Dane Key had a team-high five catches against Ball State. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Perhaps the best thing about Kentucky’s dynamic sophomore receiving duo of Dane Key and Barion Brown is that they are never satisfied. Key had five catches on eight targets for 96 yards, including a 44-yard play on Devin Leary’s first completion at UK. Brown had three catches on six targets for 39 yards, including a 26-yard strike, along with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
“A lot to improve on, that’s the main thing. I see how good we can be but there are a lot of miscommunications that we had out there,” Key said after Saturday’s 44-14 win over Ball State. “Taking that from game one is something that the whole team is just trying to work on.
“Mainly the offense is what I saw. Just miscommunications that we have to sort out this week, just work on that and we’ll improve next week.”
Brown thought he could improve on “everything” before UK hosts Eastern Kentucky Saturday afternoon.
“I feel like nobody is ever perfect, no team is ever perfect. Even all the good players have to figure out how we can make it better,” Brown said. “So just going into next week with the mindset that we can always get better and we‘re never comfortable where we are at, making sure we are hitting every key point we need to hit.”
Key said returning offensive coordinator Liam Coen “trusted” players to make plays against Ball State.
“He said he had things to work on, which I didn’t think he had things. I really liked what he did. Playing with coach Coen is really special, and I can’t wait to keep improving with him,” Key said. “It definitely excites me because I know the type of team we can be and the type of offense that we have.”
“The things that I saw that we can improve on and the things we are going to watch film on to improve is something really special.”
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops felt the offense lacked rhythm against Ball State but Brown said most head coaches feel that way in game one.
“Everything’s not going to be perfect but that’s why we work every day. We work to get better, stronger and faster. Next week you won’t see the mistakes we need to work on this week out there on the field,” Brown said.
Brown’s second kickoff return touchdown — he had a 100-yard return in the first game in 2022 — was close to perfection.
“It felt great. It’s a dream come true for any football player to score a touchdown on a kick return, and it’s a blessing,” Brown said. “Being able to make it on the side where my parents and friends were sitting made it great.”
