A week ago the Kentucky football team went toe to toe with the then top-ranked team in the country. Unfortunately despite numerous chances, the Cats fell short in their upset bid of Georgia. The goal on Saturday was to put it behind them as they stepped out of the conference. As it turned out a game against the MAC is what the Cats needed. Let’s break it all down as Kentucky Blows Out Ohio 41-6.
Finally Hitting Paydirt
In back-to-back losses against South Carolina and Georgia, the Wildcats failed to find the end zone in eight quarters. That streak extended to nine as all UK could muster in the first quarter was a 30-yard field goal from Alex Raynor.
After 153 minutes and 21 seconds, the streak finally ended as a one-yard plunge from Demie Sumo-Karngbaye put the Cats up by 10. Playing without starting quarterback Parker Navarro, who was a game-time scratch, Nick Poulos led the Bobcats deep into Kentucky territory. However, a fumble recovery by J.J. Weaver stopped that threat.
From there Brock Vandagriff led a very impressive 80-yard drive with a second touchdown run by Demie and it was 17-0. The Cats had a chance to put more on the board before half but an old bugaboo known as clock management reared its ugly head.
Vandagriff led another good drive down to the Ohio 28. A delay of game penalty gave the Cats a third and 11. Stoops said at the half he wanted to kick a field goal on third down but was talked out of it. Vandagriff was sacked and that was the half.
Finishing Strong
In past years the Wildcats let teams hang around rather than put them away. Today they took care of business in the second half. Another Raynor field goal, this one from 34, put UK up 20. With that, he set a school record for consecutive field goals.
Perfection, 12/12 in his last 12 💯@acraynor1 has set the school record for the most consecutive field goals made. pic.twitter.com/41b1SWKGNe
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 21, 2024
On the ensuing possession, All-American candidate Maxwell Hairston stepped in front of the Ohio receiver and took it 25 yards to the house. In the process, Hairston tied Dallas Owens for most career interception returns for a score with three.
Later Kentucky went for it on fourth down near midfield but didn’t get it. The Bobcats took advantage of the short field for their only score. Rickey Hunt took it in from a yard out and it was 27-6 after the missed two-point conversion.
A 23-yard Barion Brown run put the Cats up by 28. Backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt capped things off with a two-yard score, his first in a Wildcat uniform, and that was it as Kentucky blew out Ohio 41-6.
Some Big Days
Several Wildcats set career highs in Saturday’s win. Vandagriff threw for a career-high 237 yards. Sumo-Karngbaye’s two touchdowns were a new high and Jamarion Wilcox had a career-high 80 yards on the ground.
One more Cat set a new standard and that was Dane Key’s 145 yards receiving. While the QB and receivers haven’t had good chemistry on the year, today they were in sync.
Two of the biggest plays of the game came on Vandagriff to Key passes. The first was a third-and-13 in the second quarter where the QB avoided a sack to find an open Key for a 42-yard gain. Later on that same drive, Vandagriff hit Key for a 36-yard gain on fourth-and-7 eventually leading to a score.
Looking Ahead
With the win the Wildcats even their record at 2-2 on the season. They return to conference play next Saturday with another huge test. The “Lane Train” and the Ole Miss Rebels. We’ll see if Brad White’s defense has an answer for Jaxson Dart.
On the other side of the ball, the Bobcats drop to 2-2 on the year. They kick off “Mac-tion” at home next week when they host Akron.
Final Thoughts
While Saturday’s performance was more promising than in recent weeks there’s still work to be done. Three UK drives stalled in or near the red zone, including the aforementioned one at the end of the first half. In addition, the Cats had six penalties, many of them holding calls. They also had issues containing an Ohio pass rush that had gotten little push into the backfield all season.
On a positive note, we said in our game preview UK had to find a way to stop one of the best rushing attacks in football. They did just that limiting the Bobcats to 113 yards on the ground. Bush Hamdan’s offense gained 488 yards (206 on the ground and 288 through the air) and 26 first downs. Put it all together and it’s a good day for the Big Blue Nation as Kentucky blows out Ohio 41-6.
