The Kentucky Wildcats are off to a 2-0 start to the football season with victories over Miami of Ohio and the Florida Gators in The Swamp on week two.
UK came up with two significant wins for coach Mark Stoops. The victory over the RedHawks in week one tied him with former Kentucky head coach Paul Bryant as the Wildcats’ winningest coach after 10 seasons with the program. Following the win over Florida, Stoops now stands alone with 61 career wins.
In the home opener against Miami, former Virginia Tech Hokie Tayvion Robinson supplied the Wildcats with six catches for a career-high of 136 yards in his Kentucky debut. His first touch of the game went for 45 yards and set up quarterback Will Levis’s first passing touchdown of the season to tight end Brenden Bates.
Coming out of the half, the Wildcats snatched up the momentum immediately after freshman wide receiver Barion Brown found a seam up the sideline on the kickoff return. His touchdown return put UK up by 10 points moments after the second half started.
Brown also became the fastest ball carrier in week one of college football, reaching up to speeds of 22 mph on his return.
“It felt great knowing I made a big play to help the offense and defense,” Brown told ESPN.
The Wildcats pulled away with the win after scoring 37 points on the RedHawks.
Entering The Swamp in week two, Kentucky shut out and stunned Florida in the second half. Kentucky trailed 16 -7 after botching a punt snap and being forced to record a safety late in the second quarter.
The Wildcats were able to claw the final 19 points of the game, including a 65-yard pick six by senior Keidron Smith in the third quarter and a 26-yard field goal from Matt Ruffolo.
UK pulled off the win 26-16 against the Gators and are now ranked ninth in the country.
“These first few games were a success on a lot of fronts. There have been major improvements in the mid receiver and defensive back rooms,” said lifelong Wildcat fan Drew Dawson.
The Wildcats’ next game is tomorrow, Sept. 17 at 12 p.m against Youngstown State at Kroger Field in Lexington.
