Wimsatt returns to his home state where he attended Owensboro High School and earned Kentucky Class 5-A Player of the Year as well as a spot in the Elite 11 finals.

READ: Reports: Former MLB outfielder Monte Harrison joins Arkansas as walk-on wide receiver

Over three seasons at Rutgers, Wimsatt threw for 2,537 yards and 14 touchdowns to 17 interceptions across 25 games including 19 starts in three seasons.

“We are excited to add Gavin to our program,” Stoops stated in a release. “Game experience is extremely valuable at quarterback and this is a unique opportunity to add talent and experience to the room.”

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Wimsatt has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

In 2023, Wimsatt started all 13 games passing for 1,735 yards and nine touchdowns to eight interceptions. He also led quarterbacks in the Big Ten Conference with 497 rushing yards which set a new Rutgers program record.

Wimsatt was a four-star recruit as part of the class of 2021. The 6-foot-3 quarterback totaled 5,304 passing yards and 62 touchdowns in high school at Owensboro.

Wimsatt will be part of a Kentucky program entering a new era after former starting quarterback Devin Leary was selected in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.

The post Former Rutgers QB Gavin Wimsatt transfers to Kentucky appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Davis said he “didn’t really do much” on Saturday when he rushed for 280 yards and three touchdowns during Kentucky’s 33-14 win over No. 22 Florida. Instead turned the credit to the Wildcats offensive line and those who protected and opened the gaps for him to run through. 

“I’m definitely going to take those guys out to dinner,” Davis said. “I got to take the tight ends and the O-line. It’ll probably run a hole in my pocket but I think for rushing for 300 yards total as a group, I don’t know what that check is going to be like but I’m not going to want to see it.”

PODCAST: Davis finds ‘another gear’ in 280-yard performance against No. 22 Florida

Whatever the price, it came after a massive payout on Saturday. Kentucky claimed its third-consecutive victory over Florida and moved to 5-0 atop the Southeastern Conference East Division. 

Davis got his day going by rushing for 60 yards after Kentucky’s first possession. Later in the first quarter he caught a 9-yard touchdown thrown by quarterback Devin Leary. 

Davis said he “didn’t even really know” about his largely producitve performance throughout most of the game, and he remained focus on getting the final result the Wildcats hoped for. 

“I think after the big run I had ran at that point I was like, ‘I think I’ve only got like 75 yards, like something like that.’ And I wasn’t really too into it,” Davis said. “I was trying to keep my head in the game. I think once you start to focus on the statistical part of the game that’s when you start to lose your mojo and your juice. Guys are coming up to me and congratulating me, but I’m like it’s only the first quarter. We got to keep going. We got to keep pounding, and the results show today with getting the W.”

READ: Baylor scores 29 unanswered, completes 36-35 comeback at UCF

Davis broke off a 75-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the first quarter that propped his totals to 141 rushing yards and two touchdowns from scrimmage. 

He later added runs of 33 and 31 yards among touchdown rushes of 3 and 2 yards. By the end of the first half, Davis had a career-high 206 rushing yards. 

The journey didn’t always begin at Kentucky for Davis. A native of San Francisco, Davis began his college career spending two seasons at Temple before he played the past two seasons at Vanderbilt. He was tasked with replacing former Wildcats running back Christopher Rodriguez Jr., who was a two-time captain and ranked among the top backs in Kentucky history. 

“I’m just blessed to be here,” Davis said. “I’m blessed for the opportunity that coach (Mark) Stoops provided for me, blessed for the coaching staff when they recruited me in the portal and they just thought that I can come in. Again, I had some big shoes to fill and I think today I’m slowly getting there.  I’m slowly trying to cement myself as one of the Kentucky running backs who can become great. But honestly, I mean, 5-0, but we’re trying to go 1-0 each and every day, so it’s about trying to go 1-0 next week against Georgia.”

READ: Williams throws 6 TDs, No. 8 USC outslugs Colorado 48-41

Davis’ 2021 season, his first at Vanderbilt, saw him sidelined for most of the season with a knee injury. 

But his return in 2022 saw him land among semifinalists for Comeback Player of the Year after a 1,042-yard season, making him the 10^th Commodore to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark. 

On Saturday, the Wildcats saw much of what Vanderbilt and Temple did in Davis. 

“Ray has another gear where he has that ability,” Stoops said. “The first touchdown on the screen he drug somebody or ran somebody over for a good three or four yards or whatever. And then he has that ability to make people miss, and then you saw top end today. So I think he’s really a complete back and certainly he’s been dynamic with catching the ball out of the backfield.” 

And Davis saw much of what he can be in himself. 

“(It’s) just about being ready in that moment and understanding, ‘Hey when your number’s called you got it.’ This is the moment you live for. These are moments I came here. This is why I came to Kentucky to be able to be in this moment, to be able to be around this crowd, these fans and enjoy the energy and I’m happy.”

READ: No. 25 Fresno State works to ‘stay grounded’ on 13-game winning streak

Davis’ 280-yard rushing performance will be one for the Kentucky history books. It ties him for third in program history for single-game rushing totals. 

Whether he’s rushing for more than 200 yards or taking his teammates to dinner, Davis is all about generating energy. He took a page from one sports star’s book and applied it to his own leading the way to a big day. 

“The eye black, I had to channel my LeBron,” Davis said. “I think, what was it, I’m going to say 2016 Finals when they wore the black unis he was like, ‘We got to be the bad guys,’ and that was the mantra I had today was I got to be the bad guy. When I step on that field no more being nice. I got to go out there and wake the world up, and I think today I did it a little bit. I think the world kind of knows who I am. But again, I got to keep stacking days. I can’t be content with this.”

The post Davis finds ‘another gear’ in 280-yard performance against No. 22 Florida appeared first on Saturday Glory.

There are four ranked matchups on the schedule this week. Friday will get the ranked ballgames started when No. 10 Utah travels to No. 19 Oregon State, which suffered its first loss of the season to No. 16 Washington State.

PODCAST: It Was Always Going to End This Way for Mel Tucker

Cougars quarterback Cam Ward earned Pac-12 offensive player of the week honors after a 404-yard performance. Ward added four touchdowns and completed 82.4% of his passes, good for seventh-best in program history. 

Here are several games to watch this week. 

No. 22 Florida at Kentucky 

A matchup between two 4-0 programs is set to take place at Kroger Field on Saturday. 

Defense just might be the name of the game and the key to victory for either team. Neither Florida nor Kentucky rank in the upper half of the Southeastern Conference in total offense, and the Gators are No. 8 while Kentucky is No. 9. 

The Wildcats are entering their first ranked matchup of the season, and it comes two years after they upset No. 10 Florida at home 20-13. The Gators had Kentucky’s number 29-21 during the 2019 season. 

“I mentioned last week when they talked about them beating us in the year before it really doesn’t have any bearing on that game,” Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said. “If it does for our players, if they come in locked in early in the week then that’s the way I expect our team to be anyway. We’re playing Florida. You know it’s going to take a great effort. We’re playing that home; we should have a great sense of pride. And I think there’s that term that we use a lot in our program is that divine discontent. We know there’s more out there. We know we can play better, and that ought to be our motivation.” 

READ: Big Board: Week 5

Stoops also had positives to say about Florida quarterback Graham Mertz, who considered Kentucky when he entered the transfer portal after last season. 

“He’s been very good with the football,” Stoops said. “I think they have very few turnovers in general. I want to say he only maybe has one, and he’s been very efficient. Very smart getting rid of the football and taking care of the ball and running their offense, and he’s been very efficient. So he’s played very well.” 

No. 24 Kansas at No. 3 Texas 

A Big 12 matchup is set to take place in Austin, Texas, and the two teams between Kansas and Texas have a history. 

The Jayhawks topped Texas in 2021 during what was only their second win of the season Nov. 13, 2021. Kansas finished 2-10 that year, while Texas went 5-7 in Steve Sarkisian’s first year as head coach. 

Texas got back at Kansas last season with a 55-14 blowout at home. The loss left a bad taste in the Jayhawks’ mouths. 

“Old news, it doesn’t matter,” Kansas head coach Lance Leipold said. “Both teams are significantly better. And it doesn’t do you — it’s honestly it’s so far in the past. We got to keep moving. Yeah, it helped this program. It helped our players but we can’t, yeah, that’s about it.”

READ: Quotables: Week 4

And now, Leipold said the athleticism stands out about Texas now. 

“Yeah, and I guess I’ll add to that. I hope it’s the last time I have to answer that question this week honestly, I do,” Leipold said. “I really want to focus on our team now and where we’re going because that’s what’s important. It’s an excellent football team across the board. You can tell for coach Sarkisian, the staff he’s put on it offensively, he’s one of the best playcallers in the country. The movements and shifts and different looks that he gives, how they spread the ball about the playmakers that they have, huge up front and very athletic, well coached offensive line. And then defensively a front that, again, I think that’s a group from if you are going to keep looking at our previous meetings, I think that the defensive line continued improvement for them and consistency, maybe not improvement, but just consistent play and physical, tough kids. Linebackers who are extremely physical and run well. So yeah, it’s definitely to me a different team and a huge challenge for us and one that we’ve got to have our best week of preparation yet.” 

Kansas’ offense is No. 5 in the Big 12 averaging 37.8 points per game, and Texas is right behind at an average of 35 points per outing. 

Both the Jayhawks and Longhorns are in the top-three in their conference in total defense, as Kansas is second allowing 296.8 yards per game and Texas is third giving up 298.5 yards per game. 

No. 13 LSU at No. 20 Ole Miss 

LSU is seeking to reenter itself back into the College Football Playoff mix. 

After suffering a Week 1 upset to No. 5 Florida State, head coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers had to do a bit of soul searching to figure out what kind of team they are. 

Now they go on the road for two games, and the first will be against No. 20 Ole Miss, which lost 30-24 to No. 12 Alabama.

PODCAST: What’s the Perception of Marcus Freeman After Notre Dame’s Loss to Ohio State?

Quarterback Jayden Daniels has played steadily in 2023. He’s eclipsed 320 passing yards in each of the past two games, and he threw four touchdowns last week against Arkansas. 

One of Daniels’ targets had a breakout game against the Razorbacks, as Malik Nabers became the 13^th player in LSU history to catch over 200 yards. He finished with 239 receiving yards and two touchdowns. 

Ole Miss will bring a defense that ranks No. 61 in total defense, allowing over 351 yards per game. Linebacker Suntarine Perkins is tied for third with three sacks this season. 

Kelly thinks LSU has learned about itself through the first four weeks of the season, and this week he’s hoping to see a complete game with a distinctiveness about the team.  

“I’m seeing that starting to evolve in that identity, and look, I mean, there are times when you play in quality competition that you get a better sense and feel for your team. And especially when you’re down, right?” Kelly said. “We weren’t down against Mississippi State at anytime. We weren’t down at any time against Grambling. And we really didn’t have the right mix of mindset going into the Florida State game. So this was our first chance really to identify who we were when we got down late, and we immediately responded and we came out in the second half and played the kind of football that I expect. Never flinching, knowing that we were going to take some more shots and when we gave up a play, we forgot about it and we got to the next play.” 

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