2023 Kentucky Wildcats football team

2023 Kentucky Wildcats football
Gator Bowl, L 35–38 vs. Clemson
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	East Division
Record	7–6 (3–5 SEC)
Head coach	Mark Stoops (11th season)
Offensive coordinator	Liam Coen (2nd overall season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Brad White (5th season)
Base defense	3–4 or 4–3
Home stadium	Kroger Field
Seasons ←  2022 2024  →

2023 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 4 Georgia xy		8	–	0					13	–	1
No. 8 Missouri		6	–	2					11	–	2
No. 17 Tennessee		4	–	4					9	–	4
Kentucky		3	–	5					7	–	6
Florida		3	–	5					5	–	7
South Carolina		3	–	5					5	–	7
Vanderbilt		0	–	8					2	–	10
West Division
No. 5 Alabama xy$^		8	–	0					12	–	2
No. 9 Ole Miss		6	–	2					11	–	2
No. 12 LSU		6	–	2					10	–	3
Texas A&M		4	–	4					7	–	6
Auburn		3	–	5					6	–	7
Mississippi State		1	–	7					5	–	7
Arkansas		1	–	7					4	–	8
Championship: Alabama 27, Georgia 24
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats were led by Mark Stoops in his 11th year as their head coach. The Kentucky football team played their home games at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.

This was the final year for the SEC's East–West divisional setup, as Texas and Oklahoma joined the conference in 2024.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	12:00 p.m.	Ball State *		Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN	W 44–14	58,286
September 9	3:00 p.m.	Eastern Kentucky *		Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN+, ESPN+	W 28–17	61,876
September 16	7:30 p.m.	Akron *		Kroger Field Lexington, KY	ESPNU	W 35–3	59,456
September 23	12:00 p.m.	at Vanderbilt		FirstBank Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)	SECN	W 45–28	26,279
September 30	12:00 p.m.	No. 22 Florida		Kroger Field Lexington, KY (rivalry, SEC Nation )	ESPN	W 33–14	61,699
October 7	7:00 p.m.	at No. 1 Georgia	No. 20	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (SEC Nation)	ESPN	L 13–51	92,746
October 14	7:30 p.m.	Missouri	No. 24	Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN	L 21–38	61,654
October 28	7:00 p.m.	No. 21 Tennessee		Kroger Field Lexington, KY (rivalry)	ESPN	L 27–33	61,665
November 4	7:30 p.m.	at Mississippi State		Davis Wade Stadium Mississippi State, MS	SECN	W 24–3	52,329
November 11	12:00 p.m.	No. 8 Alabama		Kroger Field Lexington, KY (SEC Nation)	ESPN	L 21–49	61,936
November 18	7:30 p.m.	at South Carolina		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	SECN	L 14–17	77,788
November 25	12:00 p.m.	at No. 10 Louisville *		L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium Louisville, KY (Governor's Cup)	ABC	W 38–31	59,225
December 29	12:00 p.m.	vs. No. 22 Clemson *		Everbank Field Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl)	ESPN	L 35–38	40,132
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after TBA) - Released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

^{[1] [2] [3]}

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Years at Kentucky
Mark Stoops	Head coach	11th
Vince Marrow	Associate head coach/tight ends coach	11th
Liam Coen	Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach	2nd
Brad White	Defensive coordinator/outside linebackers coach	5th
Jay Boulware	Running backs coach	1st
Mike Stoops	Inside linebackers coach	2nd
Frank Buffano	Safeties coach	4th
Chris Collins	Defensive backs coach	3rd
Zach Yenser	Offensive line coach	2nd
Scott Woodward	Wide receivers coach	3rd
Anwar Stewart	Defensive line coach	4th
Mark Hill	Strength and conditioning	8th
Reference:

Game summaries

Ball State

See also: 2023 Ball State Cardinals football team

Game One – Ball State Cardinals (0–0) at Kentucky Wildcats (0–0) – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Ball State	7	0	7	0	14
Kentucky	3	20	14	7	44

at Kroger Field • Lexington, KY

• Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: -
• Game attendance: 58,286
• TV: SEC Network

Game information

First quarter (13:17) UK – Alex Raynor 41-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 1:43; Kentucky 3–0) (1:35) BALL – Layne Hatcher 2-yard run (Jackson Courville kick) (Drive: 13 plays, 73 yards, 7:05; Ball State 7–3) Second quarter (11:31) UK – Ray Davis 2-yard run (Alex Raynor kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 4:58; Kentucky 10–7) (6:58) UK – Jalen Geiger 0-yard fumble return (Alex Raynor kick) (Kentucky 17–7) (1:08) UK – Alex Raynor 46-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 0:10; Kentucky 20–7) (0:00) UK – Alex Raynor 46-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 26 yards, 0:31; Kentucky 23–7) Third quarter (6:43) UK – Dane Key 5-yard pass from Devin Leary (Alex Raynor kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 89 yards, 2:37; Kentucky 30–7) (0:42) BALL – Ty Robinson 5-yard pass from Kadin Semonza (Jackson Courville kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 6:01; Kentucky 30–14) (0:28) UK – Barion Brown 99-yard kickoff return (Alex Raynor kick) (Kentucky 37–14) Fourth quarter (0:06) UK – Ray Davis 30 yard run (Alex Raynor kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 3:16; Kentucky 44–14)

Statistics	BALL	UK
First downs	18	17
Total yards	71–295	51–354
Rushing yards	41–72	20–113
Passing yards	223	241
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	22–30–0	18–31–1
Time of possession	38:16	21:44

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing	Kadin Semonza	15/21, 165 yards, TD
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	15 carries, 33 yards
	Receiving	Ty Robinson	5 receptions, 90 yards, TD
Kentucky	Passing	Devin Leary	18/31, 241 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Ray Davis	14 carries, 112 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Dane Key	5 receptions, 96 yards, TD

Eastern Kentucky

See also: 2023 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team

Akron

See also: 2023 Akron Zips football team

at Vanderbilt

See also: 2023 Vanderbilt Commodores football team and Kentucky-Vanderbilt football rivalry

No. 22 Florida

See also: 2023 Florida Gators football team and Florida–Kentucky rivalry

Pregame line [4]	Over/under
Kentucky −1.5	43.5

Game Five – No. 22 Florida Gators (3–1) at Kentucky Wildcats (4–0) – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 22 Florida	0	7	7	0	14
Kentucky	16	7	7	3	33

at Kroger Field • Lexington, Kentucky

• Date: September 30
• Game time: 12:07 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Wind: E at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) • Weather: sunny
• Game attendance: 61,699
• Referee: Matt Loeffler
• TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (analyst), and Katie George (sideline reporter) ^[5]

Game information

First quarter Kentucky – Alex Raynor 24-yard field goal, 7:13 Kentucky – Ray Davis 9-yard pass from Devin Leary (Alex Raynor kick), 5:37 Kentucky – Ray Davis 75-yard run, 0:23 Second quarter Kentucky – Ray Davis 3-yard run (Alex Raynor kick), 8:54 Florida – Hayden Hansen 4-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 0:34 Third quarter Kentucky – Ray Davis 2-yard run (Alex Raynor kick), 10:54 Florida – Ricky Pearsall 33-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 7:17 Fourth quarter Kentucky – Alex Raynor 50-yard field goal, 7:44

Statistics	Florida	Kentucky
First downs	15	23
Plays–yards	59–313	56–398
Rushes–yards	29–69	36–329
Passing yards	244	69
Passing: comp–att–int	25–30–1	9–20–0
Time of possession	31:14	28:46

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida	Passing	Graham Mertz	25/30, 244 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Montrell Johnson Jr.	10 carries, 42 yards
	Receiving	Ricky Pearsall	3 receptions, 62 yards, 1 TD
Kentucky	Passing	Devin Leary	9/20, 69 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Ray Davis	26 carries, 280 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Barion Brown	4 receptions, 37 yards

at No. 1 Georgia

See also: 2023 Georgia Bulldogs football team

Game Six – No. 20 Kentucky Wildcats (5-0) at No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (5-0) – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 20 Kentucky	0	7	6	0	13
No. 1 Georgia	14	20	10	7	51

at Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia

• Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: -
• Game attendance: 92,746
• Referee: Kyle Olson
• TV announcers (ESPN): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (color) and Molly McGrath (sideline)

Game information

First quarter (11:26) UGA – Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint 40-yard pass from Carson Beck (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:34; Georgia 7-0) (4:25) UGA – RaRa Thomas 15-yard pass from Carson Beck (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 82 yards, 3:41; Georgia 14-0) Second quarter (11:03) UGA – Oscar Delp 5-yard pass from Carson Beck (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 13 plays, 95 yards, 5:58; Georgia 21-0) (6:44) UK – Josh Kattus 4-yard pass from Devin Leary (Alex Raynor kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:19; Georgia 21-7) (5:15) UGA – Peyton Woodring 36-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 53 yards, 1:29; Georgia 24-7) (1:01) UGA – Kendall Milton 5-yard run (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 55 yards, 2:39; Georgia 31-7) (0:00) UGA – Peyton Woodring 42-yard field goal (Drive: 3 plays, 38 yards, 0:22; Georgia 34-7) Third quarter (10:34) UK – Ray Davis 26-yard pass from Devin Leary (run failed) (Drive: 2 plays, 28 yards, 0:52; Georgia 34-13) (3:27) UGA – Peyton Woodring 32-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 56 yards, 7:07; Georgia 37-13) (0:39) UGA – Brock Bowers 21-yard pass from Carson Beck (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 42 yards, 1:19; Georgia 44-13) Fourth quarter (2:38) UGA – Andrew Paul 7-yard pass from Brock Vandagriff (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 92 yards, 6:38; Georgia 51-13)

Statistics	UK	UGA
First downs	12	33
Total yards	50–183	73–608
Rushing yards	24–55	31–173
Passing yards	128	435
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	10–26–0	33–42–1
Time of possession	22:32	37:28

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kentucky	Passing	Devin Leary	10/26, 128 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Ray Davis	15 carries, 59 yards
	Receiving	Dane Key	3 receptions, 65 yards
Georgia	Passing	Carson Beck	28/35, 389 yards, 4 TD, INT
	Rushing	Daijun Edwards	9 carries, 54 yards
	Receiving	Brock Bowers	7 receptions, 132 yards, TD

Missouri

See also: 2023 Missouri Tigers football team

Game Seven – Missouri Tigers (5–1) at No. 24 Kentucky Wildcats (5–1) – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Missouri	0	17	3	18	38
No. 24 Kentucky	14	0	7	0	21

at Kroger Field • Lexington, Kentucky

• Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: –
• Game attendance: 61,654
• TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), Cole Cubelic (sideline)
• Pregame line: UK −3.5 Over/Under: 50.5

Game information

First quarter Kentucky Wildcats TD 8:32 Ray Davis 7 Yd pass from Devin Leary (Alex Raynor Kick) 9 plays, 65 yards, 4:46 0–7 UK Kentucky Wildcats TD 2:09 Devin Leary 13 Yd Run (Alex Raynor Kick) 9 plays, 63 yards, 4:58 0–14 UK Second quarter Missouri Tigers TD 11:38 Marquis Johnson 39 Yd pass from Luke Bauer (Harrison Mevis Kick) 6 plays, 64 yards, 3:12 7–14 UK Missouri Tigers FG 4:44 Harrison Mevis 25 Yd Field Goal 13 plays, 56 yards, 4:55 10–14 UK Missouri Tigers TD 0:15 Theo Wease Jr. 18 Yd pass from Brady Cook (Harrison Mevis Kick) 8 plays, 61 yards, 1:25 17–14 MIZ Third quarter Missouri Tigers FG 11:54 Harrison Mevis 31 Yd Field Goal 6 plays, 17 yards, 2:53 20–14 MIZ Kentucky Wildcats TD 3:39 Anthony Brown-Stephens 4 Yd pass from Devin Leary (Alex Raynor Kick) 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:31 20–21 UK Fourth quarter Missouri Tigers TD 14:14 Brady Cook 1 Yd Run (Cody Schrader Run for Two-Point Conversion) 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:16 28–21 MIZ Missouri Tigers TD 11:07 Cody Schrader 19 Yd Run (Harrison Mevis Kick) 3 plays, 34 yards, 0:57 35–21 MIZ Missouri Tigers FG 3:17 Harrison Mevis 29 Yd Field Goal 4 plays, 4 yards, 0:58 38–21 MIZ

Statistics	MIZZ	UK
First downs	19	19
Total yards	324	299
Rushing yards	118	179
Passing yards	206	120
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	20–30–1	14–27–2
Time of possession	31:07	28:53

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Missouri	Passing	Brady Cook	19–29, 175 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Cody Schrader	20 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Theo Wease	6 receptions, 66 yards, 1 TD
Kentucky	Passing	Devin Leary	14–27, 120 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Ray Davis	20 carries, 128 yards
	Receiving	Justice Dingle	2 receptions, 32 yards

No. 21 Tennessee

See also: 2023 Tennessee Volunteers football team and Kentucky–Tennessee football rivalry

Game Eight – No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers (5–2) at Kentucky Wildcats (4–2) – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 21 Tennessee	10	13	3	7	33
Kentucky	0	17	7	3	27

at Kroger Field, Lexington, Kentucky

• Date: October 28, 2023
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 61,665
• TV announcers (ESPN): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	TENN	UK
First downs	24	24
Total yards	481	444
Rushing yards	254	72
Passing yards	227	372
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	17–20–0	28–39–0
Time of possession	26:56	33:04

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee	Passing	Joe Milton III	17/20, 227 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Jaylen Wright	11 carries, 120 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Dont'e Thornton Jr.	3 receptions, 63 yards
Kentucky	Passing	Devin Leary	28/39, 372 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Ray Davis	16 carries, 42 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Dane Key	7 receptions, 113 yards, 1 TD

at Mississippi State

See also: 2023 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

Game Nine – Kentucky Wildcats (5–3) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (4–4) – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Kentucky	7	14	3	0	24
Mississippi State	0	3	0	0	3

at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS

• Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023
• Game time: TBD CST
• Game weather: –
• Game attendance: 52,329
• Referee: –
• TV announcers (SECN): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UK	MSST
First downs	13	15
Total yards	271	218
Rushing yards	110	73
Passing yards	161	145
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	15–25–0	17–35–1
Time of possession	30:38	29:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kentucky	Passing	Devin Leary	13/22, 156 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Ray Davis	21 carries, 80 yards
	Receiving	Tayvion Robinson	5 receptions, 91 yards
Mississippi State	Passing	Mike Wright	11/21, 78 yards, INT
	Rushing	Seth Davis	4 carries, 24 yards
	Receiving	Zavion Thomas	6 receptions, 44 yards

No. 8 Alabama

See also: 2023 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

1 2 3 4 Total •No. 8 Alabama 21 7 7 14 49 Kentucky 7 0 7 7 21 Date: November 11 Location: Lexington, KY Game start: 12:08 p.m. Game attendance: 61,936 Game weather: 49, Sunny, Wind NE @ 7 mph Referee: Ken Williamson TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), and Katie George (sideline) Sources:

Statistics	Alabama	Kentucky
First downs	23	11
Total yards	444	253
Rushing yards	159	95
Passing yards	285	158
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	32:06	27:54

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama	Passing	Jalen Milroe	15/22, 234 yards, 3 TD’s, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jase McClellan	9 carries, 43 yards
	Receiving	Kobe Prentice	4 receptions, 74 yards, 1 TD
Kentucky	Passing	Devin Leary	17/31, 158 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Ramon Jefferson	2 receptions, 73 yards
	Receiving	Dane Key	4 receptions, 46 yards

at South Carolina

See also: 2023 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

Game Eleven – Kentucky Wildcats at South Carolina Gamecocks – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Kentucky	0	7	7	0	14
South Carolina	10	0	0	7	17

at Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, South Carolina

• Date: Saturday, November 18, 2023
• Game time: 7:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: –
• Game attendance: 77,788
• Referee: –
• TV announcers (SECN): TBD

Game information

First quarter (7:27) SC – Xavier Legette 13-yard pass from Spencer Rattler, Mitch Jeter kick (Drive: 11 plays, 69 yards, 5:11; South Carolina 7–0) (0:13) SC – Mitch Jeter 23-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 51 yards, 6:32; South Carolina 10–0) Second quarter (10:52) UK – Barion Brown 7-yard pass from Devin Leary, Alex Raynor kick (Drive: 7 plays, 55 yards, 3:51; South Carolina 10–7) Third quarter (8:42) UK – Ray Davis 31-yard run, Alex Raynor kick (Drive: 9 plays, 92 yards, 5:20; Kentucky 14–10) Fourth quarter (7:44) SC – Xavier Legette 17-yard pass from Spencer Rattler, Mitch Jeter kick (Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 5:32; South Carolina 17–14)

Statistics	UK	SC
First downs	17	17
Total yards	293	257
Rushing yards	122	50
Passing yards	171	207
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	17–34–1	19–27–0
Time of possession	28:21	31:39

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kentucky	Passing	Devin Leary	17/34, 171 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Ray Davis	12 carries, 61 yards, TD
	Receiving	Dane Key	4 receptions, 51 yards
South Carolina	Passing	Spencer Rattler	19/27, 207 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Mario Anderson	13 carries, 27 yards
	Receiving	Xavier Legette	6 receptions, 94 yards, 2 TD

at No. 10 Louisville

See also: 2023 Louisville Cardinals football team and Governor's Cup (Kentucky)

Kentucky Wildcats (6–5) at No. 10 Louisville Cardinals (10–1) – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Kentucky	0	7	14	17	38
No. 10 Louisville	7	3	14	7	31

at L&N Stadium • Louisville, Kentucky

• Date: November 25
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• TV: ABC

Statistics	UK	LOU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

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

vs. No. 22 Clemson (Gator Bowl)

See also: 2023 Clemson Tigers football team and 2023 Gator Bowl

No. 22 Clemson Tigers vs. Kentucky Wildcats (2023 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 22 Clemson	3	7	0	28	38
Kentucky	7	7	7	14	35

at EverBank Stadium • Jacksonville, Florida

• Date: Friday, December 29, 2023
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 51 °F (11 °C) • Wind: 10 mph (16 km/h) W
• Game attendance: 40,132
• Referee: John Love
• TV announcers (ESPN): Wes Durham (play-by-play), Tim Hasselbeck (color), Taylor Tannebaum (sideline)
• Box score

Game information

First quarter (11:16) Clemson – Johnathan Weitz 39 yard field goal, (Drive: 7 plays, 39 yards, 3:37; Clemson 3–0) (5:00) Kentucky – Barion Brown 22 yard rush, Alex Raynor kick, (Drive: 4 plays, 73 yards, 2:14; Kentucky 7–3) Second quarter (10:17) Clemson – Phil Mafah 1 yard rush, Weitz kick, (Drive: 5 plays, 59 yards, 3:02; Clemson 10–7) (7:44) Kentucky – Dane Key 5 yard pass from Devin Leary, Raynor kick, (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 2:33; Kentucky 14–10) Third quarter (14:47) Kentucky – Brown 100 yard kick off return, Raynor kick, (Drive: 0 plays, 100 yards, 0:13; Kentucky 21–10) Fourth quarter (14:56) Clemson – Mafah 1 yard rush, Troy Stellato pass from Cade Klubnik failed, (Drive: 14 plays, 70 yards, 6:35; Kentucky 21–16) (7:00) Clemson – Weitz 28 yard field goal, (Drive: 7 plays, 26 yards, 3:08; Kentucky 21–19) (6:45) Clemson – Mafah 1 yard rush, Tyler Brown pass from Klubnik, (Drive: 1 plays, 29 yards, 0:07; Clemson 27–21) (6:12) Kentucky – Brown 60 yard pass from Leary, Raynor kick, (Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:33; Kentucky 28–27) (4:20) Clemson – Weitz 52 yard field goal, (Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 1:42; Clemson 30–28) (2:39) Kentucky – Ray Davis 1 yard rush, Raynor kick, (Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:41; Kentucky 35–30) (0:17) Clemson – Mafah 3 yard rush, Josh Sapp pass from Klubnik, (Drive: 12 plays, 68 yards, 2:17; Clemson 38–35)

Statistics	CLE	KEN
First downs	24	12
Plays–yards	80–367	51–398
Rushes–yards	39–103	23–92
Passing yards	264	306
Passing: comp–att–int	30–41–1	16–28–2
Time of possession	34:58	25:02

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Clemson	Passing	Cade Klubnik	30/41, 264 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Phil Mafah	11 carries, 71 yards, 4 TDs
	Receiving	Jake Briningstool	9 receptions, 91 yards
Kentucky	Passing	Devin Leary	16/28, 306 yds, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Ray Davis	13 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Barion Brown	3 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD

Rankings

Further information: 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	20	24	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	20	23	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—
CFP	Not released									—	—	—	—	—	—	Not released

References

1. "Kentucky Wildcats Schedule 2023". ESPN . Retrieved December 25, 2023.
2. "2023 Kentucky Wildcats Schedule and Results". College Football @ Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference . Retrieved December 25, 2023.
3. "2023 Football Schedule". University of Kentucky . Retrieved December 25, 2023.
4. Kentucky betting
5. Kentucky pregame