Kentucky · SECKentucky opens as 23.5-point favorite over Youngstown State
The Wildcats face No. 9 FCS Youngstown State on Sept. 5 after Penguins quarterback Beau Brungard accounted for five touchdowns in his opener.
AUG 29, 2026
Kentucky will open the Will Stein era at 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 5, at Kroger Field as a 23.5-point favorite over No. 9 FCS Youngstown State, which already has a game behind it and a quarterback coming off five touchdowns.
The Penguins beat Mercyhurst 43-10 on Thursday behind Beau Brungard, the 2025 Walter Payton Award winner. The dual-threat quarterback completed 20 of 29 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns, then ran for 119 yards and two more scores.
Kentucky went 5-7 last season, including 2-6 in SEC play. The Wildcats beat Youngstown State 31-0 in their previous meeting in 2022, but this Penguins team brings Brungard into Lexington after an opening-week performance that put both parts of his game on display.
The total sits at 62.5 points, which produces an implied score of Kentucky 43, Youngstown State 19.5. Kentucky hosts Alabama on Sept. 12 and travels to Texas A&M on Sept. 19.
Before those SEC games, Kentucky’s defense gets Brungard — and his arm and legs — first.