Cats Play Their Best Game Of The Season
Coming in as losers of four of their last five games the Kentucky Wildcats needed a victory. Behind another career night from Lynn Bowden and a stifling defense they got exactly what they needed. In a monsoon at Kroger Field Kentucky dominates Missouri 29-7.
Bowden Comes Up Big Again
Starting at quarterback for a third straight game Bowden once again led the Cats to victory. Two weeks after rushing for 196 yards in a win against Arkansas Bowden topped that against the Tigers. For the game the junior ran for 204 yards and two touchdowns. In addition he completed three of seven passes for another 54 yards. All this despite coming out of the game in the second quarter for a few plays with an inured ankle. Sawyer Smith replaced him then returned after the athletic staff taped him up. His 204 yards are the most by an SEC player this season.
In addition to Bowden’s two scores A.J. Rose and Kavosiey Smoke each had rushing touchdowns for the Cats. Playing against the nation’s seventh ranked defense Kentucky ran for 297 yards and led 22-0 at the half.
A Big Night For The Defense
After holding Georgia scoreless in the first half last week the Wildcat defense came up big on Saturday. The held Missouri quarterback Kelly Bryant to -4 yards rushing and only 130 through the air. However he did mange to throw a 74 yard touchdown pass to Tyler Badie.
Bryant did injure his hamstring and seemed to be bothered by that and the constant heavy rain. All evening he had trouble throwing the ball and eventually was replaced by Taylor Powell. For the game the Kentucky defense held Missouri to 289 yards of total offense. However as mentioned earlier 74 of that came on one play.
One of the biggest plays of the game came early in the fourth quarter. With Missouri starting to get some momentum they had the Cats backed up at their own 22. However punter Max Duffy ran the ball 26 yards for a first down swinging the momentum back to Kentucky.
Yo @PatMcAfeeShow …… (oh and he also like leads the nation-ish in net putting) (and he’s Australian which is always very cool) https://t.co/J11llJFPpm
— Jacob Tamme (@JacobTamme) October 27, 2019
From there Bowden took it 33 yards to pay dirt pretty much ending any chance of a Missouri comeback.
TOUCHDOWN KENTUCKY🐯!
Lynn Bowden 33 yards all the way for six! Bowden is going off!#Kentucky #Missouri
— CFB Country (@_CFBCountry) October 27, 2019
Kentucky came into Saturday as a ten point underdog even playing at home. In a game they had to win the Cats did just that and have now won five in a row against Missouri. In addition the victory is Mark Stoops’ 40th at Kentucky putting him fifth on the all-time wins list at the school. One other interesting note this is the first time in seven tries since Stoops has been at Kentucky in which they won the game following Georgia.
Looking Ahead
With the victory Kentucky evens their record at 4-4 and 2-4 in the SEC with four games to play. As a result they greatly increase their chances for a fourth straight bowl. Currently our latest projections have them in the Liberty Bowl. However that may change after the win against Missouri.
The Cats have their second bye week of the year next week before they host Tennessee. Jeremy Pruitt’s club outscored South Carolina 24-0 in the second half on the way to a 41-21 win. The Vols host UAB next Saturday night in Knoxville.
As for the Tigers they drop to 5-3 on the season and 2-2 in the conference. In addition Missouri is now 5-0 at home and 0-3 on the road in 2019. After a week off they head to Georgia for the last of three consecutive road games.
Again on a rainy night at Kroger Field Lynn Bowden has another career game as Kentucky dominates Missouri 29-7. Thanks for checking out this recap and all the other great content here at Last Word On College Football.
