Three takeaways from Kentucky football’s win over Northern Illinois

John Clay
·4 min read

Three takeaways from Kentucky football’s 31-23 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday night at Kroger Field:

1. Kentucky’s explosive playmakers on display

After a week of hand-wringing over the struggling offensive line and punchless running game, maybe it’s time for Kentucky football to stop worrying and love the bomb.

The Wildcats dropped a series of explosive plays on MAC-favorite Northern Illinois on Saturday night, led by speed demons, one old the other new. The smart and savvy veteran that is Tayvion Robinson caught seven passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns. The burner that is true freshman Barion Brown snagged four catches for 102 yards and two scores as quarterback Will Levis matched his single-game high of four touchdown passes.

Two 100-yard receivers in a game is impressive. The duo’s YAC yards were even more impressive. That would be yards after catch for you advanced stats newbies. Of Robinson’s 147 receiving yards, 107 came after the catch. Of Brown’s 102 yards, 70 came after the grab. The payoff: Robinson scored on plays of 69 and 40 yards; Brown scored on plays of 15 and 70 yards.

Also noticeable was the way Levis hung in the pocket under heavy NIU pressures to deliver the ball on target and on time to produce those chunk-yardage plays. Afterward offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello said he would never draft/recruit a quarterback who did not have grit and the willingness to stand in the pocket against a fierce pass rush. “Will is 10-out-of-10 in those areas,” the OC said.

Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver Barion Brown (2) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Northern Illinois Huskies during the game at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, September 24, 2022.
Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver Barion Brown (2) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Northern Illinois Huskies during the game at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, September 24, 2022.

2. Kentucky’s defense was just so-so

Through four games, Brad White’s defense has set a bar so high that its Saturday night performance was “just OK” in the words of head coach Mark Stoops, and “too sloppy,” according to the defensive coordinator himself.

What aggravated both coaches was the way the defense finished out the night. Kentucky enjoyed a comfortable 31-14 lead over the Huskies with 8:46 left when NIU made it a little too close for comfort. A 24-yard pass play soon followed by a 19-yard pass play led to a 38-yard field goal that pulled the Huskies to within two scores. Next possession, a 63-yard pass play helped the visitors to a touchdown — the first second-half TD the UK defense has allowed in 2022 — that made it a one-score game.

Fortunately, Kentucky recovered an onside kick and the UK offense earned the necessary first down to nail down the win. Still, following last week’s shutout of Youngstown State, the defense felt off balance all night, starting with Northern Illinois’ 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to begin the game.

“Some of the inexperience showed today,” White said. “We’ve got to get it cleaned up. We’ve got a big test next week.”

To be fair, Northern Illinois’ strength is its offense. Even without regular starting quarterback Rocky Lombardi, out with an injury, the Huskies were able to move the ball on the way to 327 total yards. They are picked to repeat as MAC champions for a reason.

Still, White knows that racing Lane Kiffin’s offense next week at Ole Miss is a much different animal. That challenge will require much more attention to detail than the Cats showed on Saturday.

“We have,” said the coach, “plenty to work on.”

3. No better time for Chris Rodriguez’s return

The return of Chris Rodriguez won’t cure all of UK’s run game ills — the Cats rushed for 103 yards against NIU — but getting a preseason All-SEC back after a four-game suspension will certainly help.

Rodriguez is a power back who has the ability to break tackles at the line and beyond. He should also provide a confidence boost to an offensive line that is still looking to jell. The O-line appeared to play better Saturday, though NIU was credited with five sacks.

“That’s not all on the offensive line,” said Scangarello, who split blamed among the O-line (two), the running backs (one) and Levis (two).

For one thing, Levis is obviously more reluctant to run with the football this season. As previously mentioned, he’s hanging in the pocket more, which sometimes leads to the quarterback taking a sack instead of taking off on a scramble. Also, there is the reality that UK has a couple of unproven backups at the position in Deuce Hogan and Kaiya Sheron. The Cats can’t afford to lose Levis.

That makes Rodriguez’s return that much more important, especially at this crucial point of the season. Starting with Ole Miss on Saturday, Kentucky enters a stretch of seven straight SEC games before the finale against archrival Louisville. The rubber is about to meet the road.

Final statistics from No. 8 Kentucky football’s 31-23 win over Northern Illinois

What Kentucky football’s win vs. Northern Illinois means for rest of 2022 season

Big game from Will Levis leads Kentucky football to 31-23 win over Northern Illinois

Five things you need to know from UK football’s 31-23 win over Northern Illinois

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Pickleballers, rejoice: Prince's new Target collab has everything you need to stand out on the court

    Step up your style game with these retro-inspired pullovers, hoodies, belt bags and more.

  • US Air Force awards Doomsday plane contract to Sierra Nevada

    The Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) project is intended to replace the aging 1970s-era aircraft, which is approaching end-of-service life, a Air Force spokesperson said in a statement. To satisfy operational requirements, the weapon system will comprise of a commercial derivative jet hardened and modified to meet military requirements. Reuters in December reported that the U.S. Air Force eliminated Boeing from its competition to develop a successor to the E-4B Nightwatch.

  • Elk found devoured on football field near Yellowstone in rare attack, school says

    The Montana school’s superintendent posted about the attack on Facebook.

  • Strong to severe thunderstorms threaten KC. Here’s where the tornado threat is greatest

    The Kansas City area was included in a tornado watch for parts of Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. Here’s what you need to know about the looming storms.

  • Mississippi police were at odds as they searched for missing man, widow says

    In the weeks after Sudanese Civil War refugee Dau Mabil vanished without a trace in Mississippi, officers from two police agencies blamed each other for the stalled investigation, his widow told The Associated Press. Fishermen, not police, spotted Mabil's body floating in a river about 60 miles (97 kilometers) south of where he went missing in Jackson on March 25. Relatives and volunteers spent weeks looking for Mabil, who disappeared during a daytime walk near his home.

  • Michael Penix Jr. said Kirk Cousins called him after Falcons' surprising draft selection

    Atlanta Falcons first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. said quarterback Kirk Cousins called him after he was picked No. 8 overall in one of the 2024 NFL Draft's more puzzling selections.

  • QPR beat Leeds to seal survival & send Foxes up

    QPR secure their Championship survival in style with a 4-0 win against Leeds - a result that sends Leicester up.

  • Pentagon to 'rush' Patriot missiles to Ukraine in $6bn package

    Ukrainian President Zelensky says munitions in $6bn package "can save lives right now".

  • Noem Tries to Get ‘Politically Incorrect’ Cred From Killing a Dog

    Handout via Getty Images South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem appears to have confirmed that she killed a family puppy that infuriated her by being “untrainable,” and she claims it only proves how “politically incorrect” she is.The Republican governor and potential Trump 2024 running mate commented on the uproar over the violent anecdote with her own brief statement on X.“We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm,” she wrote. “Sadly, we just had to put down 3 horses a

  • "It's gonna help a lot man, help a lot of families"

    The lack of work not just impacting area businesses, but the workers who keep those businesses running. On Friday those workers affected by the Key Bridge collapse got some much needed assistance. Saval Food Service gave those workers a free lunch as well as free groceries to take home to their families.

  • New studio promises boundless opportunities for community

    A popular local theatre organization is opening a new studio downtown, with Boundless possibilities! Vocally Inspired Performers (VIP) founder, Marisa Hachey, says this new adventure has been a long time in the making. “We searched for over a year for our perfect location and are delighted to have found the ideal spot, right in the heart of town,” says Hachey. The Boundless studio is located at 5 Bascom Street, a convenient, short walk from the Uxbridge Music Hall, where the group often performs

  • Stock market today: Indexes gain as investors assess new inflation data and latest earnings

    Personal consumption expenditures data showed prices ticked up 2.8% year-over-year in March, slightly higher than expected.

  • University to offer an AI minor to prepare students for the future

    Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used in so many ways these days, so Northern Kentucky University wants its students to be prepared.

  • Wow, Did Joe Biden Go On A Regulation Tear This Week

    The new rules also say a lot about the president's priorities, and what he thinks about the problems facing the American public.

  • UPDATE 1-Kinder Morgan declares force majeure on west Texas natgas pipeline

    Pipeline operator Kinder Morgan said on Friday a fire that erupted on a west Texas natural gas pipeline it operates was extinguished after burning for most of the day. The Houston company declared force majeure on a segment of the pipeline in Ward County, Texas, following the fire, according to a notice filed on a company website on Friday. The force majeure affects the Lockridge Lateral segment of the Natural Gas Pipeline of America system.

  • WMAR-2 News Cesar Cornejo Friday weather

    WMAR-2 News Cesar Cornejo Friday weather

  • Jordan Spieth, Will Zalatoris highlight field for PGA Tour’s 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson

    The PGA Tour is heading back to Texas.

  • ‘Challengers’ Was Like One Big, Sexy Quiet Luxury Ad (And We’re Here for It)

    Scouted/The Daily Beast/MGM/On.Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission.Move over, Saltburn. There’s a new movie about bodily fluids, bi-panic, and a group of painfully hot narcissists that has everyone in a chokehold right now. Unless you have been living under a rock (good for you, TBH), you’ve probably seen the many spicy posts on X about Challengers, the latest Luca Guadagnino film that opens in US theaters this week—or,

  • Tornado tears through Nebraska, causing severe damage in Omaha suburbs

    OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A tornado plowed through suburban Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday afternoon, demolishing homes as the twister tore for miles along farmland and into subdivisions. It wasn’t yet clear if anyone was injured or killed in the storm. Multiple tornadoes were reported in Nebraska but the most destructive storm moved from a largely rural area into suburbs northwest of Omaha, a city of 485,000 people. Photos on social media showed heavily damaged homes and shredded trees. Video showed homes

  • Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler wins dismissal for good of sexual assault lawsuit

    A federal judge in Manhattan dismissed for good a lawsuit accusing Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler of sexually assaulting a former teenage model twice in one day in the mid-1970s. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said Jeanne Bellino cannot recover damages from the 76-year-old Tyler under a 2000 New York City law protecting victims of gender-motivated violence. He said it would be futile to file an amended complaint, and dismissed Bellino's case with prejudice, meaning it cannot be brought again.