LEXINGTON — Eight times this season, a Kentucky opponent lost control of the football. Eight times, that team avoided a turnover by recovering the ball.
In the second quarter of Saturday’s game against Ohio, UK finally came up with the ball: Outside linebacker J.J. Weaver scooped it up and started going the other way.
Not so fast.
Weaver lost control of the ball before diving on it and regaining control.
Crisis averted.
“It took us a while to get that fumble, though, huh?” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said after his team’s 41-6 victory at Kroger Field. “I mean, I still just had to shake my head. I was like, ‘Really?’ But it was good. It was important at that moment, too, to buck up and keep them out of the end zone and get that turnover.”
Defensive coordinator Brad White expressed his delight that his players never let the fumble-centric frustration get the best of them.
“You gotta just keep playing,” he said. “It’s just one of those deals. … The guys rose up and then (created) the fumble right there. That was big. We needed that.”
Here are three takeaways from the Wildcats’ bludgeoning of the Bobcats:
In Kentucky’s fourth game last season, cornerback Maxwell Hairston had a breakout performance, returning two interceptions for touchdowns in a 45-28 win at Vanderbilt. In Kentucky’s fourth game this season, he returned an interception for a touchdown, pilfering Ohio quarterback Nick Poulos in the third stanza and taking it 25 yards to the house.
“You know, it’s crazy, I did think about that while I was taking a shower,” he said. “I was like, ‘Hey, last year, Week 4, I got my first pick six — well, two of them.’ It’s Week 4 now. Man, that’s God.”
Hairston detailed how the play unfolded, noting the Wildcats were in a “soft Cover-2” coverage.
“So I got a reroute,” he said. “I really tried to bait the quarterback, and he took it. So when I seen that ball — or really, I (saw) his eyes … I knew it was all me.”
Reaching the end zone, especially as a defender, never gets old for Hairston.
“I need to think of some touchdown celebrations, man,” he said. “I need to get better in that aspect, but it happened so fast. I’m just trying to find my fam.”
In last season’s outing against the Commodores, Hairston became the first Wildcat to tally two pick sixes in the same contest. Combined with his TD Saturday, he’s now tied atop the school’s record book with Dallas Owens (1974-77), who also scored three times on interception returns.
“That’s truly a blessing, and it’s an honor to be up there,” Hairston said. “Now that I’m tied for it, someone has to take first place (by himself). We’ll try to fulfill those shoes.”
When Alex Raynor’s 34-yard field goal sailed through the uprights in the third quarter, he made history.
It was his 12th consecutive made field goal dating back to last season’s game against Tennessee. Prior to Raynor, no UK placekicker had made more than 11 in a row. Austin MacGinnis reached 11 twice, first in the 2014-15 seasons and again in 2017.
Stoops joked that he “made one good decision” Saturday when he called a timeout in the second period on fourth down. Raynor had trotted onto the field to attempt a 56-yard field goal. Out of the timeout, UK went for — and converted — the fourth-down try. The Wildcats crossed the goal line one play later.
“Instead of putting all that pressure on (Raynor, we) let him keep that streak going,” Stoops said with a grin. “That one was going to be, what, 56 (yards)? And that’s right on that (range) — I think I’ve told you, it’s right at 55 I feel comfortable. Fifty-six yards into a little breeze? That’s putting a lot of heat on him.”
But Raynor’s pinpoint accuracy helps Bush Hamdan stay cool.
“He’s been tremendous,” said Hamdan, who is in his first season as Kentucky’s offensive coordinator. “And I think sometimes maybe it can influence — once you get to that fringe area, the 35 to the 25 (yard lines) — that playcalling.
“But, look, you’ve got to be aggressive, and you guys know that. You have to take your shots when it’s time to take your shots. But, obviously, a huge blessing the way we kick.”
If that means winning games on Raynor’s reliable leg?
So be it.
“I think everything just comes down to, how are we going to win this game, right? And how are we going to win the next game? And taking one step at a time,” Hamdan said. “And if that means being conservative at times, you’ve got to be conservative. If that means being aggressive, you’ve got to be aggressive. Got to have the feel for it.
“Ultimately, the goal is scoring one more point than the opposition.”
No, Kentucky didn’t pitch a shutout. But the Wildcats were close.
Ohio got on the board less than a minute into the final period on a 1-yard rush from running back Rickey Hunt Jr. But in sum, the Bobcats only totaled 223 yards (110 passing, 113 rushing) and were only 3 of 9 on third downs.
“They fought. They rose up,” White said of his unit. “We said, ‘Hey, listen, you play a good football team, they’re going to make plays, too. And there’s a reason they went to Iowa State (last season) and won.'”
All in all, White assessed Saturday as a “solid” showing for his group.
“Proud of the effort. A lot of things to clean up,” said White, before alluding to the challenge that awaits next: Ole Miss’ potent offense. “And we’ve gotta get them cleaned up here before next week.”
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
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Publish date : 2024-09-21 13:00:00
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