The Kentucky football team started their season 1-0 with a 45-13 win over Youngstown State
in week one. We got our first glimpse of the new team and some players made a strong first impression in Kroger Field. The offense looked clean and explosive in the debut of the Will Stein era. We will take a look on the offensive side of the football, as we highlight the players that stood out in the first win of the season.Kenny Minchey
Kentucky's QB1 had an impressive debut, showing command and comfortability in the first start of his college football career. Minchey completed 18-of-27 pass attempts for 301 yards and four touchdown passes. Like we expected, they eased him in with quick game concepts and getting playmakers out in space. Minchey showcased his accuracy
on RPO calls as well as when he was asked to throw the ball down the field; this was as good of a debut as you could ask for.
Kenny Darby
True freshman wide receiver Kenny Darby displayed his explosiveness and why he has earned the starting slot receiver spot on this team. Darby had three catches on the day, two of which were explosives, totaling 74 yards and a touchdown in the first game of his young career. We touched on it this offseason, but Darby might be the best YAC weapon in the passing game for the Wildcats and his displayed that on his touchdown catch. The young wideout from Louisiana has star potential and his first outing proved that to be the case.
Tight Ends
I could have spoke on the running backs that had a nice showing or the offensive line that played a near flawless game, but I thought it would be a great time to highlight the tight end room Kentucky has. Coach Stein leans on his best playmakers, so expect a heavy dose of 12 and 13 personnel looks all season. The Wildcats have a three headed monster in the tight end room and all have different skillsets. Willie Rodriguez is the do-it-all star, Mikkel Skinner is the ideal move tight end with incredible athleticism and Henry Boyer is a throwback in-line tight end that excels at doing the dirty work.
Rodriguez had a performance we all expected after the buzz around him this offseason; he led the team with six targets, grabbing four receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown. Skinner showed off his athleticism with four catches for 61 yards and a touchdown, proving he can be a critical piece for the offense this season. A lot of Boyer's work this season will go unnoticed for doing dirty work as a blocker, but he hauled in an explosive 31 yard reception as well. This is one of the strongest position groups on the team and they will be heavily involved on a weekly basis.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky Offense: Player Spotlights from week one win
