Game Notes: No. 8 Kentucky 31, Northern Illinois 23
The No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats improved to 4-0 on Saturday night, squeaking by the Northern Illinois Huskies 31-23. Here are some game and season notes from the gritty victory:
FOR KENTUCKY
- Kentucky is 4-0 for the third time under Coach Mark Stoops, also 2018 and 2021.
- It is the first time UK has started 4-0 in consecutive seasons since 2007 and ‘08.
- Kentucky extended its school-record non-conference win streak to 19 games, longest active streak in the nation.
- Extended Coach Stoops’ school records for total wins (63) and home wins (44).
- Kentucky has an eight-game winning streak dating back to the last four games of the 2021 season. It ties for the fifth-longest win streak in school history:
- UK has won its last four games at Kroger Field and 11 of its last 12 at the stadium.
TEAM NOTES
- UK has allowed 30 or fewer points in 50 of the last 56 games.
- Kentucky has allowed 52 points so far this season, fewest in the first four games since 2008.
- UK allowed 199 passing yards tonight. UK has allowed fewer than 200 pass yards in all four games this season, first time since 1989 that UK has held the opponents under 200 pass yards in the first four games of a season.
- Kentucky had two 100-yard receivers tonight, the first time that happened since Josh Ali and Wan’Dale Robinson vs. New Mexico State last season.
- Kentucky rushed for a net 103 yards, equaling its season high set last week. Five quarterback sacks for –21 yards is included in that figure.
PLAYER NOTES
- Quarterback Will Levis completed 18-of-26 passes for 303 yards and four touchdowns.
- He is the first Kentucky quarterback with at least three passing TDs of 40 or more yards in the same game since Drew Barker against Southern Mississippi in 2016.
- After throwing for 377 yards last week, he is the first UK quarterback with back-to-back 300-yard passing games since Patrick Towles vs. Eastern Kentucky and Auburn in 2015.
- Levis has 4,012 passing yards at Kentucky, becoming the 11th player in UK history to throw for at least 4,000 yards.
Kavosiey Smoke led the Wildcats in rushing tonight with 12 carries for 85 yards. He now has 1,569 career rushing yards, moving up to 21st all-time on UK’s career rushing list.
Wide receiver Tayvion Robinson set career highs with seven catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns, including a 69-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter that is the longest play of his collegiate career and his first touchdown at Kentucky.
Wide receiver Barion Brown caught four passes for a career-high 102 yards and his first two UK receiving touchdowns.
He is the second UK freshman with 100 yards and two receiving touchdowns in the same game, also Garrett Johnson at Florida in 2014.
He had a 70-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown in the third quarter that is his longest of the season.
Linebacker Jacquez Jones led all players with 12 tackles, his second double-figure game as a Wildcat and fifth of his collegiate career.
Linebacker DeAndre Square was next with six tackles, adding a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.
Kicker Matt Ruffolo made a 49-yard field goal, just a yard shy of his career long, and made all four extra points. He remains in eighth place in school history with 207 career points.
