No. 8 Kentucky didn’t look like the No. 8 team in the country to start, but walked away from Kroger Field with a 4-0 record for the second straight season. The Wildcats came out on top, 31-23.

The story of the day for Kentucky was Will Levis. He never backed down from Northern Illinois’ pass rush, connecting for a pair of touchdowns to start the game and ending with 303 passing yards for 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

His second score of the evening to Tayvion Robinson stands out.

But his third to Barion Brown might have been even better. Levis stepped up and threaded the needle with a bullet after nearly throwing an interception the play prior.

The above play seemed to be the nail in the coffin for Northern Illinois, even with 2 quarters of play remaining. Despite the tie game at halftime and battling late, the Huskies never looked like they had enough gas in the tank to play the long game with the No. 8 team in the country.

Let’s applaud Brown’s work on that touchdown scamper and beyond. That was the freshman’s final of 2 touchdown receptions on the day. He finished his Saturday with 4 receptions for 102 yards and 2 scores.

He squeezed through about 5 Northern Illinois defenders for his first score of the day:

Brown and Robinson were torching Northern Illinois defensive backs whenever they wanted. The duo totaled 1 catches for 249 yards and 4 touchdowns.

The final touchdown of the duo was scored by Robinson. He took his second touchdown of the evening 40 yards to the house after breaking a few tackles. The Virginia Tech transfer totaled 7 receptions for 147 yards and 2 trips to the end zone on the night.

The Wildcats shook off their struggles in the first half for a mostly strong defensive performance in the final 30 minutes. Kentucky allowed its first second half touchdown of the season in the final minutes, keeping the Huskies in it instead of slamming the door shut. Quarterback Ethan Hampton practically walked in for the score.

The gimme games are officially over for the Wildcats. Next up is No. 16 Ole Miss, which just barely squeaked past Tulsa, 35-27. The Wildcats will play their second top 20 game of the year on the road, once again looking to prove legitimacy after Florida fell to 2-2 on the season.

Kentucky’s early keys to beating the Rebels will come on the ground. The Wildcats allowed xx yards rushing to the Huskies and will face off against the terrifying rushing duo of Quinshon Judkins and Zach Evans. Together, Judkins and Evans spearhead one of the most dangerous rushing offenses in the nation, much less the SEC.

But if any defense in the SEC is up for the challenge, it’ll be the Wildcats. Let’s see what they are truly made of.