Kentucky football freshman WR Barion Brown makes history against Northern Illinois

Jake Adams, Louisville Courier Journal
·2 min read

Barion Brown accomplished two feats not seen at the University of Kentucky in eight years.

The freshman receiver became the sixth player in UK history with 100 yards in a game when he hauled in his fourth pass Saturday night against Northern Illinois, a 6-yarder in the third quarter. The Wildcats went on to win 31-23 at Kroger Field and improved to 4-0 before a pivotal SEC tilt at Ole Miss next week.

Earlier in the quarter, Brown put the Wildcats ahead 21-14 with an electric 70-yard catch-and-run TD. The long touchdown was his second of the game — he caught a 15-yard TD in the first quarter to tie the game 7-7 — making him just the sixth player in Wildcats history to score two receiving touchdowns in a game.

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The last time a UK freshman receiver had 100 yards or two touchdowns came in 2014 when Garrett Johnson caught six passes for 154 yards and two TDs in a 36-30 loss at Florida.

Sep 24, 2022; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver Barion Brown (2) celebrates a first down during the first quarter against the Northern Illinois Huskies at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 24, 2022; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver Barion Brown (2) celebrates a first down during the first quarter against the Northern Illinois Huskies at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Brown entered the game with nine catches for 99 yards and a 3-yard run. He had reached the end zone already this season when he broke off a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the season-opening win against Miami (Ohio), the first time a Wildcat had taken a kickoff to the end zone since 2009.

Brown finished with four catches for 102 yards on five targets. Tayvion Robinson also had a big night, catching all seven passes thrown his way for 147 yards and two more scores.

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Brown is not the only rookie receiver impressing in Lexington this season. Dane Key had 13 catches, 226 yards and three TDs (tied for the most in UK freshman history) entering Saturday. The Frederick Douglass High School product had two catches for 15 yards against NIU and nearly took over sole possession of the touchdown record when he dropped a deep ball in the end zone early in the fourth quarter.

Follow assistant sports editor Jake Adams on Twitter @jakeadams520 or email him at jadams@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky football vs. NIU: Freshman WR Barion Brown makes history