QUICK TAKES: Kentucky 35, Akron 3
Darrion Henry-Young chased down Akron quarterback DJ Irons for a sack in the first half of Saturday's game. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
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@JDrumUK
In our regular postgame feature, the Cats Illustrated staff offers its first impressions from Kentucky's 35-3 win over Akron on Saturday night at Kroger Field...
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
I think it's pretty easy to break down the good and the bad in this one. The hard thing is to get a good read on the big picture since Kentucky has faced a weaker slate of opponents than most Power Five teams. The bottom line is Kentucky has to play a lot cleaner once SEC play begins. Leaving touchdowns on the field for penalties, snap issues, and some of the other problems they've faced in terms of operational or tempo matters, will be killers against better teams. But Devin Leary opens up the passing game quite a bit and he had a good night. Ray Davis also showed just how incredibly versatile and reliable he is. He's been better than I thought. The defense had a strong night as well, including improvements on third down. The blocking was not really consistent and there was too much pressure on Leary at times. It took a while to establish the run game. 3-0 is the big takeaway but let's be honest: We know they'd be here. Whether this is a much-improved football team from a year ago is still an unanswered question.
JEFF DRUMMOND:
This one started on a really good note with a touchdown drive to open the game by the Kentucky offense and a three-and-out by the Wildcats' defense. Unfortunately, the offense fell back into its sloppy habits that we saw in the EKU victory, resulting in a disappointing 14-0 lead at halftime. The second half was much better, and the final score may wind up looking like a blowout to some who did not see the game, but the Cats left a lot of potential points on the field again with drops, penalties, poor snaps, and a couple of fumbles. It was troubling to see those mistakes once again this week after so much time was spent talking about "cleaning things up." Fortunately, Ray Davis came up with three explosive plays on the night to highlight the victory. He was sensational. I would argue he needs the ball in his hands more than 10 times as he averaged almost 17 yards per touch. The defense was solid throughout, getting strong play from every level. Any time you allow only three points in a game, regardless of opponent strength, you have to be pleased. Good to see some of the backups contributing with nice plays like Darrion Henry-Young, Keaten Wade, and Martez Thrower.
