2021 Kentucky Wildcats football team

2021 Kentucky Wildcats football
2021 Kentucky Wildcats football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
	Eastern Division
Record	7–3 (5–3 SEC)
Head coach	Mark Stoops (9th season);
Offensive coordinator	Liam Coen (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Brad White (3rd season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Jon Sumrall (1st season)
Home stadium	Kroger Field; (Capacity: 61,000)
	Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 1 Georgia x#^	8	–	0	14	–	1
No. 18 Kentucky*	5	–	3	10	–	3
Tennessee	4	–	4	7	–	6
Missouri	3	–	5	6	–	7
South Carolina	3	–	5	7	–	6
Florida	2	–	6	6	–	7
Vanderbilt	0	–	8	2	–	10
West Division
No. 2 Alabama x$^	7	–	1	13	–	2
No. 11 Ole Miss	6	–	2	10	–	3
No. 21 Arkansas	4	–	4	9	–	4
Mississippi State	4	–	4	7	–	6
Texas A&M	4	–	4	8	–	4
Auburn	3	–	5	6	–	7
LSU	3	–	5	6	–	7
Championship: Alabama 41, Georgia 24
# – College Football Playoff champion ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions * – Kentucky vacated all wins due to NCAA violations. Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021 Kentucky Wildcats football team represents the University of Kentucky in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats play their home games at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky, and compete in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They are led by ninth-year head coach Mark Stoops.

Previous season

Kentucky finished the season with a record of 5–6 (4–6 in the SEC) and as Gator Bowl champions. Kentucky entered the 2020 season fresh off an 8–5 record and a Belk Bowl championship.

Offseason

Position key

Back	B	Center	C	Cornerback	CB	Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE	Defensive lineman	DL	Defensive tackle	DT	End	E
Fullback	FB	Place Kicker	PK	Guard	G	Halfback	HB	Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR	Offensive tackle	OT	Offensive lineman	OL	Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS	Split end	SE	Punter	P	Punt returner	PR	Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB	Safety	S	Tight end	TE	Wide receiver	WR

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year

SEC Media Days

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Media poll (East Division)
1	Georgia	923 (124)
2	Florida	784 (7)
3	Kentucky	624 (2)
4	Missouri	555
5	Tennessee	362
6	South Carolina	355 (1)
7	Vanderbilt	149

Place	Team	Votes
Media poll (SEC Championship)
1	Alabama	84
2	Georgia	45
3	Ole Miss	1
4	Texas A&M	1
	Florida	1
	Kentucky	1
	South Carolina	1

Preseason All-SEC teams

Personnel

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Years at Kentucky
Mark Stoops	Head coach	9th
Vince Marrow	Associate Head Coach/Tight end coach	9th
Liam Coen	Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach	1st
Brad White	Defensive coordinator/Outside linebackers coach	4th
John Settle	Running backs coach	1st
Jon Sumrall	Inside linebackers coach /Co-Defensive Coordinator	3rd
Frank Buffano	Safeties coach	2nd
Eric Wolford	Offensive line coach	1st
Jovon Bouknight	Wide receivers coach	2nd
Anwar Stewart	Defensive line coach	2nd
Mark Hill	Strength and conditioning	6th
Reference:

Schedule

Spring game

The Wildcats were scheduled to hold spring practices in March and April 2021 with the Kentucky football spring game, which took place in Lexington, KY in April 2021.

Regular season

The 2021 Wildcats' schedule consists of seven home games and five away games for the regular season. Kentucky will host four SEC conference opponents Florida, LSU, Missouri, and rival Tennessee. Kentucky will travel to four SEC conference opponents Georgia, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt. Kentucky is not scheduled to play SEC West opponents Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M in the 2021 regular season. The Wildcats bye week comes during week 8 (on October 23, 2021).^[1]

Kentucky's out of conference opponents represent the ACC, Independents, Southern, and Sun Belt conferences. The Wildcats will host three non-conference games which are against Chattanooga from the SoCon, Louisiana-Monroe from the Sun Belt , and New Mexico State from the FBS Independents. The Wildcats will travel to Louisville, KY to face in-state rival Louisville for Governor's Cup to close out the season.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	12:00 p.m.	Louisiana–Monroe*		Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN	W 45–10	47,693
September 11	7:30 p.m.	Missouri		Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN	W 35–28	58,437
September 18	12:00 p.m.	Chattanooga*		Kroger Field Lexington, KY	ESPN+/SECN+	W 28–23	55,214
September 25	7:00 p.m.	at South Carolina		Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC (SEC Nation)	ESPN2	W 16–10	77,559
October 2	6:00 p.m.	No. 10 Florida		Kroger Field Lexington, KY	ESPN	W 20–13	61,632
October 9	7:30 p.m.	LSU	No. 16	Kroger Field Lexington, KY (SEC Nation)	SECN	W 42–21	61,690
October 16	3:30 p.m.	at No. 1 Georgia	No. 11	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (College GameDay / SEC Nation)	CBS	L 13–30	92,746
October 30	7:00 p.m.	at Mississippi State	No. 12	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECN	L 17–31	49,487
November 6	7:00 p.m.	Tennessee	No. 18	Kroger Field Lexington, KY (rivalry)	ESPN2	L 42–45	61,690
November 13	7:00 p.m.	at Vanderbilt		Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)	ESPN2	W 34–17	25,798
November 20	12:00 p.m.	New Mexico State*		Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN
November 27		at Louisville*		Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY (Governor's Cup)
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) – Released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks

	1	2	3	4	Total
Louisiana-Monroe	7	0	0	3	10
• Kentucky	14	14	3	14	45

Date: September 4
Location: Lexington, KY
Game start: 12:03 p.m.
Elapsed time: 3:11
Game attendance: 47,693
Game weather: Sunny, 78°F, Wind SW @ 7 mph
Referee: Jason McArthur
TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color), Alyssa Lang (sideline)

Sources: Official Box Score

Statistics	ULM	Kentucky
First downs	12	24
Total yards	87	564
Rushing yards	17	145
Passing yards	70	419
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	28:13	31:47

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
ULM	Passing	Rhett Rodgriuez	9/17, 56 yards
	Rushing	Chandler Rogers	7 carries, 11 yards
	Receiving	Boogie Knight	6 receptions, 58 yards
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	18/26, 367 yards, 4 TD's
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	19 carries, 125 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Josh Ali	5 receptions, 136 yards, 1 TD

Missouri Tigers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Missouri	7	7	7	7	28
• Kentucky	14	7	7	7	35

Date: September 11
Location: Lexington, KY
Game start: 7:38 p.m.
Game attendance: 58,437
Game weather: Sunny, 74°F, Wind S @ 8 mph
Referee: Ken Williamson
TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color), Alyssa Lang (sideline)

Sources:

Statistics	Missouri	Kentucky
First downs	25	26
Total yards	398	520
Rushing yards	104	341
Passing yards	294	179
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	27:12	32:48

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Missouri	Passing	Connor Bazelak	34/51, 294 yards, 4 TD’s, 1 INT
	Rushing	Tyler Badie	14 carries, 61 yards
	Receiving	Tyler Badie	10 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	10/18, 179 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	27 carries, 207 yards, 2 TD’s
	Receiving	Wan’Dale Robinson	5 receptions, 101 yards

Chattanooga Mocs

	1	2	3	4	Total
Chattanooga	7	3	3	10	23
• Kentucky	7	7	0	14	28

Date: September 18
Location: Lexington, KY
Game start: 12:02 p.m.
Game attendance: 55,214
Game weather: Sunny, 81°F, Wind E @ 3 mph
Referee: David Smith
TV announcers (ESPN+, SEC Network+): Mike Morgan (play-by-play), Ben Hartsock (color), Paul Carcaterra (sideline)

Sources:

Statistics	Chattanooga	Kentucky
First downs	16	20
Total yards	339	356
Rushing yards	171	102
Passing yards	168	254
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	31:42	28:18

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Chattanooga	Passing	Cole Copeland	21/35, 168 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Ailym Ford	21 carries, 128 yards
	Receiving	Reginald Henderson	9 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	23/35, 254 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	13 carries, 46 yards
	Receiving	Wan'Dale Robinson	8 receptions, 111 yards

at South Carolina Gamecocks

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Kentucky	7	3	3	3	16
South Carolina	0	0	7	3	10

Date: September 25
Location: Columbia, SC
Game start: 7:10 p.m.
Game attendance: 77,559
Game weather: Sunny, 74°F, Wind NW @ 1 mph
Referee: Justin Autrey
TV announcers (ESPN2): Brian Custer (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (color), Lauren Sisler (sideline)

Sources:

Statistics	Kentucky	South Carolina
First downs	22	12
Total yards	332	216
Rushing yards	230	58
Passing yards	102	158
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	35:36	24:24

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	15/22, 102 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	26 carries, 146 yards
	Receiving	Wan'Dale Robinson	7 receptions, 65 yards
South Carolina	Passing	Luke Doty	17/25, 158 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Kevin Harris	12 carries, 38 yards
	Receiving	Jalen Brooks	4 receptions, 63 yards

No. 10 Florida Gators

This was the Wildcats' first home win over Florida since 1986.^[2]

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 10 Florida	7	3	0	3	13
• Kentucky	7	0	6	7	20

Date: October 2
Location: Lexington, KY
Game start: 6:01 p.m.
Game attendance: 61,632
Game weather: Cloudy, 75°F, Wind SW @ 6 mph
Referee: Marc Curles
TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (color), Kris Budden (sideline)

Sources:

Statistics	Florida	Kentucky
First downs	21	13
Total yards	382	224
Rushing yards	171	137
Passing yards	211	87
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	36:18	23:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida	Passing	Emory Jones	23/31, 203 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Emory Jones	13 carries, 63 yards
	Receiving	Jacob Copeland	6 receptions, 59 yards
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	7/17, 87 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	19 carries, 99 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Wan’Dale Robinson	4 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD

LSU Tigers

	1	2	3	4	Total
LSU	0	0	7	14	21
• No. 16 Kentucky	7	7	14	14	42

Date: October 9
Location: Lexington, KY
Game start: 7:39 p.m.
Game attendance: 61,690
Game weather: Sunny, 72°F, Wind SE @ 5 mph
Referee: David Smith
TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sideline)

Sources:

Statistics	LSU	Kentucky
First downs	22	24
Total yards	408	475
Rushing yards	147	330
Passing yards	261	145
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	27:48	32:12

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
LSU	Passing	Max Johnson	22/38, 261 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Tyrion Davis-Price	22 carries, 147 yards, 2 TD’s
	Receiving	Kayshon Boutte	8 receptions, 73 yards
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	14/17, 145 yards, 3 TD’s
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	16 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Wan’Dale Robinson	8 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD

at No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 11 Kentucky	0	7	0	6	13
• No. 1 Georgia	0	14	10	6	30

Date: October 16
Location: Athens, GA
Game start: 3:45 p.m.
Game attendance: 92,746
Game weather: Sunny, 75°F, Wind W @ 15 mph
Referee: James Carter
TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color), Jamie Erdahl (sideline)

Sources:

Statistics	Kentucky	Georgia
First downs	16	20
Total yards	243	416
Rushing yards	51	166
Passing yards	192	250
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	37:47	22:13

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	32/42, 192 yards, 2 TD’s
	Rushing	Kavosiey Smoke	5 carries, 14 yards
	Receiving	Wan’Dale Robinson	12 receptions, 39 yards, 1 TD
Georgia	Passing	Stetson Bennett	14/20, 250 yards, 3 TD’s
	Rushing	James Cook	6 carries, 51 yards
	Receiving	Brock Bowers	5 receptions, 101 yards, 2 TD’s

at Mississippi State Bulldogs

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 12 Kentucky	7	3	0	7	17
• Mississippi State	0	14	17	0	31

Date: October 30
Location: Starkville, MS
Game start: 6:09 p.m.
Game attendance: 49,487
Game weather: Cloudy, 55°F, Wind NW @ 5 mph
Referee: Lee Hendrick
TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sideline)

Sources:

Statistics	Kentucky	Miss State
First downs	14	27
Total yards	216	438
Rushing yards	66	94
Passing yards	150	344
Turnovers	4	0
Time of possession	18:50	41:10

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	17/28, 150 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT’s
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	8 carries, 34 yards
	Receiving	Wan’Dale Robinson	9 receptions, 79 yards
Miss State	Passing	Will Rogers	36/39, 344 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Jo’Quavious Marks	20 carries, 58 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jaden Walley	6 receptions, 95 yards

Tennessee Volunteers

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Tennessee	14	10	14	7	45
No. 18 Kentucky	7	14	14	7	42

Date: November 6
Location: Lexington, KY
Game start: 7:05 p.m.
Game attendance: 61,690
Game weather: Sunny, 46°F, Wind N @ 4 mph
Referee: Steve Marlowe
TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (color), Dawn Davenport (sideline)

Sources:

Statistics	Tennessee	Kentucky
First downs	17	35
Total yards	461	612
Rushing yards	145	225
Passing yards	316	387
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	13:52	46:08

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee	Passing	Hendon Hooker	15/20, 316 yards, 4 TD’s
	Rushing	Jabari Small	4 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Velus Jones Jr	5 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	31/49, 372 yards, 3 TD’s, 1 INT
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	22 carries, 109 yards
	Receiving	Wan’Dale Robinson	13 receptions, 166 yards, 1 TD

at Vanderbilt Commodores

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Kentucky	7	24	0	3	34
Vanderbilt	3	0	8	6	17

Date: November 13
Location: Nashville, TN
Game start: 6:05 p.m.
Game attendance: 25,798
Game weather: Sunny, 42°F, Wind N @ 1 mph
Referee: Ken Williamson
TV announcers (ESPN2): Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Mike Golic Jr. (color), Taylor McGregor (sideline)

Sources:

Statistics	Kentucky	Vanderbilt
First downs	21	16
Total yards	413	266
Rushing yards	236	96
Passing yards	177	170
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	29:46	30:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	14/22, 177 yards, 2 TD’s, 1 INT
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	16 carries, 144 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Wan’Dale Robinson	6 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD
Vanderbilt	Passing	Ken Seals	12/17, 87 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Patrick Smith	18 carries, 84 yards
	Receiving	Chris Pierce Jr	6 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD

New Mexico State Aggies

	1	2	3	4	Total
New Mexico St	0	0	0	0	0
Kentucky	0	0	0	0	0

Date: November 20
Location: Lexington, KY
TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color), Tera Talmadge (sideline)

Sources:

Statistics	New Mexico St	Kentucky
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
New Mexico St	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Louisville Cardinals

Governor’s Cup

	1	2	3	4	Total
Kentucky	0	0	0	0	0
Louisville	0	0	0	0	0

Date: November 27
Location: Louisville, KY

Sources:

Statistics	Kentucky	Louisville
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Louisville	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	16	11	15	12	18	RV
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV	23	14	11	14	12	17	RV
CFP	Not released									18	—					Not released

Statistics

Scoring

Scores by quarter (All Home Games)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Opponents	42	23	31	44	140
Kentucky	56	49	44	63	212

Scores by quarter (All Away Games)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Kentucky	21	37	3	19	80
Opponents	3	28	42	15	88

Scores by quarter (All Neutral Field Games)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Opponents	0	0	0	0	0
Kentucky	0	0	0	0	0

Scores by quarter (Home Games – SEC)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Opponents	28	20	28	31	107
Kentucky	35	28	41	35	139

Scores by quarter (Away Games – SEC)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Kentucky	21	37	3	19	80
Opponents	3	28	42	15	88

Scores by quarter (Neutral Field – SEC)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Opponents	0	0	0	0	0
Kentucky	0	0	0	0	0

Scores by quarter (Home Games – NC)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Opponents	14	3	3	13	33
Kentucky	21	21	3	28	73

Scores by quarter (Away Games – NC)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Kentucky	0	0	0	0	0
Opponents	0	0	0	0	0

Scores by quarter (Neutral Field – NC)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Opponents	0	0	0	0	0
Kentucky	0	0	0	0	0

Scores by quarter (All NC Opponents)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Opponents	14	3	3	13	33
Kentucky	21	21	3	28	73

Scores by quarter (All SEC Opponents)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Opponents	31	48	70	46	195
Kentucky	56	65	44	54	219

Scores by quarter (All opponents)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Opponents	45	51	73	59	228
Kentucky	77	86	47	82	292

Media affiliates

Radio

WHAS (AM) (News Radio 840 WHAS), WBUL-FM – Nationwide (Dish Network, Sirius XM, TuneIn radio and iHeartRadio)

TV

CBS Family – WKYT (CBS), CBS Sports Network
ESPN/ABC Family – WTVQ (ABC), ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, SEC Network)
FOX Family – WDKY (FOX), FOX/FS1, FSN
NBC – WLEX, NBC Sports, NBCSN

References

^ "Seven Home Games Highlight Kentucky Football 2021 Schedule". UK Athletics. UK Athletics. January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
^ "Kentucky rallies past No. 10 Florida 20–13 in SEC showdown". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.

[1] "Seven Home Games Highlight Kentucky Football 2021 Schedule". UK Athletics. UK Athletics. January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.

[2] "Kentucky rallies past No. 10 Florida 20–13 in SEC showdown". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.

[1]

[2]

v t e Kentucky Wildcats football
Venues	Stoll Field/McLean Stadium (1916–1972) Kroger Field (1973–present) E.J. Nutter Training Facility (practice)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Centre Florida Indiana Louisville: Governor's Cup Tennessee Transylvania: Battle On Broadway Vanderbilt
Culture & lore	The Wildcat Scratch Blue "On, On, U of K" "Kentucky Fight" Marching band Bluegrass Miracle 2003 Arkansas game Big Blue Nation
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees Starting quarterbacks
Seasons	1881 1882–1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold