2019 Game Notes Quick Notes
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2019 GAME NOTES SATURDAY, AUG. 31 • NOON ET • SEC NETWORK LEXINGTON, KY. • KROGER FIELD (61,000) vs. KENTUCKY OPENS 129TH SEASON WITH FIRST-TIME FOE TOLEDO Coming off its most successful season in four decades, Kentucky returns to action this Saturday KENTUCKY WILDCATS as it opens the 2019 season against first-time foe Toledo at Kroger Field. The game is set for a noon (0-0, 0-0 SEC) ET kickoff and will air on the SEC Network. The long-awaited return to the field comes on the heels of a 10-win season that captured the hearts 8/31 TOLEDO [SECN] Noon and imagination of UK fans and saw one of the most decorated classes in school history shine in the 9/7 E. MICHIGAN [ESPNU/SECNA] 7:30 p.m. NFL Draft. Now the spotlight turns to a new stable of talented players looking to carve their own 9/14 FLORIDA* [ESPN] 7 p.m. name into UK lore, including second-year QB Terry Wilson, explosive RB A.J. Rose, WR Lynn Bowden 9/21 at Mississippi State* TBA Jr., linebackers Kash Daniel, Josh Paschal and Boogie Watson, and an entirely new secondary. 9/28 at South Carolina* TBA Offensively, the Cats will look to a deep and talented offensive line to pave the way for a trio of 10/12 ARKANSAS* TBA 10/19 at Georgia* TBA backs seeking to follow in the footsteps of Benny Snell Jr., as well as a group of receivers with length 10/26 MISSOURI* TBA and game-breaking ability. 11/9 TENNESSEE* TBA Defensively, the defensive line is considered a significant strength and is expected to help 11/16 at Vanderbilt* TBA assuage the youth movement on the back end of the unit as it gains game experience. 11/23 TENNESSEE MARTIN TBA 11/30 LOUISVILLE TBA GAME CENTER - #BRINGIT KENTUCKY WILDCATS TOLEDO ROCKETS All times ET; *SEC game; Home games in bold Record: 0-0 (0-0 SEC) Record: 0-0 (0-0 MAC) Ranking: AP - NR; Coaches - RV Ranking: AP - NR; Coaches - NR TOLEDO ROCKETS Coach: Mark Stoops (Iowa, ‘89) Coach: Jason Candle (Mount Union, '03) Record: 28-13 (4th season) (0-0, 0-0 MAC) Record: 36-39 (7th season) at UK: same at Toledo: same 8/31 at Kentucky Noon vs. Toledo: 0-0 vs. UK: 0-0 9/14 MURRAY STATE 7 p.m. Last Game: W, 27-24, vs. Penn State; VRBO Last Game: L, 32-35, vs. FIU; Bahamas Bowl 9/21 at Colorado State TBA Citrus Bowl (1/1/19) (12/21/18) Last Meeting: First Meeting 9/28 BYU TBA Series: First Meeting 10/5 WESTERN MICHIGAN* 3:30 p.m. 10/12 at Bowling Green* TBA 10/19 at Ball State* 2 p.m. QUICK NOTES 10/26 EASTERN MICHIGAN* TBA • Kentucky kicks off its 129th season of intercollegiate football against Toledo seeking a fourth 11/5 KENT STATE* TBA consecutive bowl appearance and with eyes on continuing to move up the Southeastern 11/13 NORTHERN ILLINOIS* 8 p.m. Conference ladder. 11/20 at Buffalo* 7:30 p.m. • UK is 87-36-5 (.707) all-time in season openers and 4-2 under coach Mark Stoops. 11/29 at Central Michigan* TBA • The Wildcats have won nine of their past 12 season openers, including two straight. • This is coach Mark Stoops’ seventh season in Lexington and the Wildcats have either matched or All times ET; ^Orlando; *MAC game; Home games exceeded the previous season’s win total in each of the past six seasons, making them the only in bold program in FBS to accomplish that feat. • Stoops’ “recruit and develop” mentality culminated in 2018 with a 10-3 record, UK’s best season in 41 years and only the third 10-win season in school history. ABOUT THE GAME • UK’s 5-3 SEC record also was the team’s first winning league mark since 1977. The Cats finished second in the SEC Eastern Division. TV • SEC NETWORK • Highlights of 2018 included ending a 31-game losing streak vs. Florida with a 27-16 win in The Play-by-Play Taylor Zarzour Swamp; a miraculous comeback win at Missouri; a 56-10 win at Louisville that is the largest margin Analyst Matt Stinchcomb of victory in the Governor’s Cup series; and the season was topped by a 27-24 win over No. 12 Sideline Alyssa Lang Penn State in the VRBO Citrus Bowl. • A rock-ribbed defense was led by linebacker Josh Allen, who broke the single-season and school RADIO • UK SPORTS NETWORK records for quarterback sacks en route to winning the Bednarik Award, Nagurski Award and Play-by-Play Tom Leach Lott Trophy as the National Defensive Player of the Year. He was UK’s first unanimous first-team Analyst Jeff Piecoro All-American since Art Still in 1977. Running back Benny Snell Jr., had three straight 1,000-yard Sideline Dick Gabriel seasons, breaking UK career records with 3,873 rushing yards and 48 touchdowns. He was a second-team All-American. SATELLITE RADIO • Helping pave the way for Snell’s exploits was guard Jervontius “Bunchy” Stallings, who received Channel 190 - XM Channel 135- Sirius first-team All-America accolades. • UK’s five NFL draft picks (Allen, Lonnie Johnson Jr., Mike Edwards, Snell, George Asafo-Adjei) INTERNET RADIO • www.UKathletics.com were the most since eight players (James Ramsey, Jim Kovach, Kelly Kirchbaum, Rod Stewart, Bob Live Audio - free; Live Stats Winkel, Robert Hawkins, Dan Fowler and David Stephens) were chosen in 1979. • Kentucky had a player drafted in each of the first four rounds for the first time in school history. TICKETS • UKathletics.com The only other schools to accomplish that feat were Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma. • UK went 4-2 last season against teams that finished ranked or receiving votes in the final national HASHTAG • #BRINGIT polls, including wins over No. 7 Florida, No. 17 Penn State and No. 25 Mississippi State. • The Cats were 3-1 against ranked foes at the time of the game being played. 2019 FOOTBALL GAME NOTES 1 2019 GAME NOTES • What production returns for the 2019 season? Forty-one letterwinners are back, including 10 SEC STANDINGS starters: Logan Stenberg (LG), Drake Jackson (C), Lynn Bowden Jr. (WR), Terry Wilson (QB), Calvin EASTERN DIVISION Taylor Jr. (DE), Quinton Bohanna (NG), Jamar “Boogie Watson (SLB), Kash Daniel (MLB), Blake Best Team SEC Pct. All Pct. (SNAP) and Max Duffy (P). The Cats also welcome the return of junior offensive tackle Landon KENTUCKY 0-0 -- 0-0 -- Young who missed the 2018 season with a knee injury and sophomore defensive end Joshua Florida 0-0 -- 1-0 1.000 Paschal who has been battling melanoma and only saw limited action in the final three games last Georgia 0-0 -- 0-0 -- season. Young played in all 13 games as a sophomore, starting in six at left tackle. Missouri 0-0 -- 0-0 -- • In addition, 20 redshirt freshmen, 18 true freshmen, three junior college transfers and a transfer South Carolina 0-0 -- 0-0 -- from Florida State are primed and ready to make their mark in 2019. Tennessee 0-0 -- 0-0 -- GAME PROMOTIONS / TOLEDO Vanderbilt 0-0 -- 0-0 -- • Saturday will mark Houston Hogg Day, as UK football will celebrate one of the four men who broke the color barrier in SEC football. A statue honoring Hogg, along with fellow trailblazers WESTERN DIVISION Nate Northington, Greg Page and Wilbur Hackett, stands outside the Joe Craft Football Training Team SEC Pct. All Pct. Facility. Hogg will serve as the game’s honorary captain. Alabama 0-0 -- 0-0 -- • Saturday is also Dance Day. Arkansas 0-0 -- 0-0 -- Auburn 0-0 -- 0-0 -- SCOUTING TOLEDO LSU 0-0 -- 0-0 -- • Toledo went 7-6 last season and finished second in the MAC West Division at 5-3. Miss. State 0-0 -- 0-0 -- • The Rockets lost to FIU, 35-32, in the 2018 Bahamas Bowl. Ole Miss 0-0 -- 0-0 -- • The Rockets return 14 starters: seven on offense, five on defense, 2 specialists. Texas A&M 0-0 -- 0-0 -- • Running back Bryant Koback, who began his career at Kentucky, is the centerpiece of the offense after rushing for a team-high 917 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2018. WEEK ONE IN SEC • Mitchell Guadagni returns at quarterback after his 2018 season was cut short by injury after seven games. Before he was hurt he passed for 1,053 yards and 13 touchdowns in seven games, August 24 as well as rushed for 428 yards and three scores. Florida 24, Miami 20 (Orlando) • Toledo ranked 25th nationally in rushing offense in 2018 and 30th in total offense. • The defense returns two defensive line starters and three in the secondary. August 29 • The program has proven to be one of the most consistent winners in the country with nine Texas State at Texas A&M consecutive winning seasons and 83 victories over that span. The team owns a .692 winning 8:30 p.m.; SEC Network percentage during that time and has recorded at least nine wins in six of the past eight seasons. August 31 SERIES VS. TOLEDO Toledo at Kentucky • This is the first meeting between the two programs. Noon; SEC Network • UK is 20-3 all-time vs. teams from the current alignment of the Mid-American Conference. Ole Miss at Memphis • The Cats have won 10 straight games vs. schools from the MAC. Noon; ABC Mississippi State vs. Louisiana (New Orleans) KENTUCKY-TOLEDO CONNECTIONS Noon; ESPNU • Kentucky has an Ohio-heavy roster with 23 players hailing from the state, including two from the South Carolina vs.