UK Football Seniors Make Huge Impact in Final Home Contest
Saturday was Senior Day for the Kentucky football team, a day to celebrate those playing in their final game for the Cats at Kroger Field. And the 2021 senior class made a huge impact in their final opportunity to play in front of the home fans.
Kentucky topped New Mexico State 56-16 behind a big offensive performance. The Cats went over 700 yards of total offense (707, to be exact) for just the second time in school history. And seniors played a big role in making that happen.
Josh Ali had perhaps his biggest game as a Cat. The senior from Hollywood, Florida, caught seven passes for a career high 164 yards. He also caught two touchdown passes in a game for the first time in his career. He also returned four punts for a total of 20 yards.
For Ali, Saturday could not have gone any better.
“No, it really couldn’t,” Ali said. “We came out a bit slow, but in the second half everyone got in the groove. We came out and we handled business.”
Fellow senior Justin Rigg also had a big game on Saturday. The senior from Springboro, Ohio, caught just two passes for 34 yards on Saturday. But both of his receptions went for touchdowns, one covering 32 yards and another covering two. It was Rigg’s first career two-touchdown game.
On the defensive side of the ball, senior Quandre Mosely made perhaps the biggest play of Saturday’s contest. The game was tied 7-7 in the first quarter when Mosely, a senior from Brunswick, Georgia, intercepted NMSU quarterback Jonah Johnson, then raced down the left sideline for a 38-yard touchdown. It was Mosely’s second career interception and first career touchdown.
Mosely was relieved to make a big play in his final home game.
“Felt good, I was praying for this, that I want to make a play in my last game in Kroger Field,” Mosely said. “I haven’t made many plays since I’ve been here. It was a relief.”
Also on defense, Yusuf Corker had a big game. The senior from McDonough, Georgia, had seven tackles in the win. Classmate Josh Paschal had six tackles, including a sack. Another senior, DeAndre Square, added four tackles for the Cats. Davonte Robinson had a pair of tackles in his final game in his hometown. And Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald added two tackles as well.
UK head coach Mark Stoops was pleased that his seniors could make an impact in their final home game.
“Josh Ali and Josh Paschal both had big games,” Stoops said. “Josh (Paschal) started the game with a big tackle for loss. And Josh had a big game, Josh Ali had a big game. All those guys. Luke (Fortner), Darian (Kinnard), you name it. They’ve done an awful lot for our program. They’ve won a lot of games. And we appreciate them. So, it’s important to send them off this way.”
On special teams, senior Matt Ruffolo made all seven of his extra points in the game. He has made 45 of 47 PATs this season.
Saturday marked the first time that Kentucky has had three seniors score on senior day since 2007 when Steve Johnson, Jacob Tamme and Keenan Burton all got into the end zone against Tennessee.
The Kentucky seniors, one of the winningest classes in UK history, closed out their home careers in fine fashion on Saturday, contributing to a big Wildcat win along the way.
