Live Updates: No. 8 Kentucky-Northern Illinois
The No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats look to improve to 4-0 for just the third time under head coach Mark Stoops as they welcome the 1-2 Northern Illinois Huskies to Kroger Field.
FINAL SCORE: 31-23 KENTUCKY
FOURTH QUARTER
Kentucky Drive 10: Smoke runs for three yards on first down, then gets eight more to move the chains, essentially icing the game. Kentucky will kneel the clock out.
NIU Drive 10: NIU wastes no time, Hampton finds Kacper Rutkiewicz for a 63-yard gain. Goal to go for the Huskies.
Hampton's pass goes through the hands of McCray on third down. Fourth-and-goal at the UK 5...Childress is called for defensive holding. First-and-goal at the UK 2, Lynch runs a read option, keeping it for the touchdown. NIU goes for two, but the pass is broken up. 31-23 Kentucky.
NIU attempts an onside kick, but Kentucky recovers.
Kentucky Drive Nine (5:21): Kentucky goes three-and-out and will punt away after a long, long period of timeouts.
NIU Drive Nine (8:46): Hampton finds McCray down the left sideline for a 24-yard gain, NIU at midfield. Hampton then hits Tucker for another big gain of 19 more.
Hampton rolls out right, finding Tewes for six yards. Third-and-one at the UK 15, Antario Brown rushes past the line-to-gain, but an illegal formation penalty pushes NIU back to third-and-six.
Hampton's next pass is overthrown, setting up fourth down. NIU's John Richardson kicks a 38-yard field goal that splits the uprights. 31-17 Kentucky.
Kentucky Drive Eight: Levis drops back, hitting Dingle for 19-yard catch. UK already close to midfield.
Three plays later, Levis steps up in the pocket to hit JuTahn McClain for five yards and a first down. McClain stays in the game for his first rush, totaling nine yards.
Levis looks deep, has Key in the endzone, but the freshman can't come up with the catch. Two plays later, Wright is down on the field and being attended to. He would eventually walk off the field under his own power.
Fourth-and-one, Levis completes to Bates for the first down. UK at the NIU 38. After two plays for no gain, TOUCHDOWN: Tayvion Robinson breaks a tackle, books it to the endzone for a 40-yard score. PAT is good.
NIU Drive Eight Con't: Keidron Smith was oh-so close to an interception on third down. NIU to punt away.
THIRD QUARTER
NIU Drive Eight (3:04): Hampton passes on first down, it's incomplete. Waylee runs for eight yards on the next play, setting up third-and-short.
Lynch in the game, keeps it himself but can't move the chains. NIU looks to go on fourth-and-one in its own territory. Lynch keeps it again, getting the first.
Zion Childress with a big tackle on second down, setting up a third-and-11. END OF Q3.
Kentucky Drive Seven: Levis looks for Dane Key, pass is incomplete but NIU is flagged for pass interference. Wright runs for six yards on first down, Smoke follows up with a toss play for three more. Levis keeps on third-and-short once again, moving the chains.
Screen play goes to Barion Brown, who darts for six yards. UK at the NIU 32, Smoke runs again for no gain. Third down, Levis drops back, tries to run up the middle for the first, but gets just one yard. Ruffolo on to kick a field goal.
FIELD GOAL: Ruffolo knocks home a 49-yarder to put Kentucky up 24-14.
NIU Drive Seven (8:37): Antario Brown opens the drive with a stuffed rush for no gain.
Kentucky finally gets to Hampton, and the freshman chucks it away. NIU punts back to the Wildcats, good field position now for Kentucky at their own 33.
Kentucky Drive Six: Opening at its own 10-yard line, Wright begins the drive with a two-yard run. On third down, Levis hits Robinson yet again for a first down, going 15 yards.
Next play, Levis is sacked for the third time tonight. NIU sniffs out the second down quick pass, setting up third and long. Kentucky is unable to convert and third-and-16, punting away to NIU.
NIU Drive Six: Nothing doing for the Huskies, they go three-and-out, punting away to the Wildcats. Big answer for the Kentucky defense.
Kentucky Drive Five: Smoke gets no gain on the first play of the half. Levis is nearly picked off by CJ Brown on the next play, but the pass is ruled incomplete.
TOUCHDOWN: Barion Brown. Wheels. 70 yards to the house. Kentucky leads 21-14 after a near disastrous start. PAT is good. Second TD of the night for Brown and the second of his career. Brown now with three catches for 96 yards.
SECOND QUARTER
NIU kickoff sends it to halftime.
NIU Drive Five: Hampton completes to Tucker for a big gain, NIU in the redzone. Hampton goes to Fabian McCray on the next play, Huskies threatening to score.
Waylee runs to the UK 4, first and goal for NIU. With 17 seconds to go, Hampton throws it away after rolling out right.
NIU runs an end-around, WR Shemar Thornton completes a pass to Tristen Tewes, his second TD catch of the day. Great play-call by NIU. We are all tied up, 14-14. Six seconds to halftime.
Kentucky Drive Four (0:56): Levis throws on first down, pass is dropped by Keaton Upshaw.
FUMBLE: Smoke has the ball popped out at the end of his run, recovered by NIU.
NIU Drive Four (5:08): Illegal substitution sets NIU back five yards. Waylee gets the five back on a rush, before adding five more on the next play.
Pocket collapses on third down, Hampton runs to his right for six yards, moving the chains.
Two plays later, Hampton completes to Tewes in the middle of the field for eight yards. Third and short, Waylee is met by Jordan Lovett at the line to gain, but the first down is given.
NIU is pounding the rock. Waylee runs for three more on first down. Third down and six to go with 1:08 left in the half...false start on NIU. Waylee rushes for nine yards, short of the first. Kentucky takes its second timeout.
The Huskies try and draw UK offside on fourth down, the Cats don't bite. NIU takes the delay of game and will punt away.
Kentucky Drive Three (6:47): Starting at the UK 2, Smoke bursts through the trenches for a 27-yard rush. Following a two-yard rush, Levis' pass to Brenden Bates is dropped by the tight end.
Third-and-eight, Levis finds Robinson running wide open down the field, the Va Tech transfer runs for a 69-yard touchdown. Ruffolo's PAT is good.
Kentucky needs just four plays and 1:39 to go 98 yards.
NIU Drive Three (8:50): Holding penalty to start the drive for the Huskies. First-and-20 at their own 25. Antario Brown bolts for 12 yards on the first play, right up the middle. Next play, Brown goes to the right but is stuffed by UK, specifically Valentine.
Keidron Smith breaks up the third down pass, NIU punts back to the Cats. Punt leaks out of bounds near the UK goalline. 61-yard punt.
Kentucky Drive Two (13:00): Following a Smoke rush for one yard, Levis hits Robinson on a designed play to the flat for eight yards. Levis keeps it on third-and-short for the first.
UK runs play-action, Levis looks deep but is swallowed by the NIU D-line. First sack of the day for the Huskies. Next play, same result, back-to-back sacks for NIU. Kentucky punts back.
NIU Drive Two Con't: On third and long, Hampton completes to a wide open Cole Tucker for 16 yards. Another four-yard pass and three-yard rush sets up third-and-three for NIU.
Hampton's pass is broken up by Carrington Valentine. NIU will punt.
NIU Drive Two: Waylee rushes for one yard to end the first quarter. END OF Q1
Kentucky Drive One: Will Levis airs it out on the first play of the drive, but just misses Barion Brown, would've been a house call. Kavosiey Smoke gets three yards on his first rush.
Third down, Levis completes to Dane Key, who scrambles for six yards but is short of the first. UK goes for it in its own half, Levis sneaks for the first down, but just barely.
Levis is hurried on the next play, pass is incomplete to Jordan Dingle. Smoke catches a toss on the next play and chugs to the left for eight yards. Third and short, Levis avoids a sack, hitting La'Vell Wright in the flat, who scrambles for a first down. Now at the NIU 49.
Wright takes the next snap for five yards. Wright goes again on second down, but no gain. Levis in shotgun on third down, finds Tayvion Robinson on a slant for six yards, moving the chains.
Next play, Levis hits Brown in the middle of the field for 11 yards. UK near the redzone. Following a no-gain rush and a tipped pass, Levis completes to Robinson for another first down.
Kentucky is mixing the run and pass game well in its first drive. Wright rushes for three yards in the redzone, UK at the NIU 15. Levis finds Brown on a screen on the next play, the freshman dashes past the NIU defense for a 15-yard touchdown. PAT by Matt Ruffolo is good.
16-play, 75-yard drive for the Cats.
NIU Drive One: Ethan Hampton in at QB for NIU to begin the game. RB Harrison Waylee takes the first play of the game for six yards. Hampton completes his first pass for a gain of four, moving the chains.
Hampton rolls out right and hits Tristian Tewes for a gain of 14, moving the ball into UK territory. Fast start for the Huskies.
After two rushes, Justin Lynch runs a keeper on third and short, moving the chains. NIU near the redzone. Antario Brown takes a run up the middle for 20 yards, NIU now first and goal at the UK 4.
Two stuffs near the goaline for UK, but Hampton completes a pass to Tewes for a score. PAT is good. 11-play, 75-yard drive for the Huskies.
Pre-Game Notes
Northern Illinois quarterback was a game-time decision but is not expected to play for the Huskies tonight. Redshirt freshman Ethan Hampton will take over under center.
Kentucky running back JuTahn McClain and starting right guard Tashawn Manning dressed out and participated in warmups. Manning was announced as a starter. For a full injury report, click here.
NIU won the toss and elected to receive.
