Kentucky Hosts EKU in Home Opener
Kentucky took care of business on opening weekend, fighting its way to a hard-fought win on the road against a quality Southern Miss squad. The win made for a happy flight home and set the Cats up for this week’s home opener with a perfect record intact.
The Cats now are 8-3 over their past 11 regular season games, including a win at No. 11 Louisville to reclaim the Governor’s Cup in the 2016 regular season finale. The Cats count three road wins among those eight wins, a testament to the deep and talented roster head coach Mark Stoops has built through recruiting.
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| Kentucky vs. Eastern Kentucky | ||
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| Sat., Sept. 9 – 12 p.m. (Noon) ET Kroger Field Lexington, Ky. Game Notes: UK  | USM Digital Gameday Program Cat Walk – 9:45 |
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| Coverage | ||
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TV: SEC Network |
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| UK | 2017 Team Stats | EKU |
| 1-0 | 2017 Record | 0-1 |
| 0-0 | Conference Record | 0-0 |
| 24.0 | Scoring/game | 17.0 |
| 254.0 | Total offense/game | 345.0 |
| 78.0 | Rushing yards/game | 25.0 |
| 176.0 | Passing yards/game | 320.0 |
| 26.0 | Kickoff returns (avg) | 24.3 |
| N/A | Punt returns (avg) | N/A |
| 42.0 | Punting (avg) | 40.5 |
| 29:01 | Time of possession/game | 30:22 |
| 23.1% | Third down conversion | 53.0% |
| N/A | Fourth down conversion | 50.0% |
| 17.0 | Points allowed/game | 31.0 |
| 364.0 | Total yards allowed/game | 364.0 |
| 55.0 | Rush yards allowed/game | 100.0 |
| 309.0 | Pass yards allowed/game | 264.0 |
The home opener will kick off at noon ET at Kroger Field and air on the SEC Network. It is Heroes’ Day at the stadium, as we honor members of the military and first responders.
UK Focused on Team, not Self, EKU
Since the Wildcats came together for fall camp, Mark Stoops has praised his team for its togetherness.
The group, he said, had an all-for-one mentality and embraced every opportunity to learn, which suggested good things to come for the 2017 season, but that would be put to the test once the season kicked off.
Consider that test passed, both on the scoreboard and in Kentucky’s approach.
“I felt like the team was very united, very unselfish and maybe not exactly real pleased with their individual play at times but happy to get the team victory,” Stoops said.
That sums up the general mood of the team entering UK’s home opener vs. Eastern Kentucky at noon on Saturday: satisfied with the result for the team, if not with everything about the way it happened…Read More
Scouting Eastern Kentucky
• The Colonels lost their 2017 opener at Western Kentucky, 31-17, despite holding the Hilltoppers to just 100 rushing yards on 40 carries.
• EKU is coming off a 2016 season that saw the Colonels go 3-8 overall, including 2-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference.
• Head coach Mark Elder is in his second season with the Colonels. In his first 14 months as head coach, Elder engineered back-to-back top-25 classes, re-stocking the Colonel roster with a talented young core.
• Last season under, the Colonels gave great efforts on both sides of the ball. Eastern Kentucky averaged 26.1 points per game and allowed opponents an average of 30.5 points per game. Eastern Kentucky returns its top running back from a season ago in Ethan Thomas. Thomas rushed a team-best 385 yards on 93 carries last season and averaged 4.1 yards per carry.
• Defensively, Eastern Kentucky has some sure potential. The Colonels have one of their top defensive ends returning in Aaron Patrick. Last season Patrick earned first-team All-OVC honors and was named a Sophomore All-American after tallying 53 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 7 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries.
Game Promotions for EKU
• Kentucky football’s annual Heroes’ Day game is set for Saturday. The annual Heroes’ Day event honors all active and reserve members of the armed forces along with police, firefighters and first responders. Any members of the aforementioned groups are eligible to receive two complimentary tickets to the game by presenting a valid service ID, while supplies last.
• Along with complimentary tickets for heroes, UK Athletics is proud to offer specially priced tickets for the Eastern Kentucky game that will benefit Homes For Our Troops (HFOT). Fans can order tickets directly through a special website, UKathletics.com/HeroesDay, and $5 of every $30 ticket sold through this site will go directly to HFOT.
• HFOT builds and donates specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post – 9/11 veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives. Most of these veterans have sustained injuries including multiple limb amputations, partial or full paralysis and/or severe traumatic brain injury. These homes restore some of the freedom and independence veterans sacrificed while defending our country, and enable them to focus on their family, recovery, and rebuilding their lives. Since its inception in 2004, nearly 90 cents of every dollar has gone directly to program services for veterans. HFOT builds these homes where the veteran chooses to live, and continues its relationship with the veterans after home delivery to assist them with rebuilding their lives.
• HFOT is currently the sole beneficiary of the Swings for Soldiers Classic, the golf event founded by UK football great and NFL tight end Jacob Tamme.
• Among the tentative plans for Heroes’ Day are a football-field sized American flag for the national anthem, which will be presented by the UK Air Force ROTC and UK Army ROTC, recognition of personnel throughout the game and military VIPs in attendance.
• After the Cat Walk, Walker Montgomery will play the season-opening concert outside Gate 12 in the plaza between Kroger Field and the Joe Craft Kentucky Football Training Facility. The concert will begin after the Cat Walk and will last until 30 minutes prior to the game’s Noon kickoff. During the concert, the members of the team will make their way from the JCTF through Gate 12 and into the stadium. Fans are welcome to cheer the Wildcats as they enter Kroger Field.
Recapping the Home Opener
• Kentucky went on the road to open its season and returned to Lexington with a 24-17 victory over a game Southern Miss team that had upset the Cats a year before.
• The Wildcats’ defense was terrific throughout despite giving up 364 total yards. The unit forced four fumbles and recovered three, including DE/LB Denzil Ware’s 20-yard scoop and score in the second half that gave the Cats some breathing room.
• The defense made 8.0 tackles for loss and recorded two sacks, as Ware and fellow DE/LB Josh Allen were relentless in the pass rush.
• UK limited Southern Miss to 55 net rushing yards. It is the fewest since holding Vanderbilt to 54 rushing yards in 2014. It was the fewest rushing yards UK had allowed in a season opener since keeping Louisville to 53 in 2008.
• UK limited Southern Miss to 1.4 yards per rushing attempt, best since Samford averaged -0.1 yards per rush in 2012.
• The Cats’ offense didn’t fire on all cylinders but it did just enough to remain effective. Quarterback Stephen Johnson found tight end C.J. Conrad on a pair of big passing plays and running back Benny Snell fought his way for 67 difficult yards.
• New punter Matt Panton had an excellent day, averaging 42.0 yards on nine punts, including five that were downed inside the 20-yard line, two of which were at the 1-yard line.
A UK Win Would…
• Give the Cats nine wins in their past 12 regular season games.
• Give UK a 5-0 record vs. Eastern Kentucky.
• Improve UK to 153-29-4 at Kroger Field, including 17-13 under Mark Stoops.
• Give UK a 10-0 record vs. OVC opponents.
• Mark the first time that Kentucky had a 9-3 record over a span of 12 regular season games since Nov. 4, 2006 – Oct. 20, 2007
• Be starting QB Stephen Johnson’s eighth win since taking over in the fourth game of 2016.
• Push the Cats’ record in non-conference games under coach Mark Stoops to 13-6.
Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff Show
The Countdown to Kickoff show will air starting two hours prior to kickoff. Freddie Maggard will serve as the analyst on the Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff alongside host Christi Thomas. For home games, the show will air live from in front of Nutter Field House outside gate 1 of Kroger Field with special guests and giveaways. The set of the show is conveniently located near the Coke Fan Zone in Nutter Field House and the Cat Walk presented by Chevy.
For the first time, the Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff will go on the road and broadcast live from select Kroger locations in Kentucky.
Sept. 16 (South Carolina) – 3101 Richmond Road, Lexington
Oct. 21 (Mississippi State) – 300 Brighton Park Boulevard, Frankfort
Nov. 11 (Vanderbilt) – 212 Kroger Way, Versailles
Nov. 18 (Georgia) – 3175 Beaumont Circle, Lexington
