2021 Kentucky Wildcats football team

2021 Kentucky Wildcats football
Citrus Bowl, vs. Iowa
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 20
AP	No. 25
CFP	No. 22
2021 record	9–3 (5–3 SEC)
Head coach	Mark Stoops (9th season)
Offensive coordinator	Liam Coen (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Brad White (3rd season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Jon Sumrall (1st season)
Home stadium	Kroger Field (Capacity: 61,000)
Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 3 Georgia x^		8	–	0					12	–	1
No. 22 Kentucky		5	–	3					9	–	3
Tennessee		4	–	4					7	–	5
Missouri		3	–	5					6	–	7
South Carolina		3	–	5					6	–	6
Florida		2	–	6					6	–	7
Vanderbilt		0	–	8					2	–	10
West Division
No. 1 Alabama x$^		7	–	1					12	–	1
No. 8 Ole Miss		6	–	2					10	–	2
No. 21 Arkansas		4	–	4					8	–	4
Mississippi State		4	–	4					7	–	5
No. 25 Texas A&M		4	–	4					8	–	4
Auburn		3	–	5					6	–	7
LSU		3	–	5					6	–	6
Championship: Alabama 41, Georgia 24
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions As of December 28, 2021; Rankings from CFP Rankings

The 2021 Kentucky Wildcats football team represents the University of Kentucky (UK) in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats play their home games at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky, and compete in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They are led by ninth-year head coach Mark Stoops.

Previous season[]

Kentucky finished the season with a record of 5–6 (4–6 in the SEC) and as Gator Bowl champions. Kentucky entered the 2020 season fresh off an 8–5 record and a Belk Bowl championship.

Offseason[]

Position key[]

Back

B

Center

C

Cornerback

CB

Defensive back

DB

Defensive end

DE

Defensive lineman

DL

Defensive tackle

DT

End

E

Fullback

FB

Place Kicker

PK

Guard

G

Halfback

HB

Kicker

K

Kickoff returner

KR

Offensive tackle

OT

Offensive lineman

OL

Linebacker

LB

Long snapper

LS

Split end

SE

Punter

P

Punt returner

PR

Quarterback

QB

Running back

RB

Safety

S

Tight end

TE

Wide receiver

WR

Preseason[]

Award watch lists[]

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year

SEC Media Days[]

Preseason All-SEC teams[]

Personnel[]

Coaching staff[]

Name	Position	Years at Kentucky
Mark Stoops	Head coach	9th
Vince Marrow	Associate Head Coach/Tight end coach	9th
Liam Coen	Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach	1st
Brad White	Defensive coordinator/Outside linebackers coach	4th
John Settle	Running backs coach	1st
Jon Sumrall	Inside linebackers coach /Co-Defensive Coordinator	3rd
Frank Buffano	Safeties coach	2nd
Eric Wolford	Offensive line coach	1st
Jovon Bouknight	Wide receivers coach	2nd
Anwar Stewart	Defensive line coach	2nd
Mark Hill	Strength and conditioning	6th
Reference:

Schedule[]

Spring game[]

The Wildcats were scheduled to hold spring practices in March and April 2021 with the Kentucky football spring game, which took place in Lexington, KY in April 2021.

Regular season[]

The 2021 Kentucky regular-season schedule consisted of seven home games and five away games. UK hosted four SEC opponents: Florida, LSU, Missouri, and rival Tennessee. UK traveled to four SEC opponents: Georgia, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt. Kentucky was not scheduled to play SEC West opponents Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M in the 2021 regular season. The Wildcats' bye week was during week 8 (on October 23, 2021).^[1]

Kentucky's out-of-conference opponents represented the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Southern Conference (SoCon), and Sun Belt Conference (SBC), as well as one FBS independent. The Wildcats hosted SoCon member Chattanooga, SBC member Louisiana-Monroe, and independent New Mexico State. The Wildcats closed out the regular season by traveling to Louisville, KY to face in-state rival Louisville for the Governor's Cup.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4, 2021	12:00 p.m.	Louisiana–Monroe*		Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN	W 45–10	47,693
September 11	7:30 p.m.	Missouri		Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN	W 35–28	58,437
September 18	12:00 p.m.	Chattanooga*		Kroger Field Lexington, KY	ESPN+/SECN+	W 28–23	55,214
September 25	7:00 p.m.	at South Carolina		Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC (SEC Nation)	ESPN2	W 16–10	77,559
October 2	6:00 p.m.	No. 10 Florida		Kroger Field Lexington, KY	ESPN	W 20–13	61,632
October 9	7:30 p.m.	LSU	No. 16	Kroger Field Lexington, KY (SEC Nation)	SECN	W 42–21	61,690
October 16	3:30 p.m.	at No. 1 Georgia	No. 11	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (College GameDay / SEC Nation)	CBS	L 13–30	92,746
October 30	7:00 p.m.	at Mississippi State	No. 12	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECN	L 17–31	49,487
November 6	7:00 p.m.	Tennessee	No. 18	Kroger Field Lexington, KY (rivalry)	ESPN2	L 42–45	61,690
November 13	7:00 p.m.	at Vanderbilt		Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)	ESPN2	W 34–17	25,798
November 20	12:00 p.m.	New Mexico State*		Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN	W 56–16	47,749
November 27	7:30 p.m.	at Louisville*		Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY (Governor's Cup)	ESPN2	W 52–21	55,018
January 1, 2022	1:00 p.m.	vs. No. 15 Iowa*	No. 22	Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL (Citrus Bowl)	ABC
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) – Released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries[]

Louisiana-Monroe[]

1 2 3 4 Total Louisiana-Monroe 7 0 0 3 10 • Kentucky 14 14 3 14 45 Date: September 4 Location: Lexington, KY Game start: 12:03 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:11 Game attendance: 47,693 Game weather: Sunny, 78°F, Wind SW @ 7 mph Referee: Jason McArthur TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color), Alyssa Lang (sideline) Sources: Official Box Score

Statistics	ULM	Kentucky
First downs	12	24
Total yards	87	564
Rushing yards	17	145
Passing yards	70	419
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	28:13	31:47

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
ULM	Passing	Rhett Rodgriuez	9/17, 56 yards
	Rushing	Chandler Rogers	7 carries, 11 yards
	Receiving	Boogie Knight	6 receptions, 58 yards
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	18/26, 367 yards, 4 TD's
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	19 carries, 125 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Josh Ali	5 receptions, 136 yards, 1 TD

Missouri[]

1 2 3 4 Total Missouri 7 7 7 7 28 • Kentucky 14 7 7 7 35 Date: September 11 Location: Lexington, KY Game start: 7:38 p.m. Game attendance: 58,437 Game weather: Sunny, 74°F, Wind S @ 8 mph Referee: Ken Williamson TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color), Alyssa Lang (sideline) Sources:

Statistics	Missouri	Kentucky
First downs	25	26
Total yards	398	520
Rushing yards	104	341
Passing yards	294	179
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	27:12	32:48

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Missouri	Passing	Connor Bazelak	34/51, 294 yards, 4 TD’s, 1 INT
	Rushing	Tyler Badie	14 carries, 61 yards
	Receiving	Tyler Badie	10 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	10/18, 179 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	27 carries, 207 yards, 2 TD’s
	Receiving	Wan’Dale Robinson	5 receptions, 101 yards

Chattanooga[]

1 2 3 4 Total Chattanooga 7 3 3 10 23 • Kentucky 7 7 0 14 28 Date: September 18 Location: Lexington, KY Game start: 12:02 p.m. Game attendance: 55,214 Game weather: Sunny, 81°F, Wind E @ 3 mph Referee: David Smith TV announcers (ESPN+, SEC Network+): Mike Morgan (play-by-play), Ben Hartsock (color), Paul Carcaterra (sideline) Sources:

Statistics	Chattanooga	Kentucky
First downs	16	20
Total yards	339	356
Rushing yards	171	102
Passing yards	168	254
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	31:42	28:18

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Chattanooga	Passing	Cole Copeland	21/35, 168 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Ailym Ford	21 carries, 128 yards
	Receiving	Reginald Henderson	9 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	23/35, 254 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	13 carries, 46 yards
	Receiving	Wan'Dale Robinson	8 receptions, 111 yards

at South Carolina[]

1 2 3 4 Total • Kentucky 7 3 3 3 16 South Carolina 0 0 7 3 10 Date: September 25 Location: Columbia, SC Game start: 7:10 p.m. Game attendance: 77,559 Game weather: Sunny, 74°F, Wind NW @ 1 mph Referee: Justin Autrey TV announcers (ESPN2): Brian Custer (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (color), Lauren Sisler (sideline) Sources:

Statistics	Kentucky	South Carolina
First downs	22	12
Total yards	332	216
Rushing yards	230	58
Passing yards	102	158
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	35:36	24:24

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	15/22, 102 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	26 carries, 146 yards
	Receiving	Wan'Dale Robinson	7 receptions, 65 yards
South Carolina	Passing	Luke Doty	17/25, 158 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Kevin Harris	12 carries, 38 yards
	Receiving	Jalen Brooks	4 receptions, 63 yards

No. 10 Florida[]

This was the Wildcats' first home win over Florida since 1986.^[2]

1 2 3 4 Total No. 10 Florida 7 3 0 3 13 • Kentucky 7 0 6 7 20 Date: October 2 Location: Lexington, KY Game start: 6:01 p.m. Game attendance: 61,632 Game weather: Cloudy, 75°F, Wind SW @ 6 mph Referee: Marc Curles TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (color), Kris Budden (sideline) Sources:

Statistics	Florida	Kentucky
First downs	21	13
Total yards	382	224
Rushing yards	171	137
Passing yards	211	87
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	36:18	23:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida	Passing	Emory Jones	23/31, 203 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Emory Jones	13 carries, 63 yards
	Receiving	Jacob Copeland	6 receptions, 59 yards
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	7/17, 87 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	19 carries, 99 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Wan’Dale Robinson	4 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD

LSU[]

1 2 3 4 Total LSU 0 0 7 14 21 • No. 16 Kentucky 7 7 14 14 42 Date: October 9 Location: Lexington, KY Game start: 7:39 p.m. Game attendance: 61,690 Game weather: Sunny, 72°F, Wind SE @ 5 mph Referee: David Smith TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sideline) Sources:

Statistics	LSU	Kentucky
First downs	22	24
Total yards	408	475
Rushing yards	147	330
Passing yards	261	145
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	27:48	32:12

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
LSU	Passing	Max Johnson	22/38, 261 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Tyrion Davis-Price	22 carries, 147 yards, 2 TD’s
	Receiving	Kayshon Boutte	8 receptions, 73 yards
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	14/17, 145 yards, 3 TD’s
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	16 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Wan’Dale Robinson	8 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD

at No. 1 Georgia[]

1 2 3 4 Total No. 11 Kentucky 0 7 0 6 13 • No. 1 Georgia 0 14 10 6 30 Date: October 16 Location: Athens, GA Game start: 3:45 p.m. Game attendance: 92,746 Game weather: Sunny, 75°F, Wind W @ 15 mph Referee: James Carter TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color), Jamie Erdahl (sideline) Sources:

Statistics	Kentucky	Georgia
First downs	16	20
Total yards	243	416
Rushing yards	51	166
Passing yards	192	250
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	37:47	22:13

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	32/42, 192 yards, 2 TD’s
	Rushing	Kavosiey Smoke	5 carries, 14 yards
	Receiving	Wan’Dale Robinson	12 receptions, 39 yards, 1 TD
Georgia	Passing	Stetson Bennett	14/20, 250 yards, 3 TD’s
	Rushing	James Cook	6 carries, 51 yards
	Receiving	Brock Bowers	5 receptions, 101 yards, 2 TD’s

at Mississippi State[]

1 2 3 4 Total No. 12 Kentucky 7 3 0 7 17 • Mississippi State 0 14 17 0 31 Date: October 30 Location: Starkville, MS Game start: 6:09 p.m. Game attendance: 49,487 Game weather: Cloudy, 55°F, Wind NW @ 5 mph Referee: Lee Hendrick TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sideline) Sources:

Statistics	Kentucky	Miss State
First downs	14	27
Total yards	216	438
Rushing yards	66	94
Passing yards	150	344
Turnovers	4	0
Time of possession	18:50	41:10

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	17/28, 150 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT’s
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	8 carries, 34 yards
	Receiving	Wan’Dale Robinson	9 receptions, 79 yards
Miss State	Passing	Will Rogers	36/39, 344 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Jo’Quavious Marks	20 carries, 58 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jaden Walley	6 receptions, 95 yards

Tennessee[]

1 2 3 4 Total • Tennessee 14 10 14 7 45 No. 18 Kentucky 7 14 14 7 42 Date: November 6 Location: Lexington, KY Game start: 7:05 p.m. Game attendance: 61,690 Game weather: Sunny, 46°F, Wind N @ 4 mph Referee: Steve Marlowe TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (color), Dawn Davenport (sideline) Sources:

Statistics	Tennessee	Kentucky
First downs	17	35
Total yards	461	612
Rushing yards	145	225
Passing yards	316	387
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	13:52	46:08

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee	Passing	Hendon Hooker	15/20, 316 yards, 4 TD’s
	Rushing	Jabari Small	4 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Velus Jones Jr	5 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	31/49, 372 yards, 3 TD’s, 1 INT
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	22 carries, 109 yards
	Receiving	Wan’Dale Robinson	13 receptions, 166 yards, 1 TD

at Vanderbilt[]

1 2 3 4 Total • Kentucky 7 24 0 3 34 Vanderbilt 3 0 8 6 17 Date: November 13 Location: Nashville, TN Game start: 6:05 p.m. Game attendance: 25,798 Game weather: Sunny, 42°F, Wind N @ 1 mph Referee: Ken Williamson TV announcers (ESPN2): Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Mike Golic Jr. (color), Taylor McGregor (sideline) Sources:

Statistics	Kentucky	Vanderbilt
First downs	21	16
Total yards	413	266
Rushing yards	236	96
Passing yards	177	170
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	29:46	30:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	14/22, 177 yards, 2 TD’s, 1 INT
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	16 carries, 144 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Wan’Dale Robinson	6 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD
Vanderbilt	Passing	Ken Seals	12/17, 87 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Patrick Smith	18 carries, 84 yards
	Receiving	Chris Pierce Jr	6 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD

New Mexico State[]

1 2 3 4 Total New Mexico St 7 9 0 0 16 • Kentucky 21 14 14 7 56 Date: November 20 Location: Lexington, KY Game start: 12:03 p.m. Game attendance: 47,749 Game weather: Sunny, 52°F, Wind SW @ 9 mph Referee: Alex Moore TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color), Tera Talmadge (sideline) Sources:

Statistics	New Mexico St	Kentucky
First downs	13	29
Total yards	282	707
Rushing yards	101	248
Passing yards	181	459
Turnovers	2	4
Time of possession	26:07	33:53

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
New Mexico St	Passing	Jonah Johnson	16/35, 181 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Juwaun Price	11 carries, 51 yards
	Receiving	Justice Powers	1 reception, 41 yards
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	21/31, 419 yards, 4 TD’s, 1 INT
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	16 carries, 119 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Wan’Dale Robinson	8 receptions, 181 yards

at Louisville[]

Governor’s Cup

1 2 3 4 Total • Kentucky 14 10 14 14 52 Louisville 7 0 0 14 21 Date: November 27 Location: Louisville, KY Game start: 7:41 p.m. Game attendance: 55,018 Game weather: Cloudy, 48°F, Wind SW @ 3 mph Referee: Matt Loeffler TV announcers (ESPN2): Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (color), Jalyn Johnson (sideline) Sources:

Statistics	Kentucky	Louisville
First downs	28	20
Total yards	511	352
Rushing yards	362	144
Passing yards	149	208
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	35:04	24:56

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	14/18, 149 yards
	Rushing	Christopher Rodriguez	16 carries, 121 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Wan’Dale Robinson	9 receptions, 97 yards
Louisville	Passing	Malik Cunningham	12/20, 145 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jalen Mitchell	11 carries, 53 yards
	Receiving	Marshon Ford	6 receptions, 68 yards

vs. No. 15 Iowa[]

Vrbo Citrus Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total No. 22 Kentucky 0 0 0 0 0 No. 15 Iowa 0 0 0 0 0 Date: January 1, 2022 Location: Orlando, FL TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (color), Tom Luginbill (sideline) Sources:

Statistics	Kentucky	Iowa
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Iowa	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Rankings[]

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	NR	RV	RV	RV	RV	16	11	15	12	18	RV	RV	RV	25	25
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV	23	14	11	14	12	17	RV	RV	25	22	20
CFP	Not released									18	NR	NR	NR	23	22	Not released

Statistics[]

Scoring[]

Scores by quarter (All Home Games)[]

1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 49 32 31 44 156 Kentucky 77 63 58 70 268

Scores by quarter (All Away Games)[]

1 2 3 4 Total Kentucky 35 47 17 33 132 Opponents 10 28 42 29 109

Scores by quarter (All Neutral Field Games)[]

1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 0 0 0 0 0 Kentucky 0 0 0 0 0

Scores by quarter (Home Games – SEC)[]

1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 28 20 28 31 107 Kentucky 35 28 41 35 139

Scores by quarter (Away Games – SEC)[]

1 2 3 4 Total Kentucky 21 37 3 19 80 Opponents 3 28 42 15 88

Scores by quarter (Neutral Field – SEC)[]

1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 0 0 0 0 0 Kentucky 0 0 0 0 0

Scores by quarter (Home Games – NC)[]

1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 21 12 3 13 49 Kentucky 42 35 17 35 129

Scores by quarter (Away Games – NC)[]

1 2 3 4 Total Kentucky 14 10 14 14 52 Opponents 7 0 0 14 21

Scores by quarter (Neutral Field – NC)[]

1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 0 0 0 0 0 Kentucky 0 0 0 0 0

Scores by quarter (All NC Opponents)[]

1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 28 12 3 27 70 Kentucky 56 45 31 49 181

Scores by quarter (All SEC Opponents)[]

1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 31 48 70 46 195 Kentucky 56 65 44 54 219

Scores by quarter (All opponents)[]

1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 59 60 73 73 265 Kentucky 112 110 75 103 400

Media affiliates[]

Radio[]

• WHAS (AM) (News Radio 840 WHAS), WBUL-FM – Nationwide (Dish Network, Sirius XM, TuneIn radio and iHeartRadio)

TV[]

• CBS Family – WKYT (CBS), CBS Sports Network
• ESPN/ABC Family – WTVQ (ABC), ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, SEC Network)
• FOX Family – WDKY (FOX), FOX/FS1, FSN
• NBC – WLEX, NBC Sports, NBCSN

References[]