Wasn’t Pretty But It’s A Win
Following their second off week the Kentucky football team stepped out of the conference looking to break a four-game losing streak. Their chances of winning seemed high as they were playing one of the worst teams in FCS football. As usual with the Cats, it in no way resembled a Picasso. However, at the end of the day, Mark Stoops’ team sat on the smiling side of the scoreboard. Let’s break it down as Kentucky races past Murray State 48-6.
Kentucky Races Past Murray State
Not What We Were Expecting
During the off week and leading up to Saturday the BBN kept hearing one thing. We were finally going to get an extended look at Cutter Boley, maybe even start. In fact, we spent a great deal of time talking about the benefits in our game preview. However after Jordan Lovett picked off a Murray State pass Brock Vandagriff, not Boley, got the nod.
UK got lucky on their first drive as Vandagriff badly underthrew a deep ball. In fact it went right through a Racer defender. Thankfully Hardley Gilmore IV stayed with it resulting in a 52-yard touchdown.
Touchdown Hardley Gilmore! Exactly how they drew it up. pic.twitter.com/ds21S80Wrq
— Rare Rookies #BBN (@rarerookies) November 16, 2024
On the next series, the UK signal caller was picked off on another deep ball. The defense held and a 73-yard drive ended with a Demie Sumo-Karngbaye three-yard scoring run. Lovett’s second interception led to a 19-yard TD pass to Ja’Mori Maclin and it was 24-0. That’s how the first half ended.
It was good but could have been much better. The Cats had huge gains of 73 and 43 yards called back due to holding penalties. In addition, Murray State sacked Vandagriff three times. That’s the most they’ve had in a half all year.
Finally Getting A Look
In the second half, the BBN got what they were waiting for, Boley starting at quarterback. Leading a seven-play, 75-yard drive the Cats made it a 31-0 game on a four-yard run by Jamarion Wilcox. A 36-yard Alex Raynor field goal put UK up by 34. With many of the second and even third-team defenses out there, Murray State managed two field goals preventing a shutout.
The four-star quarterback from Lexington Christian Academy recorded his first passing touchdown, hitting Anthony Brown-Stephens on a 22-yarder. Finally, Boley capped off the scoring with a second TD pass to Brown-Stephens, this time 14 yards. That was all she wrote as Kentucky raced past Murray State 48-6.
Looking Ahead
With the win, the Cats go to 4-6 overall and 1-6 in the SEC. They keep their faint hopes alive for a ninth straight bowl game. Things don’t get easier next week as they travel to Austin for a date with Texas. It’s only the second time in history the schools have played. Way back in 1951, the Longhorns edged the Wildcats 7-6 in a game also played in Texas.
As for the Racers, they fall to 1-10 on the year. They’ll wrap up 2024 on the road next week at Southern Illinois.
Final Thoughts
Vandagriff looked a little rusty after coming back from a head injury suffered in a ten-point loss to Tennessee. Overall he threw for 183 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. In his first extended playing time, Boley did some really good things. On the day he completed 10 of 14 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, he reeled off a 30-yard run on an option keeper.
Wilcox ran for 123 yards and a touchdown against the Racers. It would have been more but his 73-yard run was called back. In the process, he became the first UK player to have back-to-back 100-yard games since Chris Rodriguez in 2022. Gilmore caught two passes for 72 yards and a score. Much like Wilcox, he had a big run called back by penalty. Overall the Cats gained 582 yards, 313 through the air and 269 on the ground. While they were playing against one of the worst teams in college football the UK freshmen played well.
With so many youngsters playing the game got a little rough to watch at times. At one point in the third quarter flags were called on six straight plays. Overall Murray was penalized 15 times for 112 yards while the Cats had nine for 85 yards. It wasn’t pretty but it was a win as Kentucky raced past Murray State 48-6. With the victory, Kentucky’s now won 23 straight non-conference regular season games.
