2021 University of Kentucky football season
The 2021 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky (UK) in the 2021 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 ninth-year head coach Mark Stoops .
Offseason [ edit ] Position key [ edit ] Preseason [ edit ] Award watch lists [ edit ] Listed in the order that they were released
Award Player Position Year
SEC Media Days [ edit ] Media poll (East Division) Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place) 1 Georgia 923 (124) 2 Florida 784 (7) 3 Kentucky 624 (2) 4 Missouri 555 5 Tennessee 362 6 South Carolina 355 (1) 7 Vanderbilt 149
Media poll (SEC Championship) Place Team Votes 1 Alabama 84 2 Georgia 45 3 Ole Miss 1 4 Texas A&M 1 Florida 1 Kentucky 1 South Carolina 1
Preseason All-SEC teams [ edit ] Personnel [ edit ] Coaching staff [ edit ] Schedule [ edit ] Spring game [ edit ] The Wildcats were scheduled to hold spring practices in March and April 2021 with the Kentucky football spring game, which took place in Lexington, KY in April 2021.
Regular season [ edit ] The 2021 Kentucky regular-season schedule consisted of seven home games and five away games. UK hosted four SEC opponents: Florida , LSU , Missouri , and rival Tennessee . UK traveled to four SEC opponents: Georgia , Mississippi State , South Carolina , and Vanderbilt . Kentucky was not scheduled to play SEC West opponents Alabama , Arkansas , Auburn , Ole Miss , and Texas A&M in the 2021 regular season. The Wildcats' bye week was during week 8 (on October 23, 2021).[1]
Kentucky's out-of-conference opponents represented the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Southern Conference (SoCon), and Sun Belt Conference (SBC), as well as one FBS independent . The Wildcats hosted SoCon member Chattanooga , SBC member Louisiana-Monroe , and independent New Mexico State . The Wildcats closed out the regular season by traveling to Louisville, KY to face in-state rival Louisville for the Governor's Cup .
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance September 4 12:00 p.m. Louisiana–Monroe * SECN W 45–1047,693 September 11 7:30 p.m. Missouri Kroger Field Lexington, KY SECN W 35–2858,437 September 18 12:00 p.m. Chattanooga * Kroger Field Lexington, KY ESPN+ /SECN+W 28–2355,214 September 25 7:00 p.m. at South Carolina ESPN2 W 16–1077,559 October 2 6:00 p.m. No. 10 Florida Kroger Field Lexington, KY (rivalry ) ESPN W 20–1361,632 October 9 7:30 p.m. LSU No. 16 SECN W 42–2161,690 October 16 3:30 p.m. at No. 1 Georgia No. 11 CBS L 13–3092,746 October 30 7:00 p.m. at Mississippi State No. 12 SECN L 17–3149,487 November 6 7:00 p.m. Tennessee No. 18 Kroger Field Lexington, KY (rivalry ) ESPN2 L 42–4561,690 November 13 7:00 p.m. at Vanderbilt ESPN2 W 34–1725,798 November 20 12:00 p.m. New Mexico State * Kroger Field Lexington, KY SECN W 56–1647,749 November 27 7:30 p.m. at Louisville * ESPN2 W 52–2155,018 January 1, 2022 1:00 p.m. vs. No. 15 Iowa * No. 22 ABC W 20–1750,769
[2]
Game summaries [ edit ] Louisiana–Monroe [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total Louisiana–Monroe 7 0 0 3 10 • Kentucky 14 14 3 14 45
Date: September 4Location: Lexington, KY Game start: 12:03 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:11Game attendance: 47,693Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SW 7 MPH Referee: Jason McArthurTV announcers (SECN ): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color), Alyssa Lang (sideline)Source: Official Box Score Scoring summary 1 08:53 ULM Kadyn Roach 3-yard rush (Calum Sutherland kick)(12 plays, 42 yards, 5:01) ULM 7–0 06:13 UK Wan'Dale Robinson 33-yard pass from Will Levis (Matt Ruffolo kick)(5 plays, 84 yards, 2:40) TIE 7–7 04:20 UK Josh Ali 58-yard pass from Will Levis (Matt Ruffolo kick)(1 play, 58 yards, 0:09) UK 14–7 2 10:40 UK Chris Rodriguez 2-yard rush (Matt Ruffolo kick)(14 plays, 84 yards, 6:37) UK 21–7 05:44 UK Wan'Dale Robinson 15-yard pass from Will Levis (Matt Ruffolo kick)(4 plays, 80 yards, 2:24) UK 28–7 3 03:54 UK Matt Ruffolo 45-yard field goal(7 plays, 51 yards, 3:40) UK 31–7 4 13:07 UK Brenden Bates 4-yard pass from Will Levis (Matt Ruffolo kick)(9 plays, 76 yards, 4:00) UK 38–7 04:39 ULM Calum Sutherland 29-yard field goal(11 plays, 48 yards, 5:11) UK 38–10 01:00 UK Michael Drennen II 4-yard rush (Matt Ruffolo kick)(8 plays, 68 yards, 3:39) UK 45–10
Pregame line Over/under UK −31.0 54
Statistics ULM Kentucky First downs 12 24 Total yards 87 564 Rushing yards 17 145 Passing yards 70 419 Turnovers 0 3 Time of possession 28:13 31:47
Team Category Player Statistics ULM Passing Rhett Rodgriuez 9/17, 56 yards Rushing Chandler Rogers 7 carries, 11 yards Receiving Boogie Knight 6 receptions, 58 yards Kentucky Passing Will Levis 18/26, 367 yards, 4 TD's Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 19 carries, 125 yards, 1 TD Receiving Josh Ali 5 receptions, 136 yards, 1 TD
Missouri [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total Missouri 7 7 7 7 28 • Kentucky 14 7 7 7 35
Date: September 11Location: Lexington, KYGame start: 7:38 p.m. Game attendance: 58,437Game weather: Sunny, 74°F, Wind S @ 8 mphReferee: Ken WilliamsonTV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color), Alyssa Lang (sideline)
Statistics Missouri Kentucky First downs 25 26 Total yards 398 520 Rushing yards 104 341 Passing yards 294 179 Turnovers 1 2 Time of possession 27:12 32:48
Team Category Player Statistics Missouri Passing Connor Bazelak 34/51, 294 yards, 4 TD’s, 1 INT Rushing Tyler Badie 14 carries, 61 yards Receiving Tyler Badie 10 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD Kentucky Passing Will Levis 10/18, 179 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 27 carries, 207 yards, 2 TD’s Receiving Wan'Dale Robinson 5 receptions, 101 yards
Chattanooga [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total Chattanooga 7 3 3 10 23 • Kentucky 7 7 0 14 28
Date: September 18Location: Lexington, KYGame start: 12:02 p.m. Game attendance: 55,214Game weather: Sunny, 81°F, Wind E @ 3 mphReferee: David SmithTV announcers (ESPN+, SEC Network+): Mike Morgan (play-by-play), Ben Hartsock (color), Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
Statistics Chattanooga Kentucky First downs 16 20 Total yards 339 356 Rushing yards 171 102 Passing yards 168 254 Turnovers 1 3 Time of possession 31:42 28:18
Team Category Player Statistics Chattanooga Passing Cole Copeland 21/35, 168 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing Ailym Ford 21 carries, 128 yards Receiving Reginald Henderson 9 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD Kentucky Passing Will Levis 23/35, 254 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 13 carries, 46 yards Receiving Wan'Dale Robinson 8 receptions, 111 yards
At South Carolina [ edit ] Game information First quarter (8:27) UK – Kavosiey Smoke 15-yard run (Matt Ruffolo Kick). Kentucky 7-0. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:33. Second quarter (0:00) UK – Matt Ruffolo 43-yard field goal. Kentucky 10-0. Drive: 10 plays, 57 yards, 4:39. Third quarter (10:52) SC – Jalen Brooks 5-yard pass from Luke Doty (Parker White Kick). Kentucky 10-7. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:08. (3:43) UK – Matt Ruffolo 21-yard field goal. Kentucky 13-7. Drive: 13 plays, 72 yards, 7:09. Fourth quarter (4:26) UK – Matt Ruffolo 27-yard field goal. Kentucky 16-7. Drive: 9 plays, 51 yards, 5:17. (2:31) SC – Parker White 54-yard field goal. Kentucky 16-10. Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards, 1:55.
Statistics UK SC First downs 22 12 Plays–yards 66–332 51–216 Rushes–yards 230 58 Passing yards 102 158 Passing: comp–att–int 15–22–1 17–25–0 Time of possession 35:36 24:24
Team Category Player Statistics UK Passing Will Levis 15/22, 102 yards, INT Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr 26 carries, 144 yards Receiving Wan'Dale Robinson 7 receptions, 65 yards SC Passing Luke Doty 17/25, 158 yards, TD Rushing Kevin Harris 12 carries, 38 yards Receiving Jalen Brooks 4 receptions, 63 yards, TD
No. 10 Florida [ edit ] This was the Wildcats' first home win over Florida since 1986 .[3]
1 2 3 4 Total No. 10 Florida 7 3 0 3 13 • Kentucky 7 0 6 7 20
Date: October 2Location: Lexington, KYGame start: 6:01 p.m. Game attendance: 61,632Game weather: Cloudy, 75°F, Wind SW @ 6 mphReferee: Marc CurlesTV announcers (ESPN ): Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (color), Kris Budden (sideline)
Statistics Florida Kentucky First downs 21 13 Total yards 382 224 Rushing yards 171 137 Passing yards 211 87 Turnovers 1 1 Time of possession 36:18 23:42
Team Category Player Statistics Florida Passing Emory Jones 23/31, 203 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing Emory Jones 13 carries, 63 yards Receiving Jacob Copeland 6 receptions, 59 yards Kentucky Passing Will Levis 7/17, 87 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 19 carries, 99 yards, 1 TD Receiving Wan'Dale Robinson 4 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD
1 2 3 4 Total LSU 0 0 7 14 21 • No. 16 Kentucky 7 7 14 14 42
Date: October 9Location: Lexington, KYGame start: 7:39 p.m. Game attendance: 61,690Game weather: Sunny, 72°F, Wind SE @ 5 mphReferee: David SmithTV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sideline)
Statistics LSU Kentucky First downs 22 24 Total yards 408 475 Rushing yards 147 330 Passing yards 261 145 Turnovers 1 0 Time of possession 27:48 32:12
Team Category Player Statistics LSU Passing Max Johnson 22/38, 261 yards, 1 TD Rushing Tyrion Davis-Price 22 carries, 147 yards, 2 TD’s Receiving Kayshon Boutte 8 receptions, 73 yards Kentucky Passing Will Levis 14/17, 145 yards, 3 TD’s Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 16 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD Receiving Wan'Dale Robinson 8 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD
At No. 1 Georgia [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total No. 11 Kentucky 0 7 0 6 13 • No. 1 Georgia 0 14 10 6 30
Statistics Kentucky Georgia First downs 16 20 Total yards 243 416 Rushing yards 51 166 Passing yards 192 250 Turnovers 0 0 Time of possession 37:47 22:13
Team Category Player Statistics Kentucky Passing Will Levis 32/42, 192 yards, 2 TD’s Rushing Kavosiey Smoke 5 carries, 14 yards Receiving Wan'Dale Robinson 12 receptions, 39 yards, 1 TD Georgia Passing Stetson Bennett 14/20, 250 yards, 3 TD’s Rushing James Cook 6 carries, 51 yards Receiving Brock Bowers 5 receptions, 101 yards, 2 TD’s
At Mississippi State [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total No. 12 Kentucky 7 3 0 7 17 • Mississippi State 0 14 17 0 31
Date: October 30Location: Starkville, MS Game start: 6:09 p.m. Game attendance: 49,487Game weather: Cloudy, 55°F, Wind NW @ 5 mphReferee: Lee HendrickTV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sideline)[4]
Statistics Kentucky Miss State First downs 14 27 Total yards 216 438 Rushing yards 66 94 Passing yards 150 344 Turnovers 4 0 Time of possession 18:50 41:10
Team Category Player Statistics Kentucky Passing Will Levis 17/28, 150 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT’s Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 8 carries, 34 yards Receiving Wan'Dale Robinson 9 receptions, 79 yards Miss State Passing Will Rogers 36/39, 344 yards, 1 TD Rushing Jo'Quavious Marks 20 carries, 58 yards, 1 TD Receiving Jaden Walley 6 receptions, 95 yards
Tennessee [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total • Tennessee 14 10 14 7 45 No. 18 Kentucky 7 14 14 7 42
Date: November 6Location: Lexington, KYGame start: 7:05 p.m. Game attendance: 61,690Game weather: Sunny, 46°F, Wind N @ 4 mphReferee: Steve MarloweTV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (color), Dawn Davenport (sideline)
Statistics Tennessee Kentucky First downs 17 35 Total yards 461 612 Rushing yards 145 225 Passing yards 316 387 Turnovers 1 1 Time of possession 13:52 46:08
Team Category Player Statistics Tennessee Passing Hendon Hooker 15/20, 316 yards, 4 TD’s Rushing Jabari Small 4 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD Receiving Velus Jones Jr. 5 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD Kentucky Passing Will Levis 31/49, 372 yards, 3 TD’s, 1 INT Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 22 carries, 109 yards Receiving Wan'Dale Robinson 13 receptions, 166 yards, 1 TD
At Vanderbilt [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total • Kentucky 7 24 0 3 34 Vanderbilt 3 0 8 6 17
Date: November 13Location: Nashville, TN Game start: 6:05 p.m. Game attendance: 25,798Game weather: Sunny, 42°F, Wind N @ 1 mphReferee: Ken WilliamsonTV announcers (ESPN2): Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Mike Golic Jr. (color), Taylor McGregor (sideline)
Statistics Kentucky Vanderbilt First downs 21 16 Total yards 413 266 Rushing yards 236 96 Passing yards 177 170 Turnovers 1 1 Time of possession 29:46 30:14
Team Category Player Statistics Kentucky Passing Will Levis 14/22, 177 yards, 2 TD’s, 1 INT Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 16 carries, 144 yards, 1 TD Receiving Wan'Dale Robinson 6 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD Vanderbilt Passing Ken Seals 12/17, 87 yards, 1 INT Rushing Patrick Smith 18 carries, 84 yards Receiving Chris Pierce Jr 6 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD
New Mexico State [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total New Mexico St 7 9 0 0 16 • Kentucky 21 14 14 7 56
Date: November 20Location: Lexington, KYGame start: 12:03 p.m. Game attendance: 47,749Game weather: Sunny, 52°F, Wind SW @ 9 mphReferee: Alex MooreTV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color), Tera Talmadge (sideline)
Statistics New Mexico St Kentucky First downs 13 29 Total yards 282 707 Rushing yards 101 248 Passing yards 181 459 Turnovers 2 4 Time of possession 26:07 33:53
Team Category Player Statistics New Mexico St Passing Jonah Johnson 16/35, 181 yards, 1 INT Rushing Juwaun Price 11 carries, 51 yards Receiving Justice Powers 1 reception, 41 yards Kentucky Passing Will Levis 21/31, 419 yards, 4 TD’s, 1 INT Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 16 carries, 119 yards, 1 TD Receiving Wan'Dale Robinson 8 receptions, 181 yards
At Louisville [ edit ] Governor’s Cup 1 2 3 4 Total • Kentucky 14 10 14 14 52 Louisville 7 0 0 14 21
Date: November 27Location: Louisville, KY Game start: 7:41 p.m. Game attendance: 55,018Game weather: Cloudy, 48°F, Wind SW @ 3 mphReferee: Matt LoefflerTV announcers (ESPN2): Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (color), Jalyn Johnson (sideline)
Statistics Kentucky Louisville First downs 28 20 Total yards 511 352 Rushing yards 362 144 Passing yards 149 208 Turnovers 0 1 Time of possession 35:04 24:56
Team Category Player Statistics Kentucky Passing Will Levis 14/18, 149 yards Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 16 carries, 121 yards, 1 TD Receiving Wan'Dale Robinson 9 receptions, 97 yards Louisville Passing Malik Cunningham 12/20, 145 yards, 1 INT Rushing Jalen Mitchell 11 carries, 53 yards Receiving Marshon Ford 6 receptions, 68 yards
Vs. No. 15 Iowa (Citrus Bowl) [ edit ] Vrbo Citrus Bowl 1 2 3 4 Total No. 15 Iowa 0 3 7 7 17 • No. 22 Kentucky 7 6 0 7 20
Statistics Iowa UK First downs 0 24 Total yards 0 354 Rushing yards 0 121 Passing yards 0 233 Turnovers 3 1 Time of possession 22:06 37:54
Team Category Player Statistics Iowa Passing Spencer Petras 19/30, 211 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT’s Rushing Gavin Williams 16 carries, 98 yards Receiving Sam LaPorta 7 receptions, 122 yards, 1 TD Kentucky Passing Will Levis 17/28, 233 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 20 carries, 107 yards, 1 TD Receiving Wan'Dale Robinson 10 receptions, 170 yards
Rankings [ edit ] Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final AP — RV RV RV RV 16 11 15 12 18 RV RV RV 25 25 18 Coaches RV RV RV RV 23 14 11 14 12 17 RV RV 25 22 20 15 CFP Not released 18 — — — 23 22 Not released
Statistics [ edit ] Scoring [ edit ] Scores by quarter (All Home Games) [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 49 32 31 44 156 Kentucky 77 63 58 70 268
Scores by quarter (All Away Games) [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total Kentucky 35 47 17 33 132 Opponents 10 28 42 29 109
Scores by quarter (All Neutral Field Games) [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 0 0 0 0 0 Kentucky 0 0 0 0 0
Scores by quarter (Home Games – SEC) [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 28 20 28 31 107 Kentucky 35 28 41 35 139
Scores by quarter (Away Games – SEC) [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total Kentucky 21 37 3 19 80 Opponents 3 28 42 15 88
Scores by quarter (Neutral Field – SEC) [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 0 0 0 0 0 Kentucky 0 0 0 0 0
Scores by quarter (Home Games – NC) [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 21 12 3 13 49 Kentucky 42 35 17 35 129
Scores by quarter (Away Games – NC) [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total Kentucky 14 10 14 14 52 Opponents 7 0 0 14 21
Scores by quarter (Neutral Field – NC) [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 0 0 0 0 0 Kentucky 0 0 0 0 0
Scores by quarter (All NC Opponents) [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 28 12 3 27 70 Kentucky 56 45 31 49 181
Scores by quarter (All SEC Opponents) [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 31 48 70 46 195 Kentucky 56 65 44 54 219
Scores by quarter (All opponents) [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 59 60 73 73 265 Kentucky 112 110 75 103 400
Media affiliates [ edit ] CBS Family – WKYT (CBS), CBS Sports Network ESPN /ABC Family – WTVQ (ABC), ABC , ESPN , ESPN2 , ESPNU , ESPN+ , SEC Network ) FOX Family – WDKY (FOX), FOX /FS1 , FSN NBC – WLEX , NBC Sports , NBCSN References [ edit ] ^ "Seven Home Games Highlight Kentucky Football 2021 Schedule" . UK Athletics . UK Athletics. January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021 . ^ de Rond, Mark (March 1, 2017), "Hawkeye" , Doctors at War , Cornell University Press, retrieved February 25, 2022 ^ "Kentucky rallies past No. 10 Florida 20–13 in SEC showdown" . ESPN.com . Associated Press. October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021 . ^ Molly Weisner (October 29, 2021). "How to watch Mississippi State vs. Kentucky football on TV and live stream" . The Clarion-Ledger . Retrieved November 9, 2021 . ^ Gabriel Stovall (October 30, 2021). "Kentucky vs. Mississippi State: The Wildcats fall to Bulldogs 31-17" . Louisville Courier Journal . Retrieved November 9, 2021 .
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