Oct. 18, 2014

Box Score | Photo Gallery 1  | Photo Gallery 2 

BATON ROUGE, La. – Facing arguably its toughest test of the season, the Kentucky football team suffered a 41-3 loss to LSU Saturday night in front of 101,581 at Tiger Stadium.

The Wildcats (5-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) were held to 217 yards offensively, with 146 coming through the air and 71 rushing yards. The Tigers (6-2, 2-2 SEC) had 423 total yards, including 303 on the ground and 120 passing.

Kentucky returns home Saturday, where it is a perfect 5-0 in 2014, to face No. 1 Mississippi State Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Wildcats will look to become bowl eligible with their sixth win of the season for the first time since 2010. UK’s matchup with the top-ranked Bulldogs will air live on CBS and on the UK Radio Network.

UK quarterback Patrick Towles was 19-36 for 146 yards in addition to 16 yards rushing on seven attempts. Demarco Robinson caught three passes for 52 yards, including one for 33 yards, while Ryan Timmons had four catches for 24 yards.

On the ground, Mikel Horton led Kentucky with 29 yards while Stanley Boom Williams had seven rushes for 19 yards.

Defensively, three Wildcats had 10 tackles apiece. Marcus McWilson had an interception, his third pick of the season, along with a career-best 10 tackles. Za’Darius Smith added a sack.

LSU’s offensive production was led by Terrence Magee, who ran for 127 yards and two touchdowns in addition to hauling in three passes for 44 yards. Quarterback Anthony Jennings was 7-14 for 120 yards and one touchdown.

The Tigers’ Tre’Davious White also returned a 67-yard punt for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Kentucky got on the board with 1:15 left in the first quarter on an Austin MacGinnis 33-yard field goal to cut LSU’s lead to 17-3. The score capped a 13-play, 66-yard drive for the Wildcat offense.

LSU scored on the game’s opening drive to give the Tigers an early 7-0 lead. The touchdown marked just the second time this season that UK has allowed a game-opening touchdown drive by its opponent.

After the Tigers scored on their opening drive, they proceeded to score on their next two drives as well, with a field goal and a touchdown to lead 17-0. After UK’s field goal to cut the deficit to 14, LSU was stopped on its three drives before scoring 10 points in the final minute to go ahead 27-3 at the half.

The halftime deficit was the first time this season UK has trailed after 30 minutes.

The Tigers scored two touchdowns in the third quarter, both Magee runs, for the final scores of the contest.