miami of Ohio
Kentucky quarterback Will Levis threw under pressure from a Miami of Ohio defender. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor Edit
@JDrumUK
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky's Barion Brown had a solid scouting report to offer Miami of Ohio on Saturday in the season opener at Kroger Field.
Unfortunately for the RedHawks, it came after the damage was done.
The Wildcats' talented freshman receiver returned the opening kickoff of the second half 100 yards for a touchdown, sparking No. 20 Kentucky to 14 points over the next 62 seconds and turning what had been a three-point game at the half into a decisive 37-13 win.
"I returned a lot (of kickoffs for touchdowns) my sophomore year," said Brown, a four-star recruit from Nashville, Tenn., "but it stopped my junior and senior year. They stopped kicking me the ball."
There were some nervous moments, however, for Brown, who had to wait and see if a replay review confirmed his touchdown after he dropped the football as he was crossing the goal line.
"It's a lesson learned," Brown said. "Always give the ball to the ref. That was my fault. I take the blame for that. You won't see that no more.
"It just felt great that I made a big play to help the offense and the defense pick it up and do what they needed to do."
It marked the first time that the Cats have returned a kickoff for a touchdown in 10 years under head coach Mark Stoops, who tied Hall of Famer Paul "Bear" Bryant atop UK's all-time coaching victories list with 60.
Brown said he called his shot before the game, telling teammates he was going to take one to the proverbial house on Monday when he heard that no player had done it for Stoops. It was the first 100-yard kickoff return for a score since Derrick Locke accomplished the feat in 2009 against Louisville, and only the 19th in program history.
"You saw some youngsters step up and really flash and show you how athletic they are," Stoops said.
The speedy Brown also caught three passes for 45 yards in his first game for the Cats, including a 38-yarder that nearly turned into another TD.
Kentucky Will Levis got his highly anticipated senior season off to a strong start by completing 21 of 32 passes for 303 yards and three touchdown passes in his first game under new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello. It could have been an even bigger night for the potential first-round draft choice, but he had one touchdown pass dropped and another picked off inside the Miami of Ohio 5-yard line.
Senior transfer Tayvion Robinson turned in a big performance for the UK receiving corps, catching six passes for 136 yards, and freshman Dane Key added a touchdown catch among his four receptions for 53 yards.
The Cats won despite stuggling to establish their trademark power running game with star tailback Chris Rodriguez serving an indefinite suspension. Kentucky finished with 50 net yards rushing on 26 carries, a figure hurt by 26 yards of losses on four sacks on a shaky night for the a rebuilt "Big Blue Wall."
"A win's a win. We're not going to apologize for that," UK junior center Eli Cox said. "... But obviously, that's not the standard we're used to seeing with our Big Blue Wall. We've got to earn that title back."
The Kentucky defense surrendered a touchdown on the RedHawks' opening drive of the game, but allowed only a pair of field goals the rest of the way. Junior outside linebacker had five tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and a blocked punt to lead UK.
In addition to Brown's big return, the UK special teams also came up with a blocked punt by J.J. Weaver, a 23-yard punt return by Robinson, and a 50-yard field goal by Matt Ruffolo, who tied his career long and was 3-for-3 on the night.
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In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...
KEY MOMENT:
With Kentucky clinging to a 13-10 halftime lead, freshman Barion Brown opened the third quarter with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to ignite the crowd at Kroger Field, and two plays later the defense delivered a big play of its own with a forced fumble by safety Tyrell Ajian to set up a Will Levis touchdown pass to Chauncey Magwood. In a span of 62 seconds, the three-point lead became a 17-point advantage, and UK never looked back.
GAME BALL:
Mark Stoops, Kentucky - The Wildcats' head coach, kicking off his 10th season in Lexington, tied one of college football's legendary coaching figures, Paul "Bear" Bryant, with his 60th win at UK.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st - Kickoff return for a touchdown for UK under head coach Mark Stoops, courtesy of freshman Barion Brown to start the third quarter.
1.9 - Yards per carry by the UK rushing attack.
3 - Touchdown catches by three different targets for UK -- tight end Brenden Bates, receiver Chauncey Magwood, and receiver Dane Key.
6 - Red-zone drives produced only 27 points for UK. Settling for field goals at the 6- and 16-yard lines and committing one turnover inside the 5 hurt the Cats' output.
17 - Straight non-conference wins for UK, the longest active streak in the nation.
90-37-5 - Kentucky's all-time record in openers, including a 7-3 record under Mark Stoops.
QUOTABLE:
"Going on the road next week, we better play better." -- UK head coach Mark Stoops
UP NEXT:
Kentucky travels to Gainesville, Fla. for the SEC opener againt the Gators. Florida (1-0) upset No. 7 Utah on Saturday in The Swamp, picking off a second-and-goal pass with 22 seconds remaining to secure a 29-26 victory which will likely set up a ranked matchup next week with the Cats.
