Later, Sooners: No. 15 Kentucky Wins at Oklahoma
Quarterback Kenny Minchey and tight end Willie Rodriguez connected for a pair of touchdowns as No. 15 Kentucky won at Oklahoma 21-13 on Saturday.
Minchey was 21 of 28 through the air for 158 yards and those two touchdowns.
The UK defense came up huge again on Saturday. Kentucky had four interceptions in the game, two by Ty Bryant and Jordan Castell, as well as five sacks.
Kentucky (6-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) got the ball first and the Cats were able to move the ball against the tough Oklahoma defense. Minchey found former Sooner Nic Anderson for a 12-yard gain and a first down. Later, Minchey hit Kenny Darby for 12 yards and another first down.
Later in the drive, on fourth-and-one, tight end Mikkel Skinner rushed for 16 yards, getting UK to the Oklahoma seven. Three plays later, Minchey found Rodriguez for a two-yard touchdown pass. Adam Zouagui added the extra point and Kentucky led 7-0 with 8:36 left in the first quarter.
Oklahoma (3-3, 1-2) would respond with a long drive of its own. The Sooners went 49 yards in 13 plays. However, a C.J. Works sack of OU quarterback John Mateer slowed the drive and Oklahoma was forced to settle for a field goal. Tate Sandell connected from 44 yards out and the UK lead was cut to 7-3 with 1:33 remaining in the first period. That would be the score after one quarter.
As the second quarter began, Kentucky was forced to punt and Oklahoma took over at its own 43 with 14:43 left in the half.
Oklahoma would go on another long drive, but the UK defense again held, this time inside the red zone. The Sooners lined up for a 28-yard field goal, but it was a fake. The pass by OU’s Jacob Ulrich was intercepted by Jordan Castell and the Sooners came away with nothing. UK led 7-3 with 8:22 to play in the half.
Kentucky would make a pair of first downs on its next drive, getting to midfield, but the Cats were forced to punt it back to the Sooners, who would take over at their own 10 with 4:24 left in the first half.
The Sooners would take advantage of what turned out to be the final possession of the half. OU went 90 yards in 12 plays, culminating with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Mateer to Rocky Beers. Sandell added the point after and the Sooners led 10-7 with 30 seconds left in that half. That would be the halftime score.
Oklahoma got the first possession of the second half, but the UK defense forced a three-and-out. The Sooners punted and UK took over at its own 12 yard line with 12:58 left in the third quarter.
The Cats were able to get a first down when Minchey found Rodriguez for a 14-yard completion. However, UK would punt it back to Oklahoma and the Sooners took over at their own 26 with 11:04 left in the third.
Oklahoma would march down the field again, getting inside the UK 10, but the UK defense again came up with the stop it needed. Sandell came on and connected on a 26-yard field goal and the Sooners led 13-7 with 6:32 left in the third quarter.
Kentucky was able to get one first down on the ensuing drive, when Minchey found Anderson for a 12-yard gain. However, the Cats would eventually punt and Oklahoma took over at its own 29 with 3:10 remaining in the third quarter.
The Sooners would make a first down on their next drive, but the UK defense came up with a big play. Mateer was back to pass and MiQuise Humphrey-Grace hit Mateer’s arm and the ball floated deep, where Ty Bryant intercepted it. Bryant returned it 42 yards to the Oklahoma 45, where the Cats took over with 35 seconds left in the third quarter. The stanza would end with Oklahoma holding a 13-7 lead.
Kentucky went to Jason Patterson on the ensuing drive. He rushed for five yards, then for eight to get a first down. Minchey then found Patterson for an eight-yard completion before finding Darby for 11 yards. Two plays later, Minchey found Rodriguez for a 12-yard touchdown. Zouagui added the point after and UK led 14-13 with 12:53 left in the game.
The next Oklahoma possession belonged to UK’s Humphrey-Grace. He sacked Mateer on first down, then again on third down as the Cats forced a three-and-out. The Sooners punted and Kentucky took over at its own 46 with 10:53 to play.
The Cats would get a first down on an 11-yard run by Patterson, then another first down when Minchey found D.J. Miller for 11 yards. Two plays later, Minchey hit Anderson, who made a spectacular, juggling catch for a 17-yard gain. Kentucky would get to the Oklahoma five yard line, but faced a fourth-and-four. UK elected to go for it, but Minchey was sacked and the Sooners took over at their own 13 with 6:04 left in the game.
As they did on the previous drive, the Kentucky defense came up big again. The unit forced another three-and-out, forcing the Sooners into another punt. They did, and the Cats took over at their own 38 with 5:22 to play.
The next Kentucky drive was foiled by a holding penalty. The Cats tried to make up the penalty yardage but would not be able to do so, and UK punted it back to the Sooners, who took over at their own four yard line with 2:43 remaining.
Oklahoma would go with its two-minute offense on the next drive, hoping to get into field goal range for a potential game-winning field goal. The Sooners would make two first downs, but faced a third-and-six from its own 32. That’s when Mateer was intercepted by Castell, who returned it 41 yards down the left sideline for a huge touchdown. Zouagui added the PAT and UK led 21-13 with 1:17 to play.
The Cats would seal the victory with another Bryant interception with 21 seconds remaining.
Kentucky returns to action on Saturday, hosting Vanderbilt in another SEC matchup. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on the SEC Network.
