LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky junior center Drake Jackson has been named co-Southeastern Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts in the Wildcats’ 401-yard rushing performance in a win at Vanderbilt, the league announced Monday.
Jackson spearheaded an offensive front that dominated the line of scrimmage and paved the way for the Cats to pile up their most rushing yards in a game since 2016. Two Cats – running back Christopher Rodriguez Jr. (129 yards) and quarterback Lynn Bowden Jr. (110 yards) – surpassed the 100-yard mark, while running back Kavosiey Smoke tallied another 95 yards and running back A.J. Rose added 67. For the game, the Cats averaged 7.0 yards per attempt.
Jackson, a redshirt junior from Versailles, Kentucky, graded out at 90 percent for the afternoon. He had nine knockdown blocks, 27 blocks at the point of attack and did not allow a sack or pressure. He also did not have any missed assignments or penalties as the offense rolled to a season-high 528 total yards in their largest SEC road win since 2001.
Despite multiple injuries at the quarterback position and a near-complete re-vamping of the offense at midseason, Jackson has captained an offensive line that has been a rock throughout the changes. Through 10 games the team is averaging the second-most yards per rush (5.34 per attempt) of any UK team in school history and could end up in the top five of total rushing yards and rushing yards per game.
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