Kentucky moved to 3-0 and prepared to open its conference schedule with a 35-3 victory over Akron that probably looks much better on a stat sheet than it did on the field. Kentucky dominated the game, but the victory included: a big shot on QB Devin Leary that ended his day a few plays into the 4th quarter; a minus-2 turnover margin; a 59-yard pass that ended in a lost fumble; a 64-yard touchdown wiped out by a holding penalty and followed immediately by an interception; and several shaky snaps from center, including 1 that was airmailed over Leary’s head for a 21-yard loss. An optimist saw plenty to like, a pessimist saw plenty that could doom the Wildcats against SEC competition.

Player of the Week: Ray Davis

The Vanderbilt transfer racked up 169 yards on 10 touches, including 1 touchdown rushing and another receiving. Davis had 3 receptions for 97 yards, including a 58-yard score on which Leary chucked a pass while in the grasp of an Akron defender only to see Davis weave across field and take the short pass all the way to the end zone. Davis had 7 rushes for 72 more yards, including a 55-yard jaunt off right end that ushered in the “bench depth” portion of the 4th quarter. Davis is much different than Chris Rodriguez Jr. or Benny Snell, but his explosiveness may end up resulting in more big plays than either of UK’s previous grinder backs managed.

Freshman of the Week: Tommy Ziesmer

Anthony Brown-Stephens had a 64-yard touchdown grab wiped out by penalty, so the honor goes to another true freshman, Ziesmer, who had a pair of tackles including his 1st career sack to end the game. Kentucky had 5 sacks in the game, which helped keep Akron’s rushing total to a humble 49 yards. Four freshman Wildcats had a pair of tackles, including linebacker Tyreese Fearbry, who also had a pass breakup. But give defensive end Ziesmer the freshman honors for keeping Akron’s best drive of the day out of the end zone.

Biggest concern: Offensive continuity

After a week of hearing how Kentucky’s ponderously slow offense didn’t run many plays, the Wildcats ran exactly 49 offensive plays against Akron, their lowest total of the season. Sure, UK managed 450 total yards, but a trio of turnovers and some drive-killing center snap issues left Kentucky going feast or famine on offense. Kentucky might be fine — the big-play stuff has worked pretty well against a pair of subpar MAC foes and an FCS opponent. But after next week, the Wildcats’ schedule is going to get much more serious. And the ability to run 60-65 plays, keep their defense off the field and finish possessions will be pretty pivotal.

Developing trend: A tough run defense

Yes, the level of competition isn’t great. Yes, some pretty surprising sack numbers have played a role in distorting the totals. But through 3 games, Kentucky’s run defense has been downright stingy. On 93 rushing attempts this season, UK’s opponents have gained just 213 yards with 2 touchdowns. UK has allowed just 6 10-plus-yard rushes and a single 20-plus-yard carry. Kentucky has had a few issues in pass coverage, but holding opponents to just 71 yards per game and 2.2 yards per carry is a positive trend for a defense that has spent a good amount of time on the field.

Key stat: 19.7 yards per completion

If you’re going to run only about 50 offensive snaps per game, as Kentucky has, it helps to be productive. Leary has not been shy about being aggressive, and against Akron, he racked up 315 passing yards on just 16 completions. Leary had 3 Wildcats with 86 or more receiving yards — none of whom had more than 5 receptions. He connected with senior receiver Tayvion Robinson (5 grabs for 86 yards and 1 TD), sophomore tight end Jordan Dingle (4 catches for 89 yards) and Davis (3 catches for 97 yards and 1 score). Those passes for Leary ran the gamut from dump passes converted into big gains to intermediate and deep throws. UK’s protection was not razor-sharp, but Leary produced with a clean pocket and on the run. Opposing secondaries will get tougher, but credit Leary and UK for being willing to play aggressively.

First impression about Vanderbilt: Turnovers could be key

UK will open SEC play next Saturday in Nashville. Yes, Vanderbilt is 2-2 heading into league play. And while Vandy and AJ Swann have put up yards and points, the Commodores have also turned the ball over 8 times in the season’s first 4 games. For a Kentucky offense that has sometimes struggled to stay on the field or to get a ton of snaps, playing a giving Vanderbilt offense could make things significantly easier.

That said, a year ago, Vanderbilt came to Lexington with a 26-game conference losing streak and walked out of Kroger Field with a win. For a team with little room for error in trying to be upwardly mobile, the Wildcats will badly need to take care of business. Back in 2022, that Vandy loss probably cost UK a higher-tier bowl bid. The Commodores would love to repeat that storyline, but stopping the turnover parade will be a key.