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The ‘Cats defeated the Ohio Bobcats by a score of 41-6 on Saturday afternoon. It was a good chance for Kentucky and their offense to get back on track following their first two SEC games in which they did not score a touchdown. A 9-quarter drought was finally brought to an end in the second quarter of the game on Saturday when Sumo-Karngbaye rolled into the end zone. That rushing touchdown was one of four rushing touchdowns that the ‘Cats gained on Saturday. The Kentucky defense continued to hold strong after a dominant performance against the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs a week ago.
Another storyline, the offensive line, allowed just 2 sacks in the game and gave Vandagriff enough time to get through his reads and find a receiver. It was a positive showing all around for Kentucky, who hopes to keep the momentum rolling next week when they hit the road to take on a top 5 team in Ole Miss. Vandagriff led the passing game with a season-high 237 yards through the air. Dane Key gained 145 yards in the game on 7 receptions. The run game was led by Freshman Jamarion Wilcox who took 8 carries for 82 yards in the game, while Sumo-Karngbaye collected 47 yards and 2 touchdowns on 12 carries.
The line for the game closed at -20.5 (Kentucky) with an Over/Under points total at 41.5.
Game Recap:
First Quarter
Ohio won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. Kentucky received the first possession of the game on their own 22-yard line. The first play of the game saw Vandagriff to Sumo-Karngbaye for a gain of 18-yards. The ‘Cats drive ended quickly following the chunk gain and were forced to punt. Ohio began their drive on their own 20-yardline following the punt, The strong Kentucky defense held the Bobcats to a quick 3-and-out to get the ball back for the ‘Cats. Kentucky began their next drive on their own 36-yard line with 10:35-minutes to play in the first quarter. Wilcox got the first carry of the drive and took it for a first-down gain of 19-yards. Wimsatt entered for Kentucky with Vandagriff out-wide, and Wimsatt took a QB run for an 8-yard gain. Vandagriff found Key for a gain of 16-yards. Kentucky’s drive stalled again after a slew of run attempts. Raynor nailed a 30-yard field goal to give Kentucky a 3-0 lead. The Kentucky defense did yield one first-down on the next drive before stuffing the Bobcats and forcing a punt. Kentucky began their next drive on their own 20-yard line with 3:07-minutes to play in the first quarter. Vandagriff found Brown for a gain of 19-yards in the air on first down. Wilcox took his next carry for another big gain of 21-yards. Wilcox took another carry for a gain of 23-yards to the Ohio 17-yard line. Kentucky led 3-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Second Quarter
The second quarter began with a 3rd-and-9 attempt on the Ohio 16-yard line. Vandagriff found Key for a 15-yard gain to the 1-yard line, then Sumo-Karngbaye carried it in for a 1-yard touchdown. It was the first touchdown since Week 1 against Southern Mississippi(over a 9 quarter touchdown drought). Kentucky led 10-0 after the PAT with 14:39-minutes to play in the half. Ohio successfully moved the ball down the field the best they had all day on the next drive, with a big catch for a gain of 30-yards by Hendricks to push the ball into Kentucky territory. Ohio continued their drive to the Kentucky 5-yard line. Ohio fumbled the ball and Kentucky recovered it on the Ohio 21-yard line. Vandagriff scrambled out of the pocket to find a wide-open Key for a huge gain of 42-yards. Kentucky once again couldn’t get a rhythm and were forced into a 4th-and-7 on the Ohio 38-yard line with 4:44-minutes left in the half. The ‘Cats went for it and Vandagriff found Key for another big gain of 36-yards to the 2-yard line. Sumo-Karngbaye again barreled in for a 2-yard touchdown. Kentucky led 17-0 after the PAT with 4:07-minutes to play in the first half. The ‘Cats forced an Ohio punt and entered their 2-minute offense to try to get points before the half. A combo of successful runs and a short pass pushed them into Ohio territory with 40-seconds to play in the half. Another atrocious clock management display by Stoops ended the half without an attempt to score a touchdown or a field goal. Kentucky led 17-0 at halftime.
Vandagriff led the offense completing 10 of 13 passes for 164 yards, with Key gaining 109 yards on 4 receptions. Wilcox led the rushing attack with 5 carries for 66 yards, while Sumo-Karngbaye scored both rushing touchdowns. The Kentucky defense held the Bobcats to just 112 total offensive yards in the first half and forced 1 turnover.
Halftime: Kentucky 17 – Ohio 0
Third Quarter
Ohio received the kickoff to begin the second half on their own 25-yard line. The ‘Cats forced the Bobcats to punt on the first drive of the second half. The ‘Cats began their first drive of the second half on their own 17-yard line. Vandagriff found Dingle for a gain of 19-yards after Wimsatt gained a first-down. The ‘Cats moved the ball all the way to the Ohio 17-yard line before being forced to kick another field goal. Raynor hit a 34-yard field goal, his 12th consecutive field goal (UK school record). Kentucky led 20-0 with 5:18-minutes to play in the third quarter. The first play of the next Ohio drive was picked off for a interception return for a touchdown by Maxwell Hairston. Kentucky led 27-0 following the pick-six. The Kentucky defense responded once again with at 3-and-out to force another punt. Kentucky began the next drive on their own 45-yard line. Kentucky went for it on a 4th-and-1 but Vandagriff was stopped on an attempted scramble. Ohio gained 27-yards on their first-down play to push the ball to the Kentucky 24-yard line. Pulous kept the ball and carried it for a gain of 19-yards to the Kentucky 2-yard line. Kentucky led 27-0 at the end of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Hunt Jr. carried in a 2-yard touchdown to make the score 27-6 Kentucky after a failed 2-point conversion attempt. Brown returned the kickoff for 27-yards to the Kentucky 44-yard line. Vandagriff found Brown on a screen that he just tripped up on for a 9-yard gain. Kentucky got called for back-to-back holds to push the ball back to the Kentucky 47-yard line. Vandagriff found Key to regain some of the lost yardage. The duo connected again for a first-down gain of 16-yards. Brown took a sweep carry for a 23-yard touchdown on the next play. Kentucky led 34-6 after the PAT with 11:38-minutes remaining in the game. Kentucky’s defense forced a quick 3-and-out on the next Ohio possession. Wimsatt entered at QB for Kentucky on the next drive. Wimsatt was sacked but then found Brown-Stephens for a first-down gain of 25-yards on a good throw. Wimsatt found Farrier for a first down gain on a 3rd-and-19. Wimsatt ran his way down to the Ohio 2-yard line. He then followed up with a 2-yard rushing touchdown to push the Kentucky lead to 41-6 following the PAT. The Bobcats ran out the clock on their next drive as Kentucky went on to win the game by a score of 41-6.
Final: Kentucky 41 – Ohio 6
Game Stats:
Total Yards:
Kentucky – 488 (282 Passing, 206 Rushing)
Ohio – 223 (110 Passing, 113 Rushing)
Turnover Differential:
Kentucky 0 – Ohio 2
Time of Possession:
Kentucky – 33:35 minutes
Ohio – 26:25 minutes
Player Stats:
Offense:
Brock Vandagriff – [(17 comp – 24 att) (237 yds) (0 TDs) (0 INT)]
Demie Sumo-Karngbaye – [(12 car) (47 rush yds) (2 rush TDs)]
Jamarion Wilcox – [(8 car) (82 rush yds)]
Dane Key – [(7 rec) (145 yds)]
Barion Brown – [(5 rec) (28 yds) (1 car) (23 rush yds) (1 rush TD)]
Gavin Wimsatt – [(2 comp – 3 att) (45 pass yds) (9 car) (23 rush yds) (1 rush TD)]
Defense:
Deone Walker – [(4 totTk) (1 solo) (1 TFL)]
Jamon Dumas-Johnson – [(4 totTk) (3 solo)]
Maxwell Hairston Jr. – [(1 totTk) (1 INT) (1 INT return for TD)]
Tre’vonn Rybka – [(4 totTk) (2 solo) (1 TFL)]
D’Eryk Jackson – [(4 totTk) (3 solo) (1 Pass BrUp)]
The ‘Cats (2-2, 0-2 SEC) will hit the road for the first time this season to take on the No. 5 Ole Miss Rebels (3-0, 0-0 SEC) next weekend in Oxford, Mississippi. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on ESPN.
