Kentucky football (1-0) defeated Ball State at Kroger Field on Saturday in the first game of its 2023-2024 campaign.
The Wildcats would receive the opening kickoff, with a touchback being followed by senior quarterback Devin Leary finding sophomore wide receiver Dane Key for a 44-yard gain on the opening play from scrimmage.
Kentucky would fail to move the sticks again, gaining seven more yards before settling for a 41-yard field goal from senior kicker Alex Raynor to take a 3-0 lead.
With the Wildcat defense holding Ball State to a three and out, a well-placed punt would pin the Wildcats on their own six-yard line.
Nothing would come from the Wildcats second drive, with a Kentucky punt putting the Cardinals on their own 27-yard line.
Ball State graduate quarterback Layne Hatcher would lead the Cardinals on a 73-yard drive ending with a quarterback sneak from Hatcher that saw the Cardinals take a 7-3 lead.
The Wildcats would get the ball back, running three plays before heading into the second quarter with a 4-point deficit.
Kentucky would open the second quarter on its own 42-yard line with Leary leading the Cats to the redzone after a series of plays including a 27-yard strike to Key.
Finding itself in a third and goal situation, Kentucky would be given a fresh set of downs after a pass interference call, with senior running back Ray Davis giving Kentucky the lead shortly after with a two-yard rushing touchdown.
After a touchback, the Cardinals would start on their own 25 with a roughing the passer penalty and a 22-yard catch by Cardinal redshirt sophomore receiver Qian Magwood moving Ball State down the field.
Hatcher would then find his sophomore tight end Tanner Koziol, with Kentucky sophomore defensive back Alex Afari Jr. forcing a fumble that would be recovered by senior safety Jalen Geiger for a 69-yard touchdown that saw Kentucky take a 17-3 lead.
After holding Ball State to another three and out, the Wildcats would take over on their own 45-yard line with Leary throwing an interception seven plays later to give the ball back to the Cardinals.
Another possession change would come shortly after when Kentucky sophomore defensive back Maxwell Hairston forced a fumble to give the Wildcats the ball on the Ball State 31-yard line.
Kentucky would fail to take advantage of the field position, gaining two yards before sending Raynor out for a 46-yard field goal.
The Wildcat defense would hold strong again, forcing another three and out before taking over on their own 45-yard line.
A 26-yard strike to sophomore wide receiver Barion Brown would put Kentucky in field goal range. The Wildcats capitalized shortly after with another 46-yard field goal from Raynor, making the score 23-7 going into the half.
Ball State would receive the second half kickoff while also making a quarterback change to freshman Kadin Semonza. Kentucky’s defense would hold strong, forcing a punt as the Wildcat offense took over on their own 11-yard line.
A series of plays by Davis would move Kentucky into Cardinal territory, with a defensive pass interference moving the Wildcats further up the field as they inched closer to the redzone.
The Wildcats extended their lead shortly after with Leary finding Brown for a five-yard touchdown.
Ball State would find an answer on the next go round as Semonza led a 75-yard drive ending with a one-yard rush that cut the Wildcat lead to 16.
Brown would not wait long to extend his team’s lead back to 16 as he returned the following kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, making the score 37-14.
The Cardinals would attempt to find an answer on the following drive, marching down the field and finding themselves in the Kentucky redzone.
After having an interception called back by a defensive pass interference call, the Wildcat defense would make a goal line stand, forcing a turnover on downs after a failed quarterback sneak.
Both teams would go back and forth with neither team being able to score until Kentucky’s final drive of the game.
A late series of passes from Leary that saw him surpass 7000 passing yards was followed by a 30-yard rushing touchdown from Davis as the Wildcats secured a 44-14 victory in its opening game.
Following the victory, the Wildcats look to their next matchup where they will take on the Eastern Kentucky University Colonels at Kroger Field on Saturday, Sept. 9, at 3 p.m. EST.
