No. 20 Kentucky vs. Miami (OH): Live Updates, Score, Game Notes
As Kentucky Football begins its 2022 season against Miami (OH) on Saturday night, Wildcats Today will be keeping you up to date on the game with a live, drive-by-drive updates article.
Starting with the opening kickoff, Kentucky's first contest of the season is chronologically updated with updates and thoughts below.
Below are noteworthy starts for Kentucky in the season opener.
OL Kenneth Horsey
OL Jager Burton
DT Deone Walker
Notable Inactives
RB Chris Rodriguez Jr
OLB Jordan Wright
Kickoff
Miami wins the coin toss, electing to receive. Kentucky on defense to begin the first quarter.
First Quarter
First Miami drive (15:00)
Jacquez Jones hurries Miami QB Brett Gabbert, incompletion on the first play of the game.
Gabbert completes a 12-yard pass on third down to Mac Hippenhammer for a first down.
Two more passes to Hippenhammer, totaling 21 yards. Miami across the 50.
3rd and 5 at the UK 35, Miami calls a timeout.
Gabbert completes to Jaylen Walker for four yards. 4th and 1 coming up, Miami staying on the field.
Gabbert keeps it on 4th, gets two yards to move the chains.
TOUCHDOWN MIAMI: Tyre Shelton with a 22-yard rushing score to silence Kroger Field. 13-play, 75-yard drive for the Redhawks. PAT is good.
Gabbert completes six passes for 43 yards while rushing twice for nine more.
Score: 7-0 Miami
First Kentucky drive (9:32)
Barion Brown returns the kickoff to the 21-yard line.
Will Levis rolls out and completes his first pass to Tayvion Robinson for a gain of 45 yards. Kentucky at the Miami 44.
Kavosiey Smoke takes his first carry for nine yards. 2nd and 1 for the Wildcats.
Levis finds Dane Key in the middle of the field for 19 more yards. 1st and goal at the six-yard line.
TOUCHDOWN KENTUCKY: Levis hits TE Brendan Bates at the left pylon for a 6-yard score. PAT by Matt Ruffolo is good.
Kentucky answers with a 2:03 drive that took just five plays to go 79 yards. That was Bates' second career touchdown.
Score: 7-7
Second Miami drive (7:28)
Gabbert right back to it, completing a 13-yard pass to TE Jack Coldiron on the first play of the drive.
Alex Afari making his presence felt early. He gets a stop on second down to force 3rd and 10 for the Redhawks.
Kentucky gets a stop at the Miami 43, the Redhawks will punt away.
Fair catch by Tayvion Robinson at the UK 13. 44-yard punt by Miami. Six UK defenders with two tackles already.
Second Kentucky drive (5:29)
Kentucky goes deep and 1st and 10, Levis launches a deep ball to Barion Brown, but the freshman can't come up with the 50/50 ball.
Levis hits Robinson in the flat, he dashes for 18 yards.
Smoke with his second carry of the game, tacks on four yards. Right back to Smoke on the next play, he takes a toss play for seven more for another 1st down. Cats at their own 40.
Penalty- Offside on Miami's Kobe Hilton
Ramon Jefferson gets his first carry of the evening, rumbling for eight yards. UK into opposing field position.
Another big chunk play, this time from Levis to TE Jordan Dingle. 11 more yards, now at the Miami 33.
Penalty- False start on Barion Brown
Robinson hauls in his third catch for another first down. JuTahn McClain takes his first carry of the game for a couple of yards.
END OF FIRST QUARTER
Levis: 6-8, 112 yards and a TD
Robinson: 3 catches, 76 yards
Kentucky has six rushes for 29 yards, coming from three different backs.
Gabbert: 8-10, 61 yards
Second Quarter
Levis is brought down before the 1st down marker on a 3rd and 2 rush, but a late hit on Miami moves the chains. 1st and 10 at the Miami 12-yard line.
Kentucky goes back to the ground, Smoke gets two yards on 1st down.
Robinson catches a slant to get to the Miami 4-yard line, but call is overturned to incomplete. 3rd and 8 coming up for Kentucky.
Scrambling up the middle, Levis dives up the middle for a 6-yard gain, not good enough for the first. Offense is staying on the field.
Timeout Kentucky. 12:41 to go in the half.
INTERCEPTION: Safety Eli Blakey picks off Levis on 4th down. Big stop for the Redhawks.
Kentucky's second drive lasted 14 plays and 81 yards, but resulted in no points.
Third Miami drive (12:36)
Gabbert rolls out on second down for a few. 3rd and 4 at their own 12 for the Redhawks.
Carrington Valentine breaks up a pass on third down, forcing Miami's second punt of the evening.
Partially blocked punt by J.J. Weaver. Kentucky takes over in Miami territory. The first 3-and-out from either team tonight.
Third Kentucky drive (11:08)
1st and 10 at the Miami 32-yard line.
Key catches his second pass of the game, this time for 17 yards. UK in the redzone for the third time already.
Pass from Levis is dropped in the endzone by Izayah Cummings. Bad drop by the tight end. 3rd and 8 coming up for UK.
Miami sacks Levis on 3rd down, holding call declined by the Redhawks. UK brings out Ruffolo and the FG unit.
FIELD GOAL: Ruffolo hits his first trey of the year, a 34-yarder to put the Wildcats in front.
Five-play, 16-yard drive for Kentucky that should've ended in a touchdown. Instead, it's just three.
Score: 10-7 Kentucky
Fourth Miami drive (9:22)
Tyrell Aijan with his second tackle of the game on 1st and 10.
Gabbert fakes the throw, zips up the middle for 13 yards and a 1st down.
Up-tempo, Gabbert finds Hippenhammer down field for 24 more on a beautiful throw into UK territory.
Jacquez Jones picks up a sack after wrangling Gabbert. 3rd and long for Miami coming up.
Walker catches a pass for nine yards but not enough for the first. Octavious Oxendine and Andru Phillips on the tackle. FG unit out for Miami. 48-yarder.
FIELD GOAL: Graham Nicholson nails a 48-yard field goal to tie the game.
Miami answers with a 45-yard drive. The Redhawks are very game.
Gabbert now 10-14 for 94 yards. Hippenhammer with 57 receiving yards.
Score: 10-10
Fourth Kentucky drive (6:08)
Kickoff goes for a touchback.
After an incompletion, Levis dunks it to Dingle for no gain. 3rd and 10 to go.
Sack. Brian Ugwu gets to Levis on 3rd. Kentucky to punt near its own endzone.
Punt goes for 47 yards off the boot of Colin Goodfellow. Miami takes over at its own 38-yard line.
First 3-and-out of the game for Kentucky.
Fifth Miami drive (4:23)
After no gain on the first play of the drive, Gabbert hits Coldiron for four yards. 3rd and 6 for Miami, Kroger Field trying to get back into this one.
Miami takes its second timeout of the half.
Gabbert in an empty pocket hits Coldiron again on a slant, but not enough for the first. Miami contemplates going for it at its own 40-yard line, but opts to punt. Big defensive stop for UK.
Punt is caught at the 16-yard line.
Fifth Kentucky drive (2:04)
Two-minute drill for the Cats begins with a caught pass from Barion Brown for five yards.
Sack-the Redhawks get to Levis in the backfield for a second time. Now 3rd and 11 for UK.
DeMarcus Harris comes up with a 15-yard pass on 3rd down to move the chains. Levis goes right back to Harris on the next play but it comes up incomplete. 33 seconds left, UK nowhere close to FG territory.
Levis finds Robinson for a huge chunk play for 41 yards down the field. UK now approaching the redzone.
Smoke catches a pass and gets out of bounds at the Miami 19-yard line. 19 seconds left in the half.
Timeout Miami. Kentucky has the Redhawks sucking wind.
McClain rushes for six yards. 14 seconds left, 2nd and 4 at the Miami 13-yard line.
Levis gets a pass away and finds Robinson on the left side, he gets out of bounds with six seconds left. Seven yards to goal.
Levis throws it away behind the endzone. Time for one last play, Ruffolo on to kick a chip-shot.
FIELD GOAL: Ruffolo knocks in a 25-yarder to give UK the lead at the break.
Score: 13-10 Kentucky
HALFTIME
Halftime stats for Kentucky and Miami:
Third Quarter:
TOUCHDOWN KENTUCKY: Barion Brown returns the kick 100 yards to the house to begin the second half.
The play is under review to make sure that Brown didn't step out of bounds or drop the ball before he got to the endzone.
Call on the field stands. PAT by Ruffolo is good.
First kickoff return for a TD by Kentucky since Derrick Locke did so against Louisville in 2009.
Score: 20-10 Kentucky
Sixth Miami drive (14:47)
Gabbert back to the feet, he rolls out for four yards.
FUMBLE: Keidron Smith recovers the ball after Tyrell Aijan bumps the Miami running back. UK takes over at the Miami 8-yard line.
Sixth Kentucky drive (14:04)
TOUCHDOWN KENTUCKY: Levis finds Chauncey Magwood for an eight-yard score. PAT is good.
Kentucky goes on a 14-point swing in the matter of seconds. First career TD for Magwood.
Score: Kentucky 27, Miami 10
Seventh Miami drive (13:58)
Penalty- False start on Miami
Miami's Jack Coldiron being attended to after a 19-yard gain by Tyre Shelton. Coldiron is helped off the field.
1st and 10 at the 39-yard line for Miami. Following a two-yard gain, Gabbert fires incomplete, pass broken up by Andru Phillips. 3rd and long to go for the Redhawks.
Gabbert scrambles for eight yards, making it 4th and 1 close to midfield. Offense stays out.
Keyon Mozee gets the first down, Miami now at the UK 44-yard line.
2nd and 6 now, Gabbert looks deep down the right sideline to Hippenhammer, but it's incomplete. A flag comes in, pass interference is called on Carrington Valentine.
Gabbert fires one to Myles Marshall for a 1st down. Miami in the redzone.
2nd and goal at the seven, pass is incomplete. Another flag is thrown, offsetting penalties. One of the fouls was another PI call on Valentine.
Timeout Miami. 9:50 left in the quarter.
Kentucky forces Gabbert to throw it away. Big third down on the horizon.
Penalty- False start on Miami
Now 3rd and goal at the UK 12—Gabbert makes some moves up field but is brought down by DeAndre Square. Nicholson on to kick a 27-yarder.
FIELD GOAL: Nicholoson connects, finishing an 11-play, 65-yard drive
That's a win for Kentucky's defense when it really needed it.
Score: Kentucky 27-13
Seventh Kentucky drive (9:04)
No return this time, UK takes over at the 25.
Kavosiey Smoke has passed Randall Cobb and Randy Brooks on Kentucky's all-time rushing list. He begins the drives with two rushes totaling nine yards.
On 3rd and 1, Levis keeps it and moves the chains.
Penalty- Holding on Miami
1st and 10 at the UK 45.
La'Vell Wright gets his first carry of the season for three yards.
Miami gets to Levis again on third down, killing another drive. Fourth sack of the night for the Redhawks. UK to punt.
Bad punt from Goodfellow, goes just 23 yards.
Eighth Miami drive (5:48)
Justin Rogers breaks up a pass on first, then Square gets a quick tackle on second down.
Gabbert can't move the chains, Kentucky forces a 3-and-out.
Tayvion Robinson scoots to the left, returning the punt across midfield.
Eighth Kentucky drive (4:04)
Levis hits Robinson across the field for 13 yards. 1st and 10 at the Miami 33-yard line now.
Back-to-back runs for JuTahn McClain, equaling six yards. Third and medium for Kentucky. Third quarter winding down.
After rolling out to his right, Levis dumps one to McClain, but he can't hang on. Back out is Ruffolo for his third attempt.
Penalty- Delay of game on Kentucky
Field goal is now 50 yards.
FIELD GOAL: Ruffolo still makes the 50-yarder for his third make of the night
Score: 30-13 Kentucky
Ninth Miami drive (1:09)
Gabbert hits Hippenhammer for a first down on the first play of the drive. 68 receiving yards for the wideout now.
Fourth Quarter
3rd and 2 at the Miami 44 to open the fourth. Gabbert hits Walker for the first down, Keaton Wade on the tackle.
J.J. Weaver strips the ball from Gabbert, but the QB is able to fall on the football. Weaver credited with a sack.
3rd and 11 now for the Redhawks at midfield—Wade comes up with a big hit to break up a pass, forcing Miami to punt again.
Ninth Kentucky drive (12:58)
McClain shaken up after a one-yard gain to open the drive. He would walk off on his own power.
Levis hits La'Vell Wright on a 13-yard pass. UK now at its own 30-yard line. Wright notches another first down on a 7-yard run, some nice looks here for the young running back.
Barion Brown is the receiver of a long ball from Levis, totaling 38 yards. Kentucky nearing the redzone once again. Key catches the next pass on a slant route, 1st and goal at the 6-yard line.
Levis floats one to the back corner for Key, but a PI call prevents the touchdown. UK now first and goal at the Miami 2.
Timeout Kentucky.
Penalty- Illegal formation on Kentucky
Smoke catches a pass near the left pylon but is unable to sneak in for the score. 2nd and goal at the Miami 1.
TOUCHDOWN KENTUCKY: Levis rifles a pass into the hands of Key for the 1-yard score. The first touchdown of Dane Key's career. PAT by Ruffolo is good.
10-play, 84-yard drive by the Wildcats.
Score: 37-13 Kentucky
10th Miami drive
*Aveon Smith now in at QB for Miami*
1st and 10 at the Miami 46.
Miami moving the ball into UK territory.
Alex Afari brings down Smith to force 4th and 11
Turnover on downs.
FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 37, Miami 13
