Kentucky put together one its best football seasons in school history a year ago, posting a 10-3 record that included a 20-17 victory over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.
The Wildcats open their season Saturday night against Miami of Ohio. They will, however, be without one of their best offensive weapons, Chris Rodriguez. The senior running back rushed for 1,379 yards and 9 TDs but is out indefinitely.
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops hasn’t offered much of an explanation about Rodriguez’s status. Stoops did say Wednesday that he was excited about seeing what Kavosiey Smoke would bring to the table Saturday in replacing Chris Rodriguez
“I’m excited for Kavosiey,” said Stoops during the SEC coaches teleconference. “He’s been a mainstay for us and has played quite a few snaps. … Definitely deserving of a start. Excited to see what he can do. I’m very confident in his ability. … He has responded instead of going in the tank and going in the portal, he challenged himself and responded. He’s deserving of this start.”
Smoke had 81 carries for 416 yards and 4 touchdowns a year ago.
All eyes will also be on UK quarterback Will Levis on Saturday night.
The 6-3, 232-pound senior passed for more than 2,800 yards and 24 touchdowns last season, but he was also inconsistent and picked off 13 times.
Stoops said Wednesday that he thinks Levis is in line for a big year.
“Just the little things,” said Stoops when asked about Levis’ improvement. “His footwork, his timing, his approach. … Will’s a sponge. He’s very critical of himself, works extremely hard, wants to be better, wants to be perfect. He’s one of those guys who’s wired the right way. … Every little thing he does on the practice field, he’s doing for a purpose.”
The matchup between the Wildcats and RedHawks is set for 7 p.m. (et) on Saturday night and will be televised by ESPN+ and SEC Network+.
Kentucky is currently a 16-point favorite.
"Chris Wallace covers college football for Saturday Down South. He has covered college athletics for multiple newspapers and also worked previously for Rivals.com and GolfChannel.com."
