2020 University of Kentucky football season
The 2020 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Wildcats played their home games at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky , and competed in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by eighth-year head coach Mark Stoops .
Preseason [ edit ] SEC Media Days [ edit ] In the preseason media poll, Kentucky was predicted to finish in fourth place in the East Division.[1]
Media poll (East Division) Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place) 1 Florida 624 (53) 2 Georgia 613 (43) 3 Tennessee 434 4 Kentucky 405 5 South Carolina 287 6 Missouri 224 7 Vanderbilt 101
Schedule [ edit ] Kentucky had games scheduled against Eastern Illinois , Eastern Michigan , Kent State , and Louisville , which were all canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic .[2] [3] This will be the first season since 1993 that the Wildcats do not play Louisville. As of 10/16/2020, the SEC swapped two teams and the dates of when they will play the Wildcats. This is because of an outbreak of COVID-19 among other competing SEC football teams. Missouri will be an away game on October 24, instead of an away game on the 31st and Georgia, at home, on October 31 instead of the 24th.
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance September 26, 2020 12:00 p.m. at No. 8 Auburn No. 23 SECN L 13–2917,490 October 3 4:00 p.m. Ole Miss Kroger Field Lexington, KY SECN L 41–42 OT 12,000 October 10 7:30 p.m. Mississippi State Kroger Field Lexington, KY SECN W 24–212,000 October 17 12:00 p.m. at No. 18 Tennessee SECN W 34–722,519 October 24 4:00 p.m. at Missouri SECN L 10–2011,738 October 31 12:00 p.m. No. 5 Georgia SECN L 3–1412,000 November 14 12:00 p.m. Vanderbilt Kroger Field Lexington, KY (rivalry ) SECN W 38–3512,000 November 21 4:00 p.m. at No. 1 Alabama SECN L 3–6319,424 November 28 12:00 p.m. at No. 6 Florida ESPN L 10–3414,453 December 5 7:30 p.m. South Carolina Kroger Field Lexington, KY SECN W 41–1812,000 January 2, 2021 12:00 p.m. vs. No. 23 NC State * ESPN W 23–2110,422
[4]
Rankings [ edit ] Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final AP RV RV* 23 23 RV Coaches RV RV* 20 RV RV CFP Not released Not released
Game summaries [ edit ] At Auburn [ edit ] No. 23 Kentucky vs. No. 8 Auburn
Period 1 2 3 4 Total No. 23 Wildcats 7 0 6 0 13 No. 8 Tigers 8 0 7 14 29
at Jordan-Hare Stadium , Auburn, AL
Date : September 26, 2020Game time : 12:00 p.m. EST Game weather : Cloudy • Temperature : 75 °F (24 °C) • Wind : 5 mph WGame attendance : 17,490Referee : Steve MarloweTV announcers (SECN ) : Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), Cole Cubelic (sideline reporter)Pregame line : Auburn –6.5 • Odds to win : Auburn 84.9% • Game summary : ESPN [5]
Game information First quarter (6:44) UK – Kavosiey Smoke 35 yd rush, Matt Ruffolo kick (Drive: 11 plays, 93 yds, 6:23; Kentucky 7–0 ) (4:30) AUB – D. J. Williams 1 yd rush, John Samuel Shenker pass (Drive: 7 plays, 70 yds, 2:07; Auburn 8–7 ) Second quarter No scoring
Third quarter (5:42) AUB – Seth Williams 11 yd pass from Bo Nix, Anders Carlson kick (Drive: 9 plays, 76 yds, 4:19; Auburn 15–7 ) (1:00) UK – Akeem Hayes 8 yd pass from Terry Wilson, Terry Wilson pass failed (Drive: 11 plays, 73 yds, 4:34; Auburn 15–13 ) Fourth quarter (10:21) AUB – Seth Williams 4 yd pass from Bo Nix, Anders Carlson kick (Drive: 5 plays, 23 yds, 2:13; Auburn 22–13 ) (8:17) AUB – Eli Stove 21 yd pass from Bo Nix, Anders Carlson kick (Drive: 2 plays, 27 yds, 0:50; Auburn 29–13 )
Statistics UK AUB First downs 21 16 Plays–yards 78–384 57–324 Rushes–yards 40–145 30–91 Passing yards 239 233 Passing: comp–att–int 24–38–1 16–27–0 Time of possession 36:29 23:31
Team Category Player Statistics Kentucky Passing Terry Wilson 24/37, 239 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing Kavosiey Smoke 7 carries, 62 yds, 1 TD Receiving Josh Ali 9 receptions, 98 yds Auburn Passing Bo Nix 16/27, 233 yds, 3 TD Rushing Bo Nix 5 carries, 34 yds Receiving Seth Williams 6 receptions, 112 yds, 2 TD
Ole Miss [ edit ] Ole Miss vs. Kentucky
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Rebels 7 7 7 21 42 Wildcats 14 7 7 13 41
at Kroger Field , Lexington, KY
Date : October 3, 2020Game time : 4:00 p.m. EST Game weather : Sunny • Temperature : 64 °F (18 °C)Game attendance : 12,000Referee : David SmithTV announcers (SECN) : Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color), Taylor McGregor (sideline)Pregame line : Kentucky −7 • O/U : 63 [6]
Game information First Quarter (12:38) MISS – Jerrion Ealy 1 yard rush, Luke Logan kickOle Miss 7–0 ; 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:22 (7:36) UK – Terry Wilson 4 yard rush, Matt Ruffolo kickTied 7–7 ; 4 plays, 29 yards, 1:54 (1:33) UK – A. J. Rose 2 yard rush, Matt Ruffolo kickKentucky 14–7 ; 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:25 Second Quarter (13:19) MISS – Kenny Yeboah 14 yard pass from Matt Corral, Luke Logan kickTied 14–14 ; 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:14 (0:29) UK – Terry Wilson 22 yard rush, Matt Ruffolo kickKentucky 21–14 ; 9 plays, 83 yards, 3:25 Third Quarter (10:41) UK – Chris Rodriguez Jr. 22 yard rush, Matt Ruffolo kickKentucky 28–14 ; 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:19 (9:17) MISS – Jonathan Mingo 24 yard pass from Matt Corral, Luke Logan kickKentucky 28–21 ; 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:24 Fourth Quarter (13:37) MISS – Jonathan Mingo 16 yard pass from Matt Corral, Luke Logan kickTied 28–28 ; 5 plays, 54 yards, 1:30 (8:23) MISS – Snoop Conner 1 yard rush, Luke Logan kickOle Miss 35–28 ; 3 plays, 53 yards, 0:47 (2:04) UK – Chris Rodriguez Jr. 1 yard rush, Matt Ruffolo kickTied 35–35 ; 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:19 Overtime UK – Terry Wilson 10 yard rush, PAT missedKentucky 41–35 ; 3 plays, 25 yards MISS – Elijah Moore 3 yard pass from Matt Corral, Luke Logan kickOle Miss 42–41 ; 4 plays, 25 yards
Statistics MISS UK First downs 26 26 Total yards 459 559 Passing yards 320 151 Rushing yards 139 408 Penalties 5–33 8–81 Turnovers 0 1 Time of possession 23:55 36:05
Team Category Player Statistics Ole Miss Passing Matt Corral 24/29, 320 yards, 4 TD Rushing Matt Corral 13 carries, 51 yards Receiving Jonathan Mingo 8 receptions, 128 yards, 2 TD Kentucky Passing Terry Wilson 14/18, 151 yards Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 17 carries, 133 yards, 2 TD Receiving Josh Ali 7 receptions, 88 yards
Mississippi State [ edit ] Mississippi State vs. Kentucky
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Bulldogs 0 0 2 0 2 Wildcats 0 14 0 10 24
at Kroger Field , Lexington, KY
Date : October 10, 2020Game time : 7:30 p.m. EST Game weather : Cloudy • Temperature : 67 °F (19 °C) • Wind : 5 SE mphGame attendance : 12,000Referee : Ken WilliamsonTV : SECN[7]
Statistics MSST UK First downs 18 10 Total yards 295 157 Rushing yards 20 84 Passing yards 275 73 Turnovers 6 1 Time of possession 34:49 25:11
Team Category Player Statistics Mississippi State Passing K. J. Costello 36–55, 232 yards, 4 INT Rushing Kylin Hill 7 rushes, 17 yards Receiving Kylin Hill 15 receptions, 79 yards Kentucky Passing Terry Wilson 8–20, 73 yards, TD Rushing Terry Wilson 13 rushes, 50 yards Receiving Josh Ali 2 receptions, 22 yards
At Tennessee [ edit ] Kentucky vs. No. 21 Tennessee
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Wildcats 0 17 10 7 34 No. 21 Volunteers 0 7 0 0 7
at Neyland Stadium , Knoxville, TN
Date : October 17, 2020Game time : 12:00 p.m. EST Game weather : Sunny, Temperature : 85 °F (29 °C)Game attendance : 22,519Referee : Marc CurlesTV announcers (SECN) : Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sidelines)[8]
Statistics UK UTK First downs 18 18 Total yards 294 287 Rushing yards 187 175 Passing yards 107 112 Turnovers 1 4 Time of possession 33:59 26:01
Team Category Player Statistics Kentucky Passing Terry Wilson 12/15, 101 yards, TD Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 13 carries, 73 yards, TD Receiving Josh Ali 4 receptions, 38 yards Tennessee Passing Jarrett Guarantano 14/21, 88 yards, 2 INT Rushing Eric Gray 24 carries, 129 yards Receiving Brandon Johnson 4 receptions, 37 yards
At Missouri [ edit ] Kentucky vs. Missouri
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Wildcats 0 3 0 7 10 Tigers 7 3 7 3 20
at Faurot Field , Columbia, MO
Date : October 24, 2020Game time : 4:00 p.m. EST Game weather : Cloudy • Temperature : 48 °F (9 °C) • Wind : NW 12-17mphGame attendance : 11,738Referee : Lee HedrickTV : SECN[9]
Statistics UK MIZ First downs 8 26 Total yards 145 421 Rushing yards 95 220 Passing yards 50 201 Turnovers 1 0 Time of possession 16:50 43:10
Team Category Player Statistics Kentucky Passing Terry Wilson 4/11, 38 yards, TD Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 9 carries, 48 yards Receiving Josh Ali 4 receptions, 47 yards, TD Missouri Passing Connor Bazelak 21/30, 201 yards Rushing Larry Rountree III 37 carries, 126 yards, 2 TD Receiving Jalen Knox 5 receptions, 60 yards
Georgia [ edit ] No. 5 Georgia vs. Kentucky
Period 1 2 3 4 Total No. 5 Bulldogs 7 0 7 0 14 Wildcats 0 3 0 0 3
at Kroger Field , Lexington, KY
Date : October 31, 2020Game time : 12:00 p.m. EST Game weather : Mostly Sunny • Temperature : 54 °F (12 °C) • Wind : 5 SE mphGame attendance : 12,000Referee : Matt LoefflerTV : SECN[10]
Game information First quarter (6:07) UGA - Stetson Bennett 2-yard Run (Jack Podlesny Kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 86 yards, 5:06; Georgia 7-0 ) Second Quarter (2:44) UK - Matt Ruffolo 34-yard Field Goal (Drive: 19 plays, 77 yards, 10:28; Georgia 7-3 ) Third Quarter (11:38) Zamir White 22-yard Run (Jack Podlesny Kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:22; Georgia 14-3 ) 3 14
Statistics UGA UK First downs 20 15 Plays–yards 58-346 65-229 Rushes–yards 43-215 39-138 Passing yards 131 91 Passing: comp–att–int 9-14-2 15-25-0 Time of possession 25:00 35:00
Team Category Player Statistics Georgia Passing Stetson Bennett 9/13, 131 yds, 2 INT Rushing Zamir White 26 carries, 136 yds, 1 TD Receiving James Cook 4 receptions, 62 yds, Kentucky Passing Joey Gatewood 15-25, 91 yds Rushing Chris Rodriguez 20 carries, 108 yds Receiving Josh Ali 5 receptions, 35 yds
Vanderbilt [ edit ] Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Commodores 0 14 7 14 35 Wildcats 14 10 7 7 38
at Kroger Field , Lexington, KY
Date : November 14, 2020Game time : 12:00 p.m. EST Game weather : Cloudy • Temperature : 57 °F (14 °C) • Wind : 7 SE mphGame attendance : 12,000Referee : Alex MooreTV : SECN[11]
Statistics VAN UK First downs 29 23 Total yards 407 458 Rushing yards 180 308 Passing yards 227 150 Turnovers 0 0 Time of possession 32:26 27:34
Team Category Player Statistics Vanderbilt Passing Ken Seals 21/32, 225 yards, 2 TD Rushing Keyon Henry-Brooks 29 rushes, 121 yards Receiving Amir Abdur-Rahman 7 receptions, 89 yards Kentucky Passing Terry Wilson 13/15, 110 yards, 2 TD Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 13 rushes, 149 yards, 2 TD Receiving Keaton Upshaw 2 receptions, 41 yards, TD
At Alabama [ edit ] Pregame line Over/under +30 58
Kentucky vs. No. 1 Alabama
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Wildcats 3 0 0 0 3 No. 1 Crimson Tide 7 21 21 14 63
at Bryant–Denny Stadium , Tuscaloosa, AL
Date : November 21, 2020Game time : 4:00 p.m. EST Game weather : Partly Cloudy • Temperature : 73 °F (23 °C) • Wind : ESE 3mphGame attendance : 19,424Referee : Ken WilliamsonTV announcers (SECN) : Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sideline)[12]
Statistics Kentucky Alabama First downs 12 29 Total yards 179 509 Rushing yards 59 226 Passing yards 120 283 Turnovers 1 1 Time of possession 28:55 31:05
Team Category Player Statistics Kentucky Passing Terry Wilson 10–19, 120 yards, 1 INT Rushing A. J. Rose 10 carries, 68 yards Receiving Josh Ali 4 receptions, 52 yards Alabama Passing Mac Jones 16–24, 230 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT Rushing Jase McClellan 10 carries, 99 yards, 1 TD Receiving DeVonta Smith 9 receptions, 144 yards, 2 TD's
At Florida [ edit ] Game information First quarter Florida – Kyle Pitts 56-yard pass from Kyle Trask (Evan McPherson kick), 6:03 Second quarter Kentucky – Keaton Upshaw 4-yard pass from Terry Wilson (Matt Ruffolo kick), 11:18 Kentucky – Matt Ruffolo 22-yard field goal, 2:13 Florida – Kadarius Toney 50-yard punt return (Evan McPherson kick), 0:42 Third quarter Florida – Kyle Pitts 2-yard pass from Kyle Trask (Evan McPherson kick), 12:35 Florida – Evan McPherson 34-yard field goal, 5:58 Florida – Kyle Pitts 7-yard pass from Kyle Trask (Evan McPherson kick), 3:36 Fourth quarter Florida – Evan McPherson 40-yard field goal, 8:18
Statistics UTK FLA First downs 15 21 Total yards 221 418 Rushing yards 159 104 Passing yards 62 314 Turnovers 3 2 Time of possession 33:19 26:41
Team Category Player Statistics Kentucky Passing Terry Wilson 10/18, 62 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing A. J. Rose 15 carries, 58 yards Receiving Josh Ali 6 receptions, 32 yards Florida Passing Kyle Trask 21/27, 256 yards, 3 TD Rushing Dameon Pierce 8 carries, 67 yards Receiving Kyle Pitts 5 receptions, 99 yards, 3 TD
South Carolina [ edit ] South Carolina vs. Kentucky
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Gamecocks 3 0 7 8 18 Wildcats 10 17 7 7 41
at Kroger Field , Lexington, KY
Date : December 5, 2020Game time : 7:30 p.m. EST Game weather : Clear • Temperature : 35 °F (2 °C) • Wind : 4 NW mphGame attendance : 12,000Referee : Marc CurlesTV : SECN[14] • Box Score
Game information First Quarter (5:41) UK – Matt Ruffolo 22-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:20; Kentucky 3–0 ) (4:19) UK – Chris Rodriguez Jr. 1-yard run, Matt Ruffolo kick (Drive: 2 plays, 26 yards, 0:28; Kentucky 10–0 ) (1:45) SC – Parker White 47-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 10 yards, 2:25; Kentucky 10–3 ) Second Quarter (10:30) UK – Asim Rose Jr. 8-yard run, Matt Ruffolo kick (Drive: 5 plays, 81 yards, 2:01; Kentucky 17–3 ) (1:14) UK – Chris Rodriguez Jr. 2-yard run, Matt Ruffolo kick (Drive: 7 plays, 39 yards, 3:26; Kentucky 24–3 ) (0:00) UK – Matt Ruffolo 41-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 10 yards, 0:42; Kentucky 27–3 ) Third Quarter (7:28) UK – Terry Wilson 1-yard run, Matt Ruffolo kick (Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 7:32; Kentucky 34–3 ) (5:21) SC – Kevin Harris 15-yard run, Parker White kick (Drive: 7 plays, 86 yards, 2:03; Kentucky 34–10 ) Fourth Quarter (5:12) SC – Dakereon Joyner 30-yard pass from Luke Doty, Luke Doty pass to Nick Muse for two-point conversion (Drive: 9 plays, 90 yards, 3:27; Kentucky 34–18 ) (4:56) UK – Chris Rodriguez Jr. 79-yard run, Matt Ruffolo kick (Drive: 1 play, 79 yards, 0:12; Kentucky 41–18 )
Statistics SC UK First downs 21 24 Total yards 404 492 Rushes/yards 44/297 45/291 Passing yards 107 201 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 12-27-1 17-26-0 Time of possession 25:49 34:11
Team Category Player Statistics South Carolina Passing Luke Doty 11–25, 85 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing Kevin Harris 21 carries, 210 yards, 1 TD Receiving Dakereon Joyner 4 receptions, 43 yards, 1 TD Kentucky Passing Terry Wilson 17–26, 201 yards Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 14 carries, 139 yards, 3 TD Receiving Justin Rigg 3 receptions, 72 yards
Vs. NC State (Gator Bowl) [ edit ] Kentucky vs. Florida (2021 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl)
Period 1 2 3 4 Total No. 23 NC State 0 0 7 14 21 Kentucky 3 10 0 10 23
at TIAA Bank Field • Jacksonville, Florida
Date : Saturday, January 2, 2021Game time : 12:00 p.m. EST Game weather : Cloudy • Temperature : 74 °F (23 °C) • Wind : SSW 13 mphGame attendance : 10,422Referee : Reggie SmithTV announcers (ESPN ) : Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Tom Luginbill (analyst) and Lericia Harris (sideline)ESPN game summary [15]
Game information First quarter (6:00) UK – Matt Ruffolo 25 yard field goal (Drive: 16 plays, 68 plays, 9:00; Kentucky 3–0 ) Second quarter (6:23) UK – Chris Rodriguez 4 yard rush, Matt Ruffolo kick (Drive: 6 plays, 79 yards, 2:39; Kentucky 10–0 ) (0:02) UK – Matt Ruffolo 26 yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 69 yards, 1:21; Kentucky 13–0 ) Third quarter (2:56) NCST – C.J. Riley 9 yard pass from Bailey Hockman, Christopher Dunn kick (Drive: 13 plays, 76 yards, 6:12; Kentucky 13–7 ) Fourth quarter (5:45) UK – Matt Ruffolo 20 yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 40 yards, 3:09; Kentucky 16–7 ) (4:46) NCST – Zonovan Knight 13 yard rush, Christopher Dunn kick (Drive: 3 plays, 37 yards, 0:54; Kentucky 16–14 ) (2:55) UK – Chris Rodriguez 26 yard rush, Matt Ruffolo kick (Drive: 1 play, 26 yards, 0:07; Kentucky 23–14 ) (1:10) NCST – Jordan Houston 2 yard rush, Christopher Dunn kick (Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 1:41; Kentucky 23–21 )
Statistics NCST UK First downs 19 19 Plays–yards 66–318 68–380 Rushes–yards 26–50 48–281 Passing yards 268 99 Passing: comp–att–int 27–40–3 12–20–0 Time of possession 25:53 34:07
Team Category Player Statistics NC State Passing Bailey Hockman 27/40, 268 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT Rushing Zonovan Knight 12 carries, 52 yards, 1 TD Receiving Thayer Thomas 3 receptions, 46 yards Kentucky Passing Terry Wilson 12/20, 99 yards Rushing Asim Rose Jr. 12 carries, 148 yards Receiving Keaton Upshaw 2 receptions, 25 yards
Players drafted into the NFL [ edit ] References [ edit ]
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