Kentucky Football: Players Who Broke Out Against NMSU

The 62-42 victory over the New Mexico State Aggies was a statement game for five players. Find out who stepped up and broke out for the Kentucky football team.

Sep 17, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats tight end C.J. Conrad (87) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New Mexico State Aggies in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

The clash between the Kentucky Wildcats and New Mexico State Aggies was supposed to be a lopsided SEC victory. Instead, Kentucky football was pushed beyond belief—and it couldn’t have gone any better for it.

As a result of Kentucky needing all hands on deck, a number of overlooked contributors stepped up with breakout performances.

The Wildcats entered the clash with the Aggies with an 0-2 record and no momentum. Kentucky blew a 35-10 lead over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, lost 44-35, and then no-showed the encounter with the Florida Gators.

With a 45-7 loss behind them, Kentucky rallied around a pair of fresh faces for an explosive 62-42 shootout victory against the New Mexico State Aggies.

Kentucky is only 1-2, but it received an encouraging look at the future during its Week 3 victory. Having reestablished their upside, there’s reason to believe the Wildcats can ride the wave of the future.

With the first victory in the books, however, it’s only fair to acknowledge the players who broke out and excelled against New Mexico State.

Sep 17, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats tight end C.J. Conrad (87) runs the ball against New Mexico State Aggies defensive lineman Kourtland Busby (90) in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky defeated New Mexico State 62-42. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

C.J. Conrad

Ever since visiting Lexington as a respected high school player, tight end C.J. Conrad has been compared to Jacob Tamme. Tamme, who made his name with the Kentucky Wildcats and has since gone on to put forth a quality NFL career, is quite the standard.

Against the New Mexico State Aggies, Conrad looked more like the player whom he compares himself to: Rob Gronkowski.

Pure determination.

Conrad finished with five receptions for 133 yards and three touchdowns against New Mexico State. He was Stephen Johnson’s most reliable target as he pulled in difficult passes, made routine plays, and fought through contact for extra yardage.

No matter what challenge he was presented with, Conrad seemed to overcome it in an almost Gronk-like manner.

One could also say he did things in Dicky Lyons-like manner.

It was a historic day for a number of rising Kentucky stars.

Conrad had one reception for five yards through Kentucky’s first two games of the season. All it took was a change at quarterback for Conrad to be targeted and the Wildcats to subsequently discover they have a future star on their hands.

Conrad, a four-star recruit coming out of high school, lived up to the hype against New Mexico State—a promising sign for the future.

Sep 17, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Stephen Johnson (15) drops back to pass the ball against the New Mexico State Aggies in the first quarter at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Stephen Johnson

Easily the most pleasant surprise for the Kentucky Wildcats was the outstanding performance by quarterback Stephen Johnson. A junior transfer, Johnson stepped in for the injured Drew Barker and absolutely dominated New Mexico State.

If Kentucky football had a quarterback problem before, then Johnson has silenced the concerns about the position for at least the next week.

That’s tremendous progress from the 55 passing yards Kentucky accumulated against the Florida Gators.

Johnson completed 17 of his 22 pass attempts for 310 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also ran for 51 yards on 10 carries, which thus opened the field for both the receivers and the running backs.

Johnson capitalized on the opportunities to move the ball downfield with his cannon of an arm.

Johnson was just as impressive when he tucked it and ran.

That’s passion.

Six different receivers caught passes against New Mexico State, which is a healthy way for Kentucky to run the offense. Johnson himself found a number of different players for significant gains, including the 54-yard bomb to Jeff Badet.

Johnson may or may not be the future of the Kentucky football program, but he proved quite capable of leading the offense in the short-term.

Sep 17, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats running back Benny Snell Jr (26) runs the ball for a touchdown against the New Mexico State Aggies in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Benny Snell Jr.

The Kentucky football program has two of the most dynamic running backs in the country in Stanley Boom Williams and Jojo Kemp. Williams was dominant against the New Mexico State Aggies, but it was a freshman who stole the show.

Benny Snell Jr. became just the second freshman in school history to record at least four touchdowns in a single game.

As a result of his historic performance, Snell earned Player of the Game honors.

Have a day.

Snell ran the ball 17 times for 136 yards and four touchdowns against the New Mexico State Aggies. Every one of his touchdowns were scored by fighting through the defense and picking up extra yardage.

Snell had to fight for every one of his touchdowns, especially the final score of the four.

That’s a workhorse if ever I’ve seen one.

Snell may or may not be the immediate answer in Kentucky’s search for a back who can complement and potentially replace Kemp and Williams. What he is, however, is a freshman who has the raw skill set to be the next great Kentucky running back.

Standing at 5’11” and 220 pounds, Mark Stoops appears to have recruited one of the most promising players in recent Kentucky history.

Snell is proof that the future is bright in Lexington.

Sep 17, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver Charles Walker (88) runs the ball against the New Mexico State Aggies in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky defeated New Mexico State 62-42. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Charles Walker

Easily one of the most respected and beloved players on the Kentucky football roster is wide receiver Charles Walker. His work ethic is impeccable and his character has been heralded by his coaches and teammates.

Just over a month ago, it was announced that Walker had received what every walk-on dreams of: a scholarship.

The former walk-on proved that he deserves the scholarship by dominating the return game against New Mexico State.

Walker’s punt return for a touchdown was the first by a Kentucky player since Randall Cobb in 2010.

That’s quite the drought to end.

Walker didn’t exactly turn on the jets for his punt return, but it was the epitome of who he is as a player. He worked his tail off to get through traffic, refused to be caught, and pushed until he crossed the line and got into the end zone.

The question is: has Walker put an end to the concerns about Kentucky’s special teams?

Kentucky hadn’t returned a punt for a touchdown in over six years, which epitomizes its struggles. The Wildcats need to create better field position for the offense, and Walker will go a long way towards helping Kentucky do so.

If nothing else, he’s given Kentucky a temporary reason to believe the special teams will be sufficiently productive.

Sep 3, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats running back Stanley Boom Williams (18) runs the ball against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Stanley Boom Williams

Technically speaking, this wasn’t a breakout performance for Kentucky football standout Stanley Boom Williams. Williams has been one of the better running backs in the SEC since last season, when he ran for 855 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games.

Though he was solid and productive in each of the first two games, it was the New Mexico State game that catapulted Williams back into the conversation for star status.

That’s quite the run.

Williams finished with 18 rushing attempts for 181 yards and that explosive 63-yard touchdown that put Kentucky on the board. He moved the chains with relative ease and continued to be Kentucky’s most productive running back.

After running for 94 yards on 13 carries in Week 1 and 66 yards on 12 carries in Week 2, Williams finally received a big enough workload to justify his ability.

If Kentucky is hoping to run the offense in an efficient manner, then giving Williams a healthy number of carries should be a top priority. He’s averaging 7.9 yards per carry in 2016 and picked up a school record 7.1 yards per carry in 2015.

Thus, while this may not have been a true breakout performance by the somewhat established junior running back, Williams certainly earned a higher number of carries.

One win doesn’t guarantee future success, but these five breakout players led Kentucky to invaluable progress.

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