Kentucky-Oklahoma Postgame Notes

KENTUCKY AT OKLAHOMA
OCTOBER 17, 2026
GAYLORD FAMILY – OKLAHOMA MEMORIAL STADIUM
ATTENDANCE: 83,218

FINAL SCORE:  No. 15/17 Kentucky 21, RV/RV Oklahoma 13

Team Records and Series Information

• Kentucky is 6-1 overall, 4-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Oklahoma is 3-3, 1-2 in the league. With the win, Kentucky is tied with Georgia for first place in the SEC.
• The series is tied 2-2, including 1-1 in Norman. The teams had not played since 1982 in Lexington and 1980 in Norman.

Next Game

• Kentucky returns home to play host to Vanderbilt on Oct. 24. Game time is 7:30 p.m. ET and it will be televised on SEC Network.

What the Win Means for the Wildcats

• Kentucky’s 6-1 record is the Wildcats’ best start since the 2021 squad opened 6-1. (Note: the 2021 victories were vacated later by the NCAA, making this season the best official start since the 2018 team began 6-1.)
• Kentucky has won five in a row for the first time since the 2023 team won its first five games.
• The Wildcats are bowl-eligible for the first time since 2023.
• Kentucky’s 4-1 SEC record is the Wildcats’ best league start since the 2021 team began 4-1. (Note: the 2021 wins were later vacated by the NCAA. The last official 4-1 SEC start was the 2018 season.)
• Kentucky has won four SEC games in a row for the first time since the 2021 season. (Note: the 2021 wins were later vacated by the NCAA. The last official four-game SEC win streak was 1977 when the Wildcats went 6-0.)
• This is the first time UK has had a three-game SEC win streak on the road since the 2009 team won three straight road league games (at Auburn, at Vanderbilt, at Georgia).
  • The victory also marked the first win as an Associated Press Top 15 team on the road against a league foe since Oct. 27, 2018, at Missouri.
• The Wildcats have won three straight games after trailing in the fourth quarter for the first time since the 2006 team matched the feat with come-from-behind fourth-quarter wins on Nov. 4 (Georgia), Nov. 11 (Vanderbilt) and Nov. 18 (Louisiana-Monroe).
• Will Stein is the first UK head coach to be 6-1 in his first season since Alpha Brumage in 1913.
  • Stein is the first coach in UK history to begin 4-1 in SEC play in his first season (SEC football began in 1933).

Team Notes

• Kentucky scored a touchdown on the opening drive for the second consecutive game, third time this season. Tonight’s first possession went 67 yards in 13 plays and took 6:20 off the clock.
  • It is the first time this season that Oklahoma yielded a touchdown on the opponent’s first possession.
• UK won the turnover margin 4-0 against the Sooners and has won or tied the turnover margin in every game this season.
  • UK’s plus-11 turnover margin this season leads the SEC.
• Kentucky had four interceptions, the most in a game this season and the most turnovers forced by UK this season.
  • Jordan Castell’s 41-yard interception return for a touchdown is the second defensive touchdown of the season for the Cats. UK also had an INT return for a TD against Alabama (Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace).
• Oklahoma entered the game averaging 23.9 points per game. Kentucky limited the Sooners to just 13 points.
• UK’s defense also earned a season-high five sacks in the victory tonight.
• The Wildcats’ defense limited Oklahoma to just 13 points. It is the fewest against an SEC opponent on the road since UK limited Auburn to three points on Nov. 1, 2025.
  • It’s also the fewest points scored in an SEC road victory (21) since scoring 10 in the win at Auburn.
• The Kentucky defense has been proficient coming out of halftime, as the Wildcats have not allowed a point on opponents’ first possession of the second half this season.
  • Kentucky has yielded an average of 6.0 yards on those possessions (42 total yards).
• Kentucky tight ends combined for another productive game, totaling six catches for 39 yards.
  • UK tight ends have totaled 50 receptions this season, the most in the first seven games of a season since the tight ends caught 57 in the first seven games of 2000.

Player Notes

• QB Kenny Minchey completed 21-of-28 passes for 158 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
  • Minchey has thrown 206 passes to start the season with only one interception. That’s a record for the most pass attempts for a UK QB to begin a season with only one interception. The previous record was 183 passes with only one interception by Maxwell Smith in 2013.
  • Minchey now has the second-longest streak of consecutive passing attempts without an interception in UK history (160).
• TE Willie Rodriguez caught five passes for 38 yards and two touchdowns.
  • He scored with a two-yard TD catch on Kentucky’s first possession, then followed with a 12-yard touchdown grab to give the Wildcats the lead early in the fourth quarter.
    • It is the first time in his collegiate career he has hauled in multiple TD receptions.
  • He has a reception in 18 of 19 games and in all seven games this season.
• WR Kenny Darby caught five passes for 35 yards, including a long haul of 17 yards.
  • He leads the Cats with 34 receptions and 436 yards on the season.
  • He has caught at least one pass in every game this season.
• WR Nic Anderson caught five passes for a team-high 48 yards.
• LB Grant Godfrey had a career-high 15 tackles, the third double-figure tackling game of his career and second in a row.
  • He entered the game as the second leading tackler in the SEC.
• LB Bo Barnes had 10 stops, his second-consecutive game with double-digit tackles.
  • He also added a pass breakup.
• DE Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace notched 1.5 sacks, both coming on Oklahoma’s first possession of the fourth quarter.
  • He contributed four total tackles, three quarterback hurries and a pass breakup.
  • His pass breakup led to the first interception of the day.
• S Jordan Castell picked off two passes, including a 41-yard return for a touchdown to give the Cats a 21-13 cushion with the Sooners driving in the fourth quarter.
  • Castell leads the SEC with four picks on the season.
  • It is his first collegiate touchdown.
  • He added nine total tackles and an additional pass breakup.
• S Ty Bryant had two interceptions, the second time in his career he has had multiple interceptions in the same game against an SEC opponent. He also achieved the mark against Ole Miss on Sept. 6, 2025.
  • Bryant’s interception with 21 seconds to play sealed the victory for the Cats.
  • Bryant also contributed nine tackles in the win.
• DL Tavion Gadson disrupted the backfield all night and had a career-high eight tackles and also added 1.5 sacks for a loss of 11 yards.
  • He was also credited with a pass breakup.
• DE/LB CJ Works had three tackles, including 1.5 sacks for a loss of six yards.
  • The three tackles match a career-best, also having generated three stops against Georgia on Oct. 4, 2025.
  • The 1.5 sacks were the first of his career.
• P Wilson Berry had five punts for an average of 46.2 yards.
  • He notched a career-long of 58 yards to pin Oklahoma deep in their own territory in the fourth quarter.
• RB Jovantae Barnes made his first start of the season. He rushed five times for 16 yards.
• TE Mikkel Skinner made his first career start. He also added a career-long rush of 16 yards that set up the game’s first touchdown.

Game Captains

• WR Nic Anderson, RB Jovontae Barnes, DB Ty Bryant, DL Tavion Gadson