KENTUCKY VS. AKRON
KROGER FIELD – LEXINGTON, KY.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2023
KENTUCKY FOOTBALL POSTGAME QUOTES
KENTUCKY VS. AKRON
KROGER FIELD – LEXINGTON, KY.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2023
UK Student-Athletes
#85, Jordan Dingle, TE
On what it means that Devin (Leary) came back to you after you fumbled …
“It was basically the same play; it just had a different formation. He trusted me to make the play again, and helped build my confidence back up that they trusted me to try the play again and I was able to do.”
On how it felt to get the tight ends more involved in the offense …
“It honestly felt super good. I know the talent we have in that room and it’s always great when more guys can show what they can do, and I’m excited to show what we can do in the future. Just trying to be patient and understand that we have a lot of playmakers, so we have to be patient with our time, and you know we love to block.”
On how frustrating the mistakes are that keep you guys from showcasing what the offense can do …
“It’s not really frustrating. It is frustrating trying to lock in on all the little details, but with all the playmakers we have the sky is the limit. I can’t wait to see what the future holds once we get all the details cleaned up.”
#9, Tayvion Robinson, WR/KR
On the touchdown pass from Devin Leary in the first half …
“It was just a play where he found me, through the seam. It was cover three and he was looking at the seams and he came my way, and I made a play.”
On Devin Leary throwing a touchdown to Ray Davis while being sacked …
“I didn’t even see the play. So, after I ran my route, I was looking at the side, I thought it was sacked, and I look up and I see Ray cutting across the field, but that’s just him being a playmaker. Making plays with his feet, extending plays and always looking to throw the ball, so Ray was ready, and he made a play.”
On his muffed punt and how to move forward …
“This; short memory you know. You make mistakes, can’t let them carry over into the next weeks, next series of play, but it was miscommunication between me and my teammates, should’ve fair caught it, but you learn from it, watch some film, don’t let it happen again.”
#31, Maxwell Hairston, CB
On how it feels to be able to finally put together third down defense …
“Felt good, what was working right was just us, you know — following the call, doing our jobs, and just pursuing to the ball.”
On if he prides himself on open field tackles …
“Yeah, you know, that’s something I definitely worked on and [I] want to be a good tackler and I feel like every week you’re getting better attacking, but it’s just something you always have to keep working on.”
On what the defense saw tonight …
“What we did was we just looked at their top route concepts — looked at what they did on normal and down distance, first and second or third down. We just looked at their formations and when we would see what they lined up in, we already had a tail because we’ve been studying it all week — so we knew how to play it.”
#13, Devin Leary, QB
On the hit that he took to the ribs …
“Just got the wind knocked out of me. Kind of exposed myself a little bit too much. Got the wind knocked out of me, and I’m perfectly fine now.”
On how he thought the offense played …
“I mean — you just see a lot of it on the film. We just shoot ourselves in the foot a lot, whether it’s, you know, penalties missed, assignment, execution — and we walk away from the game, you know, obviously we’re very thankful and happy to be 3-0. But at the same time, there’s so much more we can do, especially as an offense, and we pride ourselves on that. So, definitely a little bit of a bitter taste in our mouth walking away, because we left so many different plays out there — but there’s so much room for improvement for this team.”
On if the way the offense played is an “attention to detail” thing …
“Yeah, I think so. I think it’s attention to detail. I think it’s, you know, making sure we understand our assignment — and really just not doing too much. Just at the end of the day — doing your job, doing what your coach to do. And it really starts with me. I think I need to do a lot better operating this offense, and just at the end of the day — making sure that we practice right. Making sure that we’re practicing every single rep every single day, like it’s a game. So, we’re definitely going to learn from this film, walk away, and be a better team because of it.
#1, Ray Davis, RB
On pass catching abilities …
“You know Liam Cohen believed in me to be a pass catcher in the back field, our running back coach just gave me the ability to be multi-dimensional, not just being a runner, to be able to catch the ball and block for my quarterback, and just you know yards after catch and do what I got to do to put us in positions to win and if that’s running or the ball at that, that’s what it’s got to be.”
On having a conversation about pass catching and running back …
“I mean, me and Devin talked about it a lot. I think you know, I wouldn’t be here if they didn’t know the type of player I was. I think they knew I could catch, they knew I could do some big things out in the backfield. I kind of showed that throughout my career. And you know, just them believing in me and putting plays in to play a role.”
On emotions of playing at Vanderbilt …
“This game is not Ray Davis versus Vanderbilt. It’s Kentucky football versus Vanderbilt football, that’s all that matters. With the last whistle, I think that my emotions came out, but I can’t go win everything and I’m just going to be this ‘rah-rah’ guy and it’s all about me and that’s never good. It’s just about going there and get the W do what I can for the team whether that’s running the ball, whether that’s catching, whether that’s blocking, you know it’s just about going in there and getting the W.”