KENTUCKY POSTGAME NOTES
Kentucky at Auburn
Pat Dye Field at Jordan-Hare Stadium
Sept. 25, 2020
 
FINAL SCORE: No. 8 Auburn 29, No. 23 Kentucky 13
 
Team Records and Series Information

• This was the season opener for both teams as Kentucky began its 130^th season of football.

  • UK is now 88-37-5 in season openers, including 5-3 under Mark Stoops.   
  • This was UK’s latest season-opening date since 1941.
  • This was the first time UK opened the season against a Southeastern Conference opponent since 1960 at Georgia Tech.  
• UK’s first meeting vs. Auburn since 2015, the Tigers lead the series 27-6-1 and has won three in a row.
  • AU leads the series 13-2 in games played in Auburn. 
• Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats have their home opener Saturday, Oct. 3, vs. Ole Miss at 4 p.m. The game will be televised by the SEC Network.   

 
Team Notes

• UK has allowed 34 points or less in 28 straight games, dating back to the 2017 season.
• This is the 10^th consecutive game that the UK defense has allowed fewer than 400 yards.
• UK allowed 91 rushing yards, fewest against a top-10 ranked opponent since 2010 vs. South Carolina and fewest against a top-10 ranked opponent on the road since 1999 vs. Mississippi State.
• Kentucky scored a touchdown on its first offensive possession. That is the third game in a row to do so, counting the final two games of the 2019 season.

 
Player Notes

• UK’s game captain was linebacker DeAndre Square.
• Senior quarterback Terry Wilson made his first appearance since his injury on Sept. 7, 2019, vs. Eastern Michigan.  Wilson completed 24 of 37 passes for 239 yards with one touchdown, the most for a UK QB in a top-10 road game since Mike Hartline in 2010 at Florida..  He added 42 net rushing yards.
• Sophomore running back Kavoisiey Smoke led the Wildcats with seven carries for 62 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown run on UK’s first possession. 
• Senior running back A.J. Rose rushed 10 times for 31 yards.
  • Rose now has 1,336 career rushing yards, moving up two spots for 26^th place in school history.
  • He also had four pass receptions for 37 yards.
• Senior WR Josh Ali led the Wildcats in receiving with nine catches for 98 yards, both career highs. It’s the most receiving yards in a top-10 opponent road game since Chris Matthews at Florida in 2010.
• Sophomore WR Akeem Hayes had two catches for 24 yards, including his first collegiate touchdown on an eight-yard reception in the third quarter. 
• Junior linebacker DeAndre Square wore uniform No. 22 today in honor of teammate Chris Oats, who is dealing with a serious medical condition. Square served as the team captain at the coin toss.
  • He tied for the team lead with five tackles, including a stop on 4^th-and-1 at the UK 16 in the second quarter that returned the ball to the Wildcats.
• Also tying for the team lead with five tackles were LB Jamin Davis, CB Brandin Echols, and DBs Tyrell Ajian and Yusuf Corker.
• Playing his first game as a defensive end, junior Josh Paschal had four tackles, including 1.5 for loss.
• Senior punter Max Duffy picked up from last season, punting four times for a 53-yard average.
  • Backed up on his own 1-yard line, his 75-yarder in the third quarter is a career long and ties for the third-longest punt in school history.