Football UK-LSU GAME NOTES

[Jeff Drummond]

KENTUCKY FOOTBALL POSTGAME QUOTES

KENTUCKY VS. LSU

KROGER FIELD – LEXINGTON, KY.

OCT. 9, 2021



FINAL SCORE: #16/14 Kentucky 42, LSU 21



Team Records and Series Information

• Kentucky is 6-0 overall, 4-0 in the Southeastern Conference. LSU is 3-3 overall, 1-2 in the SEC.
• LSU leads the series, 40-17-1, including 16-12 in games played in Lexington.
  • It is the first time UK has won consecutive home games vs. LSU since 1993 and 1995.
  • It is the first time that UK has defeated LSU and Florida in the same season since 1977.
  • It is the second-largest margin of victory vs. LSU, following 31-5 in 1999.
• Next for Kentucky: UK begins a two-game road trip on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Georgia. Game time is 3:30 p.m. and it will be televised on CBS.

What the Win Means for Kentucky

• Kentucky is 6-0 for the first time in 71 years (1950) and only the fifth time in school history.
• Kentucky is 4-0 in the SEC for the fourth time in school history (also 1949, 1950, 1977).
• Dating back to last season, Kentucky has won its last eight games. It is the fifth-longest win streak in school history.
• Longest win streaks in Kentucky history:
  • 12 in a row in 1909-10
  • 10 in a row in 1950
  • 9 in a row in 1977
  • 9 in a row in 1898-99
  • 8 in a row in 2020-21
• Kentucky is bowl-eligible for the sixth-straight season. Six consecutive bowl appearances would be a school record.
• UK has a five-game SEC winning streak, longest since a 10-game SEC streak from 1976-78.
• Kentucky has won seven in a row at home, longest since the 2006-07 teams won eight in a row at home.
• UK is 13-2 in its last 15 home night games.

Coach Mark Stoops

• This was Stoops’ 55th win as UK head coach. Paul “Bear” Bryant holds the school record with 60 victories.
• Stoops is now 55-50 at Kentucky. After two games of the 2016 season, his record was 12-26 but has gone 43-24 (.642) since.
• Stoops extended his school records for most home wins (40), total SEC wins (28) and total games coached at UK (105).
• Coach Stoops is in his ninth season as head coach of the Wildcats, tying Fran Curci (1973-81) for most seasons as head coach at UK.

Team Notes

• This is the most points Kentucky has ever scored against LSU in a regulation game.
  • UK defeated LSU, 43-37, in three overtimes in 2007.
• UK won the turnover battle tonight (1-0) for the first time this season.
  • UK also stopped LSU three times on fourth-down conversions (2 of 5).
• Kentucky rushed for 330 yards tonight, above 300 for the second time this season.
• UK had two 100-yard rushers tonight, first time since Chris Rodriguez Jr. and A.J. Rose did so in 2020 vs. South Carolina.
  • Second time that UK has had two 100-yard rushers vs. LSU, also Shawn Donigan and Terry Henry in 1979.
  • It was UK’s first 100-yard rusher against LSU since Artose Pinner in 2002.
• UK had 475 yards total offense tonight, most vs. LSU since garnering 573 yards in the 1998 win at LSU.
• Kentucky had four quarterback sacks tonight, most since six in the season opener vs. ULM.
• Kentucky led 14-0 at halftime. It is the second time in the last three games UK held the opponent scoreless in the first half, also 10-0 at South Carolina.

Player Notes

· Junior quarterback Will Levis accounted for UK’s first five touchdowns – three passing and two rushing.

• He completed 14 of 17 passes for 145 yards and three TDs.
• His three TD passes is the most for a UK quarterback since Terry Wilson at Louisville in 2018.
• He rushed 11 times for a net 75 yards and two TDs.
• With starting lineups available since 1993, he is the first quarterback since that time to win his first six starts.

· Junior running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. rushed 16 times for 147 yards and UK’s final touchdown of the game, an 18-yard jaunt that clinched the outcome. He averaged 9.2 yards per carry.

• It is his fifth rushing touchdown of the season and 22nd of his career.
• He also caught a three-yard touchdown pass on UK’s first offensive possession, his second receiving TD of the season.
• It is his fourth 100-yard game of the season. He is tied for seventh place in school history in 100-yard rushing games with 10.
• He has 2,129 career rushing yards, becoming the 10th player in school history to reach 2,000 rushing yards.
• He moved past Artose Pinner for ninth place in UK career history.
• It is the most rushing yards for a Wildcat vs. LSU since Al Baker (159) in 1990.

· Junior running back Kavosiey Smoke rushed 12 times for a career-high 104 yards, averaging 8.7 per attempt.

• He has 1,153 career rushing yards, moving past Shawn Donigan and Damon Hood for 34th place in UK history.

· Junior wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson caught eight passes for 60 yards and one touchdown.

· Sophomore running back JuTahn McClain scored his first collegiate touchdown tonight, a 25-yard TD reception in the fourth quarter.

· Senior linebacker Jacquez Jones led the Wildcats and tied his season high with nine tackles, including a two-yard tackle for loss.

· Senior linebacker DeAndre Square had eight tackles, including a quarterback sack.

• His sack in the first quarter caused a fumble, recovered by Josaih Hayes, setting up a TD drive.

· Senior cornerback Quandre Mosely had a career-high three pass breakups.

· Senior defensive end Josh Paschal made three tackles, including a six-yard tackle for loss.

· Sophomore defensive tackle Octavious Oxendine made three tackles, including the first two quarterback sacks of his career, good for 16 yards of loss.

· Sophomore noseguard Josaih Hayes made his first collegiate fumble recovery in the first quarter, setting up a touchdown drive.

· Senior punter Colin Goodfellow punted three times a 45.7-yard average, including two punts inside the 20-yard line.

· Sophomore noseguard Justin Rogers made his first collegiate start.

· Game captains for today were Josh Paschal, DeAndre Square, Will Levis and Luke Fortner