KENTUCKY POSTGAME NOTES
Eastern Michigan at Kentucky
Kroger Field, Lexington, Ky.
Sept. 30, 2017
FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 24, Eastern Michigan 20
Team Records and Series Notes
- Kentucky is 4-1. Eastern Michigan is 2-2.
- This was the first meeting between the teams. They will meet again in 2019 at Eastern Michigan and 2020 at Kentucky.
- Kentucky will return to action Sat. Oct. 7 at home vs. Missouri at 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised on the SEC Network and it also will be carried live on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Team Notes
- The win moved Kentucky to an 11-5 record over the last 16 games.
- UK’s 11-4 mark in the last 15 regular-season games is the best span since 1977-78 when the Wildcats were 11-3-1 in a 15-game span.
- UK is 19-2 under Coach Mark Stoops when leading after three quarters.
- UK held Eastern Michigan to 20 points. It is the first time UK has held five straight opponents to 28 points or less in one season since the last five games of 2010.
- UK limited Eastern Michigan to 13 net rushing yards. That’s the fewest for a UK opponent since Samford was held to -2 in 2012.
- It’s the fewest rushing yards against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent since Vanderbilt had -29 yards in 1996.
- Kentucky was +2 in turnovers today, grabbing two interceptions and a fumble. The Wildcats are now +7 for the season. It’s the first time UK has been +7 after five games since 2007.
- UK has allowed 370 rushing yards so far this season, 74 per game, the fewest since the first five games of the 1987 season.
- UK has allowed four rushing TDs in the first five games of the season, fewest in the first five games since 2008.
- UK has not allowed a rushing TD in the first or third quarter this season.
- UK has not allowed a touchdown in the third quarter since the Southern Mississippi game, 70 minutes and 40 seconds time.
- The Wildcats have now scored in 16 consecutive quarters. The last time that happened was during the 2007 season when the Cats tallied in 27 straight quarters.
Player Notes
- UK’s game captains were OG Nick Haynes, QB Stephen Johnson, LB Courtney Love and S Mike Edwards.
- Senior quarterback Stephen Johnson completed 18 of 27 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns, no interceptions.
- UK is now 11-5 over the last 16 games with Johnson as the starter (9-5) or QB for the majority of the game in a relief role (2-0).
- Over the last eight games he has thrown 13 touchdowns with only two interceptions
- Sophomore running back Benny Snell, Jr. led the rushing attack with 21 carries for 75 yards, including a 12-yard TD run.
- It is his fourth rushing touchdown of the season, 17th of his career.
- He moved into UK’s top-20 all-time rushing list with 1,497 career yards.
- Senior wide receiver Garrett Johnson led the receivers with eight catches for 61 yards.
- He has 1,772 career receiving yards, moving past Quentin McCord and Dicky Lyons Jr. for fourth place on the career receiving yardage list.
- It’s the most receptions for a Wildcat since he had nine vs. Auburn in 2015.
- Senior tight end Greg Hart caught his first collegiate touchdown pass with a 20-yard scoring grab in the first quarter.
- In the second quarter, sophomore wide receiver Tavin Richardson scored his first collegiate touchdown on a seven-yard pass reception.
- True freshman defensive end Josh Paschal blocked a punt in the fourth quarter, setting up Snell’s 12-yard touchdown run.
- It is Kentucky’s second blocked kick of the season, first blocked punt.
- It is Kentucky’s first blocked punt since Josh Forrest vs. Alabama State in 2013.
- Paschal also shared a quarterback sack and had a QB hurry.
- The Wildcats had two interceptions in the fourth quarter.
- Senior DB Kendall Randolph had the first interception of his career.
- Junior safety Mike Edwards had his third pickoff of the season, seventh of his career. Edwards also led the Wildcats in tackles with eight stops and he added a pair of pass breakups.
- Junior defensive end/linebacker Josh Allen had 1.5 quarterback sacks, tying his career high achieved on two other occasions. He has 5.5 sacks on the season, most through five games since Marlon McCree in 2000.
- Junior defensive tackle Adrian Middleton had his first career sack and had a career-best two tackles for loss.
- Junior defensive end Kengera Daniel got his first collegiate sack.
- Senior punter Matt Panton had his best game as a Wildcat, punting eight times for a 47.2-yard average.
- His 71-yard punt in his career long, including his two seasons at Columbia.
- The 71-yarder is the longest for a UK player since Ryan Tydlacka had a 73-yarder at Ole Miss in 2010.
- It’s UK’s longest punt at Kroger Field since Bill Hawk had a 75-yarder vs. Tennessee in 1991.
- It was UK’s best punting performance since Landon Foster averaged 47.8 against Mississippi State in 2014.