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Will Levis tied a career best with four touchdown passes, including critical scores of 70 and 40 yards to Barion Brown and Tayvion Robinson, respectively, after halftime, and No. 8 Kentucky held off Northern Illinois 31-23 on Saturday night. After allowing the pesky Huskies a tying touchdown seconds before halftime, Levis put the Wildcats (4-0) ahead 21-14 just 58 seconds into the third quarter by hitting Brown across the middle on third and 10. Coming a snap after the senior quarterback was nearly intercepted, it was just what Kentucky needed to gain room from a NIU squad unfazed by being 26-point underdogs. Matt Ruffolo's 49-yard field goal later in the third provided a 10-point cushion and came during a hot stretch in which Levis completed eight consecutive attempts. Levis later found Tayvion Robinson, who spun off a tackle and ran 40 yards for his second TD to make it 31-17 with 8:46 remaining.

That cushion helped as the Huskies fought back to within 31-23 with 2:47 left on Justin Lynch's 2-yard run after a defensive holding penalty. Ethan Hampton's two-point conversion pass failed, Kentucky recovered the onside kick and Levis knelt to seal the win. Levis overcame five sacks to complete 18 of 26 passes for 303 yards, his third 300-yard effort this season, with chunk plays comprising each TD. Robinson (seven catches, 147 yards) also had a 69-yard score on a crossing pass just as Levis was a second away from a crushing sack. Brown caught four passes for 102 yards and two scores, including a 15-yarder on Kentucky's first possession. NIU (1-3) drove 75 yards on the opening possession for Hampton's 2-yard TD pass to Tristan Tewes, who also snagged a 3-yard score from Shemar Thornton six seconds before halftime. The Huskies made it a one-score game late but lost their third in a row and second in as many weeks to a Southeastern Conference school. - Kentucky/AP College Football

(DS#4 QB) rSr/2023

QB Will Levis, Kentucky
News Source: Kentucky/AP College Football
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09/24/22 - Devin Leary, rSr/2024, Kentucky, 6-1, 215 (DS#15 QB) + More +

Devin Leary threw for 320 yards and four touchdowns - including a 75-yarder on the first play from scrimmage - and No. 12 North Carolina State routed UConn 41-10 on Saturday night. Leary completed 32 of 44 passes for the Wolfpack (4-0), while throwing touchdowns to four different receivers, including one to sophomore Porter Rooks for the first score of his career. Victor Rosa scored the lone touchdown for UConn (1-4) on an 11-yard run late in the fourth quarter.

The Wolfpack, tuning up for a showdown with No. 5 Clemson next week, wasted no time in putting points on the board as Leary connected with Thayer Thomas on the very first play from scrimmage. It was the longest play from scrimmage of the season for N.C. State, and it was also the first time the team has scored on its first offensive play of a game since 1991. N.C. State scored on its first five possessions and led 31-0 before UConn got on the board. After Camryn Edwards intercepted Leary, Noe Ruelas kicked a 28-yard field goal for the Huskies as time expired in the second quarter. UConn had just 160 yards of total offense and converted only 2-of-12 third downs. - North Carolina State/AP College Football

(DS#15 QB) rSr/2024

QB Devin Leary, Kentucky
News Source: North Carolina State/AP College Football
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09/19/22 - Tashawn Manning, rSr/2023, Kentucky, 6-3, 327 (DS#25 OG) + More +

University of Kentucky's offensive line lost a pair of NFL Draft choices (Luke Fortner and Darian Kinnard) and a third starter (Dare Rosenthal). Eli Cox moved from guard to center. Kenneth Horsey moved from guard to left tackle. With right guard Tashawn Manning absent Saturday because of an injury, UK has played just one game (Florida) with its expected starting line - Horsey at left tackle; Jager Burton at left guard; Cox at center; Manning at right guard; Jeremy Flax at right tackle. - Herald Leader

(DS#25 OG) rSr/2023

OG Tashawn Manning, Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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09/17/22 - Will Levis, rSr/2023, Kentucky, 6-4, 229 (DS#4 QB) + More +

Will Levis accounted for three touchdowns, Kavosiey Smoke ran for a score and No. 9 Kentucky shook off a slow start to shut out Youngstown State 31-0 on Saturday. Boosted by its first top-10 ranking since October 2007, the Wildcats (3-0) followed up last week's Southeastern Conference win at Florida by physically dominating the FCS Penguins (2-1) in the inaugural meeting. Kentucky outgained YSU 480-192 on the way to its first shutout since beating Miami (Ohio) 42-0 on Sept. 5, 2009. The Wildcats gave coach Mark Stoops a victory over his hometown school.

Levis posted his second 300-yard effort in three games, completing 27 of 35 attempts for 377 with sparkling catches by his receivers. He hit Dane Key and Chris Lewis with TD passes of 3 and 2 yards, respectively, and rushed for a 1-yard TD early in the second quarter. That run jump-started the Wildcats after a scoreless opening period in which promising drives stalled and Youngstown's Troy Jakubec intercepted Levis at the 3. Tayvion Robinson's 15-yard catch-and-run across the middle and attempted hurdle over a defender helped set up Levis' TD on third down. Kentucky scored on four of its next five possessions, a stretch split up by a fumble on a day it committed three turnovers with two interceptions by Levis. - Kentucky/AP College Football

(DS#4 QB) rSr/2023

QB Will Levis, Kentucky
News Source: Kentucky/AP College Football
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09/12/22 - Jordan Wright, rSr/2023, Kentucky, 6-3, 243 (DS#55 OLB) + More +

SEPT 12 SEC CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jordan Wright, LB, Kentucky,...Made a game-changing interception while totaling six tackles, a quarterback sack, another tackle for loss, and caused a fumble in Kentucky's 26-16 come-from-from behind win at No. 12/19 Florida...With Kentucky trailing 16-7 late in the second quarter, he made a spectacular one-handed interception and returned it to the Florida six-yard line, setting up a UK touchdown that swung the momentum in favor of the Wildcats...From that point, UK limited Florida to no points, five first downs and 91 total yards in the second half; it was the first time UF had been shut out in the second half since 2017...In the third quarter, stopped a possession with an eight-yard sack, forcing a punt...Also credited with a five-yard tackle for loss and a caused fumble. - SEC Football

(DS#55 OLB) rSr/2023

OLB Jordan Wright, Kentucky
News Source: SEC Football
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09/11/22 - Will Levis, rSr/2023, Kentucky, 6-4, 229 (DS#4 QB) + More +

No. 20 Kentucky beat No. 12 Florida, 26-16, in The Swamp, making Mark Stoops the winningest head coach in Kentucky football history. Stoops passed Bear Bryant on Kentucky's all-time wins list with 61. With the win, the Wildcats jumped 10 spots to No. 10 in this week's USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches poll. - American Football Coaches Association

(DS#4 QB) rSr/2023

QB Will Levis, Kentucky
News Source: American Football Coaches Association
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09/10/22 - Keidron Smith, rSr/2023, Kentucky, 6-2, 201 (DS#44 CB) + More +

No. 20 Kentucky intercepted Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson twice, including one Keidron Smith returned 65 yards for a touchdown, and the Wildcats toppled 12th-ranked Florida 26-16 on Saturday in the Swamp to notch consecutive wins in the series for the first time in 45 years. Richardson was off all night, a stark contrast from last week's three-touchdown, turnover-free performance against then-No. 7 Utah. He had two throws in this one that were complete head-scratchers, and the Wildcats (2-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) made him pay dearly.

Linebacker Jordan Wright, cleared to play Thursday after sitting out the opener, made a one-handed catch on Richardson's pass to the flat late in the second quarter. Will Levis scored three plays later. Richardson's second pick was more egregious. He seemingly misread a defensive alignment and threw a pass to the wide side of the field that Smith easily picked off. Smith returned it down the sideline and had to juke only Richardson to make it to the end zone. It was the third of three big plays that gave Kentucky back-to-back wins over Florida (1-1, 0-1) for the first time since 1976-77. Levis connected with Dane Key for a 55-yard score in the first half, a throw that showed why Levis is projected to be a first-round draft pick in 2023. - Kentucky/AP College Football

(DS#44 CB) rSr/2023

CB Keidron Smith, Kentucky
News Source: Kentucky/AP College Football
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09/10/22 - Devin Leary, rSr/2024, Kentucky, 6-1, 215 (DS#15 QB) + More +

Devin Leary tied a program record by accounting for six touchdowns and No. 18 North Carolina State's defense surrendered 150 total yards as the Wolfpack beat Charleston Southern 55-3 in Saturday's home debut. Leary threw four TD passes, including a perfect 24-yard wheel route to Jordan Houston down the left side and then a 40-yard strike over the middle to Anthony Smith after he shrugged blitzer Nick Perry off his back. Leary's two rushing scores included a 12-yard keeper in the first quarter, when the preseason Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year bounced off three hard hits before hitting the end zone for the game's first TD. Celebrating his 23rd birthday, Leary wrapped up his day by hitting Chris Toudle for a 27-yard TD down the middle and a 45-0 lead with 12:48 left in the third.

The game offered N.C. State (2-0) a chance to regroup from last week's 21-20 win at East Carolina, with the Wolfpack carrying a No. 13 ranking in the AP Top 25 to Greenville and taking the victory when the Pirates missed two critical late kicks. That game was full of problems after halftime, including coming up scoreless on two drives with a combined six goal-line snaps as well as sputtering to 25 fourth-quarter yards. That made recent days, along with kickoff against the Buccaneers (0-2) of the Championship Subdivision, a chance to clean up mistakes. Charleston Southern's top highlight was a 48-yard field goal from Sam Babbush midway through the third quarter to break up the Wolfpack's shutout bid. Ross Malmgren threw for 111 yards but found himself under repeated pressure. Charleston Southern managed 36 yards rushing on 15 carries to remain winless all-time against Bowl Subdivision teams. - North Carolina State/AP College Football

(DS#15 QB) rSr/2024

QB Devin Leary, Kentucky
News Source: North Carolina State/AP College Football
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09/03/22 - Keidron Smith, rSr/2023, Kentucky, 6-2, 201 (DS#44 CB) + More +

Ahead but inconsistent after 30 minutes of play, No. 20 Kentucky needed just 62 seconds to right things and earn a significant win for coach Mark Stoops. Barion Brown returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, Keidron Smith's fumble return less than a minute later set up another score and the Wildcats pulled away to beat Miami (Ohio) 37-13 on Saturday night in the opener for both teams.

Stoops' 60th victory tied him with Paul "Bear" Bryant as the Wildcats' winningest coach after 10 seasons with the program. Kentucky's longest-tenured coach was happy to win but downplayed the milestone afterward, as he had all week. "You can't put my name in the same (sentence) as Bear Bryant's," Stoops said. "Let's compete for six national championships, talk about that. But I am grateful to win that many games, to be here this long." Kentucky certainly needed those game-changing plays to make this win possible for Stoops after leading only 13-10 at halftime behind several missed opportunities deep in Miami territory. The Wildcats quickly snatched momentum after the break as Brown dashed left, found a seam and turned the corner down the sideline for the big score just 13 seconds in. That TD included replay drama as the freshman appeared to let go of the football as he crossed the goal line. It was confirmed, putting Kentucky up by 10. - Kentucky/AP College Football

(DS#44 CB) rSr/2023

CB Keidron Smith, Kentucky
News Source: Kentucky/AP College Football
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09/03/22 - Devin Leary, rSr/2024, Kentucky, 6-1, 215 (DS#15 QB) + More +

No. 13 North Carolina State topped East Carolina 21-20 on Saturday after Pirates kicker Owen Daffer missed an extra point with 2:58 left and a 41-yard field goal with 5 seconds to go. The Pirates (0-1) were in position to hand the Wolfpack a surprising loss when they got the ball back late down 21-20, not to mention offer Daffer a shot at redemption after he pulled the tying PAT wide left after Rahjai Harris' short touchdown run. Holton Ahlers' keeper set Daffer up with a makeable field goal in the final seconds, but he missed this one wide right to stun a once-rowdy crowd and leave many fans putting their hands on their heads in disbelief.

The Wolfpack (1-0) celebrated the miss, with Shyheim Battle emphatically waving that the kick was no good while coach Dave Doeren pumped his right fist. Still, the moment appeared to be more about relief than jubilation for a team that had a long list of troubles in its latest bumpy trip to Greenville. This time, at least, it all came in a win. Devin Leary, the preseason Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year, threw for 211 yards and a touchdown, but he had a costly interception with about 5 minutes left that set up East Carolina's late touchdown drive. The Wolfpack also came up empty on six goal-line plays in the fourth quarter, first with a goal-line fumble by Jordan Houston and then with talented youngster Demie Sumo-Karngbaye getting stuffed four straight times to end another drive. In fact, the difference in this game - Duffer's misses aside - came on a blocked punt by Jasiah Provillon deep in ECU's end that Sean Brown recovered in the end zone late in the first quarter. - North Carolina State/AP College Football

(DS#15 QB) rSr/2024

QB Devin Leary, Kentucky
News Source: North Carolina State/AP College Football
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09/02/22 - Beau Allen, rSr/2026, Kentucky, 6-2, 211 (DS#999 QB) + More +

Freshman quarterback Beau Allen threw three touchdown passes, all to Jaden Smith, and Tarleton defeated Mississippi Valley State 29-13 in a season opener on Thursday night. Allen completed 23 of 39 passes for 294 yards for the Texans. Deangelo Rosemond, another freshman, had 13 carries for 111 yards. Smith finished with 11 receptions for 95 yards and Gabe Douglas had five catches for 126. Linebackers Qua'Shawn Washington and D.J. Harris had 14 and 13 total tackles, respectively. Tarleton had over 500 yards total offense. Tarleton broke out to a 16-0 lead at halftime and closed it out in the second half with two field goals by Adrian Guzman and the third hookup from Allen to Smith. Guzman was 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts. The Delta Devils had 203 rushing yards but only 70 passing. Caleb Johnson carried 23 times for 83 yards and a touchdown on the ground and Jakobe Thomas had 14 carries for 80 yards and MVSU's other touchdown. - AP College Football

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2026

QB Beau Allen, Kentucky
News Source: AP College Football
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09/01/22 - Devin Leary, rSr/2024, Kentucky, 6-1, 215 (DS#15 QB) + More +

ESPN TOP 100 PRESEASON 2022 CFB PLAYERS (Selected Aug. 17): No. 19. Devin Leary, QB, NC State, Junior. Notable 2021 stats: 3,433 yards, 35 TDs. Last year's ranking: NR. Coach Dave Doeren describes Leary as the best quarterback in the country based on everything he has seen out of his quarterbacks over his NC State career. Last season, Leary threw for 3,433 yards and 35 touchdowns -- setting a single-season school touchdown record. His .657 completion percentage ranks No. 3 in school history. Leary was selected as the media choice for preseason ACC Player of the Year. - ESPN.com

(DS#15 QB) rSr/2024

QB Devin Leary, Kentucky
News Source: ESPN.com
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09/01/22 - Chris Rodriguez Jr., rSr/2023, Kentucky, 6-0, 217 (DS#20 RB) + More +

ESPN TOP 100 PRESEASON 2022 CFB PLAYERS (Selected Aug. 17): No. 41. Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB, Kentucky, Senior. Notable 2021 stats:1,379 yards, 9 TDs. Last year's ranking: NR. The only question with Rodriguez is his status and whether or not he will miss any games after pleading guilty in July to a DUI charge. He has been one of the SEC's most productive running backs each of the past two seasons and needs 1,134 yards to break Benny Snell's school record of 3,873 career rushing yards. The 5-11, 224-pound Rodriguez has 26 career rushing touchdowns. - ESPN.com

(DS#20 RB) rSr/2023

RB Chris Rodriguez Jr., Kentucky
News Source: ESPN.com
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09/01/22 - Will Levis, rSr/2023, Kentucky, 6-4, 229 (DS#4 QB) + More +

ESPN TOP 100 PRESEASON 2022 CFB PLAYERS (Selected Aug. 17): No. 33. Will Levis, QB, Kentucky, Senior, Notable 2021 stats: 2,826 yards, 24 TDs. Last year's ranking: NR. After being used primarily as a runner at Penn State, Levis enters his second season at Kentucky projected to be one of the top quarterbacks taken in the 2023 NFL draft. He's still a major threat to run the ball with his 6-3, 232-pound frame, but showed last season with his 2,827 passing yards and 24 touchdowns that he's equally effective at beating teams with his strong right arm. - ESPN.com

(DS#4 QB) rSr/2023

QB Will Levis, Kentucky
News Source: ESPN.com
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09/01/22 - Tayvion Robinson, rSr/2024, Kentucky, 5-11, 191 (DS#44 WR) + More +

2022 COACHES PRESEASON ALL-SEC THIRD TEAM: WR - Tayvion Robinson, Kentucky,...Robinson comes to the Bluegrass after three seasons and 36 games at Virginia Tech. He compiled 113 receptions for 1,555 yards and nine touchdowns (eight receiving, one punt return TD) in his career as a Hokie. - Kentucky Fotball

(DS#44 WR) rSr/2024

WR Tayvion Robinson, Kentucky
News Source: Kentucky Fotball
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