# 2024 Kentucky Wildcats football team

The 2024 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats are led by Mark Stoops in his 12th year as their head coach. The Kentucky football team plays its home games at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.
After a loss to Texas on November 23, the Wildcats became bowl ineligible for the first time since 2015, ending a school record eight straight bowl game streak.

## Schedule

Kentucky and the SEC announced the 2024 football schedule on December 13, 2023. The 2024 Wildcats' schedule consists of 8 home games and 4 away games for the regular season.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 7:45 p.m. | Southern Miss* | Kroger FieldLexington, KY | SECN | W 31–0 | 61,627 |
| September 7 | 3:30 p.m. | South Carolina | Kroger FieldLexington, KY (SEC Nation) | ABC | L 6–31 | 61,349 |
| September 14 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 1 Georgia | Kroger FieldLexington, KY | ABC | L 12–13 | 61,663 |
| September 21 | 12:45 p.m. | Ohio* | Kroger FieldLexington, KY | SECN | W 41–6 | 61,783 |
| September 28 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 6 Ole Miss | Vaught–Hemingway StadiumOxford, MS | ABC | W 20–17 | 67,616 |
| October 12 | 7:45 p.m. | Vanderbilt | Kroger FieldLexington, KY (rivalry) | SECN | L 13–20 | 62,120 |
| October 19 | 7:45 p.m. | at Florida | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL (rivalry) | SECN | L 20–48 | 89,906 |
| October 26 | 7:45 p.m. | Auburn | Kroger FieldLexington, KY | SECN | L 10–24 | 60,605 |
| November 2 | 7:45 p.m. | at No. 7 Tennessee | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry) | SECN | L 18–28 | 101,915 |
| November 16 | 1:30 p.m. | Murray State* | Kroger FieldLexington, KY | SECN+/ESPN+ | W 48–6 | 48,370 |
| November 23 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 3 Texas | Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial StadiumAustin, TX | ABC | L 14–31 | 102,811 |
| November 30 | 12:00 p.m. | Louisville* | Kroger FieldLexington, KY (Governor's Cup) | SECN | L 14–41 | 58,612 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 5) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern timeSource: |||||||

## Game summaries
### vs Southern Miss

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
at Kroger Field • Lexington, Kentucky
* Date: August 31
* Game time: 7:45 p.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 75 °F (24 °C) • Wind: NE at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
* Game attendance: 61,627
* Referee: Steve Marlowe
* TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), and Cole Cubelic (sideline)
* Recap
| Statistics | USM | UK |
| First downs | 7 | 19 |
| Total yards | 31–131 | 42–317 |
| Rushing yards | 12–5 | 24–148 |
| Passing yards | 126 | 169 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 13–19–2 | 12–18–1 |
| Time of possession | 15:04 | 29:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Southern Miss | Passing | Tate Rodemaker | 12-19, 126 yards, 2 INTs |
| Southern Miss | Rushing | Ethan Crawford | 3 carries, 12 yards |
| Southern Miss | Receiving | Dannis Jackson | 3 receptions, 42 yards |
| Kentucky | Passing | Brock Vandagriff | 12-18, 169 yards, 3 TDs, INT |
| Kentucky | Rushing | Demie Sumo-Karngbaye | 8 carries, 59 yards, TD |
| Kentucky | Receiving | Barion Brown | 4 receptions, 28 yards, 2 TDs |

### vs South Carolina

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Gamecocks | 7 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at Kroger Field • Lexington, Kentucky
* Date: September 7
* Game time: 3:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Wind: N at 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
* Game attendance: 61,349
* Referee: David Smith
* TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (color), and Molly McGrath (sideline)
| Statistics | SCAR | UK |
| First downs | 13 | 13 |
| Total yards | 50–252 | 63–183 |
| Rushing yards | 34–86 | 46–139 |
| Passing yards | 166 | 44 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 12–16–1 | 6–17–2 |
| Time of possession | 27:39 | 32:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| South Carolina | Passing | LaNorris Sellers | 11/15, 159 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| South Carolina | Rushing | Raheim Sanders | 13 carries, 54 yards, TD |
| South Carolina | Receiving | Mazeo Bennett Jr. | 3 receptions, 63 yards, TD |
| Kentucky | Passing | Brock Vandagriff | 3/10, 30 yards, INT |
| Kentucky | Rushing | Demie Sumo-Karngbaye | 17 carries, 70 yards |
| Kentucky | Receiving | Dane Key | 2 receptions, 36 yards |

### vs No. 1 Georgia

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Bulldogs | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| Wildcats | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
at Kroger Field • Lexington, Kentucky
* Date: September 14
* Game time: 7:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Wind: E 6 mph
* Game attendance: 61,663
* Referee: Kyle Olson
* TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (color), and Molly McGrath (sideline)
| Statistics | UGA | UK |
| First downs | 12 | 23 |
| Total yards | 54–262 | 73–284 |
| Rushing yards | 30–102 | 45–170 |
| Passing yards | 160 | 114 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 15–24–0 | 14–28–0 |
| Time of possession | 24:58 | 35:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Georgia | Passing | Carson Beck | 15/24, 160 yards |
| Georgia | Rushing | Trevor Etienne | 19 carries, 79 yards |
| Georgia | Receiving | Dominic Lovett | 6 receptions, 89 yards |
| Kentucky | Passing | Brock Vandagriff | 14/27, 114 yards |
| Kentucky | Rushing | Demie Sumo-Karngbaye | 22 carries, 98 yards |
| Kentucky | Receiving | Barion Brown | 3 receptions, 34 yards |

### vs Ohio

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bobcats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Wildcats | 3 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 41 |
at Kroger Field • Lexington, Kentucky
* Date: September 21
* Game time: 12:45 p.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 84 °F (29 °C) • Wind: SW 8 mph
* Game attendance: 61,783
* Referee: Daniel Gautreaux
* TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (analyst), and Ashley ShahAhmadi (sideline)
| Statistics | OHIO | UK |
| First downs | 14 | 25 |
| Total yards | 51–223 | 68–488 |
| Rushing yards | 32–113 | 41–206 |
| Passing yards | 110 | 282 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 8–19–1 | 19–27–0 |
| Time of possession | 26:25 | 33:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ohio | Passing | Nick Poulas | 8/19, 110 yards, INT |
| Ohio | Rushing | Duncan Brune | 6 carries, 33 yards |
| Ohio | Receiving | Coleman Owen | 4 receptions, 54 yards |
| Kentucky | Passing | Brock Vandagriff | 17/24, 237 yards |
| Kentucky | Rushing | Jamarion Wilcox | 8 carries, 82 yards |
| Kentucky | Receiving | Dane Key | 7 receptions, 145 yards |

### at No. 6 Ole Miss

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 3 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
| No. 6 Rebels | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium • University, Mississippi
* Date: September 28
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Wind: W 7 mph
* Game attendance: 67,616
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (color), and Molly McGrath (sideline)
* Pregame line: Ole Miss –16 • O/U: 52.5
| Statistics | UK | MISS |
| First downs | 22 | 14 |
| Total yards | 75–336 | 56–353 |
| Rushing yards | 47–93 | 29–92 |
| Passing yards | 243 | 261 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 18–28–0 | 18–27–0 |
| Time of possession | 39:43 | 20:17 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kentucky | Passing | Brock Vandagriff | 18/28, 243 yards, TD |
| Kentucky | Rushing | Demie Sumo-Karngbaye | 11 carries, 47 yards |
| Kentucky | Receiving | Dane Key | 8 receptions, 105 yards, TD |
| Ole Miss | Passing | Jaxson Dart | 18/27, 261 yards, TD |
| Ole Miss | Rushing | Henry Parrish Jr. | 13 carries, 62 yards, TD |
| Ole Miss | Receiving | Tre Harris | 11 receptions, 176 yards, TD |

### vs Vanderbilt (rivalry)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Commodores | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 20 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
at Kroger Field • Lexington, Kentucky
* Date: October 12
* Game time: 7:45 p.m.
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 62,120
* Referee: Jason Autrey
* TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color) and Cole Cubelic (sideline)
* Box Score
| Statistics | VAN | UK |
| First downs | 19 | 23 |
| Total yards | 55–288 | 57–322 |
| Rushing yards | 37–145 | 31–164 |
| Passing yards | 143 | 158 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 15–18–1 | 15–26–1 |
| Time of possession | 34:35 | 25:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Vanderbilt | Passing | Diego Pavia | 15/18, 143 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Vanderbilt | Rushing | Sedrick Alexander | 11 rushes, 58 yards |
| Vanderbilt | Receiving | Richie Hoskins | 3 receptions, 44 yards, TD |
| Kentucky | Passing | Brock Vandagriff | 15/25, 158 yards, TD |
| Kentucky | Rushing | Demie Sumo-Karngbaye | 12 rushes, 59 yards, TD |
| Kentucky | Receiving | Dane Key | 8 receptions, 83 yards, TD |

### at Florida (rivalry)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
| Gators | 3 | 24 | 7 | 14 | 48 |
at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida
* Date: October 19
* Game time: 7:45 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 89,906
* Referee: Lee Hedrick
* TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (analyst) and Marilyn Payne (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | UK | UF |
| First downs | 17 | 16 |
| Total yards | 68–309 | 59–476 |
| Rushing yards | 36–144 | 44–197 |
| Passing yards | 165 | 279 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 12–32–3 | 8–15–1 |
| Time of possession | 29:56 | 30:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kentucky | Passing | Brock Vandagriff | 12/26, 165 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Kentucky | Rushing | Demie Sumo-Karngbaye | 10 carries, 39 yards |
| Kentucky | Receiving | Barion Brown | 2 receptions, 56 yards, TD |
| Florida | Passing | DJ Lagway | 7/14, 259 yards, INT |
| Florida | Rushing | Jadan Baugh | 22 carries, 106 yards, 5 TD |
| Florida | Receiving | Elijhah Badger | 3 receptions, 148 yards |

### vs Auburn

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Wildcats | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Kroger Field • Lexington, Kentucky
* Date: October 26
* Game time: 7:45 p.m.
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 57 °F (14 °C) • Wind: NE 7 mph
* Game attendance: 60,605
* Referee: Steve Marlowe
* TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst) and Ashley Stroehlein (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | AUB | UK |
| First downs | 27 | 13 |
| Total yards | 76–498 | 54–224 |
| Rushing yards | 50–326 | 27–70 |
| Passing yards | 172 | 154 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 20–26–1 | 12–27–2 |
| Time of possession | 35:42 | 24:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Auburn | Passing | Payton Thorne | 20/26, 172 yards, TD, INT |
| Auburn | Rushing | Jarquez Hunter | 23 carries, 278 yards, 2 TD |
| Auburn | Receiving | KeAndre Lambert-Smith | 4 receptions, 53 yards, TD |
| Kentucky | Passing | Brock Vandagriff | 9/17, 120 yards, INT |
| Kentucky | Rushing | Jason Patterson | 6 carries, 38 yards |
| Kentucky | Receiving | Dane Key | 4 receptions, 87 yards |

### at No. 7 Tennessee (rivalry)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 7 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 18 |
| No. 7 Volunteers | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee
* Date: November 2
* Game time: 7:45 p.m.
* Game weather: Clear, 62 °F (17 °C)
* Game attendance: 101,915
* Referee: Ken Williamson
* TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), and Cole Cubelic (sideline)
| Statistics | UK | TENN |
| First downs | 19 | 29 |
| Total yards | 360 | 477 |
| Rushes/yards | 37/168 | 44/185 |
| Passing yards | 192 | 292 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 14-27-2 | 28-38-0 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:32 | 29:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kentucky | Passing | Brock Vandagriff | 10/17, 123 yards, TD, INT |
| Kentucky | Rushing | Jamarion Wilcox | 17 carries, 102 yards |
| Kentucky | Receiving | Dane Key | 2 receptions, 43 yards |
| Tennessee | Passing | Nico Iamaleava | 28/38, 292 yards, TD |
| Tennessee | Rushing | Dylan Sampson | 27 carries, 142 yards, 2 TD |
| Tennessee | Receiving | Miles Kitselman | 6 receptions, 97 yards, TD |

### vs Murray State (FCS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Racers (FCS) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Wildcats | 14 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 48 |
at Kroger Field • Lexington, Kentucky
* Date: November 16
* Game time: 1:30 p.m.
* Game attendance: 48,370
* TV announcers (SECN+/ESPN+): Richard Cross (play-by-play) and Charles Arbuckle (analyst)
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Murray State | Passing |
| Murray State | Rushing |
| Murray State | Receiving |
| Kentucky | Passing |
| Kentucky | Rushing |
| Kentucky | Receiving |

### at No. 3 Texas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| No. 3 Longhorns | 7 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, Texas
* Date: November 23
* Game time: 3:30 p.m.
* Game attendance: 102,811
* TV announcers (ABC): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (color), and Katie George (sideline reporter) Sources:
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Kentucky | Passing |
| Kentucky | Rushing |
| Kentucky | Receiving |
| Texas | Passing |
| Texas | Rushing |
| Texas | Receiving |

### vs Louisville (Governor's Cup)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 7 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 41 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
at Kroger Field • Lexington, Kentucky
* Date: November 30
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game attendance: 58,612
* TV announcers (SEC Network): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (analyst) and Ashley ShahAhmadi (sideline)
| Statistics | LOU | UK |
| First downs | 23 | 13 |
| Total yards | 486 | 328 |
| Rushing yards | 358 | 155 |
| Passing yards | 128 | 173 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 9–18–0 | 10–24–3 |
| Time of possession | 35:03 | 24:57 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisville | Passing | Tyler Shough | 9–18, 128 yards |
| Louisville | Rushing | Isaac Brown | 26 carries, 178 yards, 2 TD |
| Louisville | Receiving | Chris Bell | 3 receptions, 84 yards |
| Kentucky | Passing | Gavin Wimsatt | 4–9, 125 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Kentucky | Rushing | Jamarion Wilcox | 12 carries, 66 yards |
| Kentucky | Receiving | Ja'Mori Maclin | 3 receptions, 121 yards, 2 TD |

## Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Years at Kentucky |
| Mark Stoops | Head coach | 12th |
| Vince Marrow | Associate head coach/tight ends coach | 12th |
| Bush Hamdan | Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach | 1st |
| Brad White | Defensive coordinator/outside linebackers coach | 6th |
| Jay Boulware | Running backs coach | 2nd |
| Mike Stoops | Inside linebackers coach | 3rd |
| Frank Buffano | Safeties coach | 5th |
| Chris Collins | Defensive backs coach | 4th |
| Eric Wolford | Offensive line coach | 2nd |
| Daikiel Shorts Jr | Wide receivers coach | 1st |
| Anwar Stewart | Defensive line coach | 5th |
| Mark Hill | Strength and conditioning | 9th |
| Reference: |||