Game Day Central: Kentucky vs. South Alabama
Cat Walk
Pregame
1st Quarter
South Alabama 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, C.J. 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.
2nd 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. Jason 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.
