Kentucky Football Postgame Notes

FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 38, Toledo 24

Team Records and Series Information

• This was the season opener for both teams.
• This was the first time that the two schools have met in football.
• Kentucky is 21-3 against teams from the current alignment of the Mid-American Conference, including 11 wins in a row.
• Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats host Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU or the SEC Network Alternate channel.

Team Notes

• Beginning its 129^th season of football, Kentucky is now 88-36-5 in season openers and has won three in a row.

• UK is 5-2 in season lidlifters under Coach Mark Stoops.
• UK is 13-1 in home openers since 2006 and 10-3 in season openers since 2007.

• This marked Kentucky’s sixth consecutive non-conference win.
• For the third straight year, Kentucky used a second-half effort to earn a win in its home opener. After being tied 14-14 at halftime, UK outscored Toledo 24-10 in the second half.

• Last season, UK led Central Michigan 21-20 at halftime before outscoring CMU 14-0 in the second half.
• In 2017, UK trailed EKU 13-10 at halftime before outscoring the Colonels 17-3 in the second half.

o UK has held its opponent to 24 points or less in each of its last three season openers. This is the first time UK has accomplished the feat since 2007-2011 (five seasons).
o This is the first time UK has won three straight season openers since 2007-2011 (five straight).

• Kentucky won the total offense battle 422-347 with 246 passing yards and 176 rushing yards.
• UK has made 116 consecutive extra points, the ninth-longest active streak in the nation.

· The UK defense allowed 174 yards on Toledo’s first three drives and then limited the Rockets to 173 yards in their last 12 drives.
· UK has allowed 24 points or less in 14 of its last 15 games. That is the best such stretch since October 14, 1978 to Sept. 6, 1980. UK allowed 24 points or less in 18 of 19 games in that stretch.

· UK posted its best completion percentage defense which was 44 percent (min. 25 attempts) since Nov. 28, 2015 vs. Louisville (38.5 percent).

· UK’s 97-yard touchdown drive was its longest scoring drive since Sept. 5, 2015 vs. Louisiana (99 yards in first quarter).

· UK had two scoring drives of at least 90 yards since Sept. 8, 2018 at Florida.

· UK has scored at least 38 points in a game in every season since 1997.

· UK has had consecutive season-opening wins by at least 14 points for the first time since 2007-2009 (three seasons).

· The pregame Catwalk presented by Chevy had a new addition this year. A partnership between Kentucky Children’s Hospital, Kentucky College of Engineering and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky created a new and specially built pushcart vehicle that will provide a Kentucky Children’s Hospital patient the chance to both accompany the Wildcats on the Cat Walk and attend a game at Kroger Field. A new patient will be chosen by the Kentucky Children’s Hospital each week to participate.

Player Notes

• UK’s game captains were OG Logan Stenberg, QB Terry Wilson, LB Kash Daniel and athlete Lynn Bowden Jr.

• The honorary captain was former running back Houston Hogg (1967-70), one of the pioneers of integration in the Southeastern Conference.

• Junior quarterback Terry Wilson went 19-of-26 throwing for 246 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson only took one sack.

• This was only the second time since 2012 that UK started the same QB in consecutive season openers, also Patrick Towles in 2014-15.

• Junior athlete Lynn Bowden Jr. caught six passes for 77 yards, including a 30-yard reception.

• Bowden returned punts and kickoffs in the game totaling 42 yards.
• Became the 30^th player in school history with 1,000 receiving yards, now has 1,032 career receiving yards. He ranks 28th and needs 20 yards to tie Derek Homer for 27th.

• Redshirt freshman RB Kavosiey Smoke rushed seven times for 78 yards, including a career-long 40-yard touchdown run.
• Players making their first collegiate pass receptions today included senior WR Ahmad Wagner, redshirt freshman WR Bryce Oliver and redshirt freshman TE Keaton Upshaw.

• Oliver’s first catch was a 32-yarder for a touchdown in the third quarter.

• Junior TE Justin Rigg scored his first collegiate touchdown on a fumble recovery in the end zone on the first play of the second quarter.
• Kicker Chance Poore hit a career-long 46-yard field goal in the third quarter.
• Punter Max Duffy averaged 54 yards per punt which is the second best average yards per punt by a UK player in a single game (min. 5 punts) and it was the best mark since Bill Hawk vs. Tennessee on Nov. 23, 1991 (56.5 yards per punt).
• UK created its first turnover of the season in the third quarter when sophomore LB Josh Paschal caused a fumble that was recovered by sophomore S Yusuf Corker.
• Sophomore LB DeAndre Square had a career-best 11 tackles and had his first career interception.

• Square added a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.
• Square is the first UK player with at least 10 tackles, a half sack, 1 TFL and an interception since Josh Forrest vs. Louisiana on Sept. 5, 2015.

• Senior WR Ahmad Wagner caught three passes for 57 yards, including a 40-yard reception.
• Junior DB Brandin Echols had three PBUs, which is the most by a UK player since Derrick Baity vs. Northwestern on Dec. 29, 2017.
• Junior RB Asim AJ Rose rushed a game-high 16 times for 64 yards and a touchdown.

• Rose has a touchdown in five of the last eight home games.
• Rose is the first UK player with a rushing touchdown in consecutive season openers since Mikel Horton in 2014 and 2015.

• Players making their first collegiate starts included OG Luke Fortner, WR Josh Ali, WR Ahmad Wagner, RB A.J. Rose, CB Cedrick Dort, CB Jamari Brown and S Yusuf Corker.