Ground Game Lifts Cats Past South Alabama on Saturday
Kentucky rushed for 376 yards and five touchdowns on Saturday as the Cats topped South Alabama 45-21 at Kroger Field.
C.J. Baxter led the way with 149 rushing yards on 16 carries, with a touchdown. Jason Patterson rushed 12 times for 137 yards and three scores, while Javonte Barnes had eight rushes for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Kentucky (3-1) got 177 yards passing and a touchdown from quarterback Kenny Minchey. The touchdown pass was to Shane Carr, his first touchdown reception as a Cat.
South Alabama (2-2) got the first possession, and the Jaguars made two first downs before punting. Kentucky took over at its own 13 yard line with 12:40 left in the first quarter.
On UK’s first play from scrimmage, Baxter rushed for 13 yards and a personal foul penalty got the Cats to their own 45 before being forced to punt. South Alabama took over at its own 23 yard line with 11:35 to play in the first period.
The UK defense forced a three-and-out and USA punted, with the Cats taking over at their own 36 with 10:20 left in the first. The Cats would make one first down, but on fourth-and-two from the USA 42, the Cats failed to convert and the Jaguars took over with 7:56 to play in the period.
The Kentucky defense forced another three-and-out and USA punted it back to the Cats, who took over at their own 27 yard line with 6:21 remaining in the first.
On the first play of the next drive, Minchey found Nic Anderson for a 19-yard gain. Later in the drive, Minchey found tight end Henry Boyer for an 11-yard pickup. Two plays later, Minchey found another tight end, Mikkel Skinner for a 20-yard gain that got the Cats to the USA 11 yard line. Later in the drive, on fourth-and-two at the three, Baxter rushed three yards for a touchdown. Adam Zouagui added the point after and UK led 7-0 with 37 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, USA punted, but the Cats muffed it and the Jaguars took over at the UK 15. Three plays later, P.J. Martin scored on a seven-yard rush to get USA on the board. Davis Little added the point after and the game was tied 7-7 with 14:17 left in the first half.
On the second play of Kentucky’s next drive, Baxter ran right for 22 yards and a first down, getting the Cats to midfield. UK would eventually cross midfield, but on fourth-and-three from the USA 43, Minchey’s pass fell incomplete and USA took over with 11:19 left in the half.
The Jaguars needed just three plays to take the lead. Quarterback Jaren Hollins connected with Anthony Eager on a 36-yard touchdown pass to give USA the lead. Little added the point after and South Alabama led 14-7 with 10:14 remaining in the half.
Kentucky went to the ground game on its next drive, with Baxter having runs of 12 and 16 yards to get the Cats into USA territory. An eight-yard Jovante Barnes carry, then another Barnes carry of five got the Cats into the red zone. Minchey found Brock Coffman for an 11-yard gain. Two plays later, Barnes scored on a seven-yard run and when Zouagui added the PAT, the game was tied 14-14 with 4:57 left in the half.
South Alabama responded with a scoring drive of its own. The Jaguars used nine plays to cover 75 yards, ending with a touchdown pass from Hollins to Jeremiah Jones-Thomas. Little made another point after and USA led 21-14 with 1:22 to play in the half.
Kentucky needed just one offensive play to tie the game. Patterson scampered up the middle and went to the house, a 75-yard touchdown rush, a career long for Patterson. Zouagui added the point after and the game was tied 21-21 with 1:12 to play in the half.
The Cats created an opportunity on USA’s next drive. Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace tipped Hollins’ pass and Grant Godfrey intercepted the pass, returning it to the USA 20 with 1:04 remaining in the half. However, the Cats were unable to get a first down, settling for a 34-yard Zouagui field goal that gave UK a 24-21 lead. That would be the halftime score.
On the second play of the third quarter, Baxter rushed for 53 yards, getting the Cats to the USA 18 yard line. Two plays later, Patterson ran left for a 15-yard touchdown. Zouagui added the PAT and UK led 31-21 with 13:13 left in the third quarter.
South Alabama would get one first down on its drive, but eventually punted it back to the Cats, who took over on their own 15 with 9:07 left in the third quarter.
On UK’s next possession, Barnes got loose for a 39-yard gain to the USA 21 yard line. After a six-yard Barnes rush, the Cats fumbled and the Jaguars recovered, taking over at their own 18 yard line with 5:23 left in the third period.
USA would drive into UK territory on the next possession, eventually getting to the Kentucky 31. However, the drive stalled and Little attempted a 50-yard field goal, which missed wide left. Kentucky took over with 1:07 to play in the third quarter, with a 31-21 advantage.
Early in the fourth quarter, Kentucky added to its lead. The Cats went 69 yards in six plays, ending with a two-yard touchdown run from Patterson. Zouagui added the extra point and the Cats led 38-21 with 12:55 to play.
On the Jaguars’ next possession, UK’s defense forced a turnover on downs and the Cats took over at the USA 33 with 11:54 remaining.
Kentucky took advantage of the short field. The Cats covered the 33 yards in three plays, ending with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Minchey to Shane Carr. Zouagui added another PAT to extend the UK lead to 45-21 with 10:45 to play.
South Alabama would drive deep into UK territory late in the game, but an Antwan Smith interception sealed the win.
Kentucky returns to action next week, visiting South Carolina in a Southeastern Conference matchup. Kickoff is set for 4:15 and the game can be seen on the SEC Network.
