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Those outside the SEC world may not see Kentucky’s win as that significant because of Missouri’s unimpressive start, but it is when putting the state of the SEC East in perspective. It’s premature to say that Kentucky is looming as a contender in the division, but this was third-year coach Mark Stoops’ signature win, and this year’s Wildcats are to be feared by all their opponents. The fans in Lexington don’t mind that kind of progress.
Here’s a closer look at Kentucky’s big win.
5 TAKEAWAYS
- Kentucky ends streaks: The Wildcats snapped two significant streaks in their win over the Tigers. Kentucky ended an 18-game losing streak to ranked opponents that dated back its 2010 win over No. 10 South Carolina. At the same time, Kentucky snapped Missouri’s 11-game road winning streak, which was the third-longest active streak in the FBS behind Ohio State (14) and Florida State (13). It was also the Wildcats’ first win over the Tigers since they joined the SEC in 2012. All those things add to the significance of the victory.
- Towles impressive: It’s getting annoying to write about Kentucky QB Patrick Towles. Not because I don’t like him as a player but because my computer keeps auto-correcting his last name to “towels,” but I digress. Towles finished 22 of 27 passing, 249 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran nine times for 21 yards on an impressive score that saw him dodge multiple defenders on the way to the end zone. And his 5-yard TD throw to Dorian Baker in the corner of the end zone to put Kentucky up 21-10 with 6:21 left was a thing of beauty. This was all against one of the better defenses in the conference.
- O-line holds up: One of the biggest reasons for Towles’ great performance was the success of the offensive line against Missouri’s fearsome front. Towles was one week removed from being sacked six times against Florida, but he was only taken down twice against Mizzou, both instances coming in the third quarter.
- JoJo bleeds clock: As good as the passing game was, the running game came up big also. Missouri kicked a field goal to make it a one-possession game with exactly three minutes left. However, the Wildcats turned to running back Jojo Kemp, who ran several times to give the team the first down it needed to run out the clock.
- Kentucky defense underrated: The Wildcats have shown a lot of promise on the other side of the ball also. The defense has only allowed 16.3 points per game in its first three games against SEC foes.
REPORT CARD
Offense: A- — You can’t ask for much better from this unit against a good defense. The team got good performances at each position. UK only gained 120 yards on the ground with an average of 3.2 yards per rush, but it came through on the final drive to seal the victory, a pleasant surprise to Big Blue Nation.
Defense: A — Kentucky made it tough for Missouri to find any sort of rhythm offensively. The Tigers were hoping the return of Russell Hansbrough would spark a stagnant offense, but the Wildcats held him to just 11 yards on six carries. Meanwhile, Mauk wasn’t much of a factor, only completing half of his passes (15 of 30) for 180 yards and a touchdown. The defense also came up big in forcing Mizzou to settle for a short field goal from the 6-yard line with only three minutes left.
Special Teams: C — It was a pretty average day for this unit. Sihiem King had a 48-yard kickoff return, and punter Landon Foster averaged 43 yards per punt, but he didn’t down any inside the 20. And Kentucky didn’t attempt any field goals.
Coaching: A — Apparently, Stoops and his coaching staff helped Towles tweak his throwing motion in preparation for the game, and that obviously made a difference. Kentucky dominated of the middle of the field with crossing routes and timely runs up the middle. WR Garrett Johnson, TE C.J. Conrad and RB Jojo Kemp did most of the damage in the middle of the field, and that’s not an easy thing to do against Missouri’s front seven.
Overall: A — Kentucky turned in a great performance on both sides of the ball against Missouri. The team was efficient on offense and dominant on defense. UK also handled the emotions of the game very well, considering they didn’t get their first lead of the game until 1:58 left in the third quarter. But when the ‘Cats got a chance to stomp on the Tigers’ throats, they did with a 9-play, 93-yard touchdown drive for an insurmountable 21-10 lead.
GAME PLAN
Kentucky aimed to test the middle of the field against Missouri’s defense, highlighted by a 24-yard touchdown pass on a seam route to Conrad for the team’s first lead of the game towards the end of the third quarter. The Wildcats did that in hopes of being efficient offensively, and they were. Towles completed 82 percent of his passes, easily a career-high in games he’s started. However, it also allowed Towles to get in a rhythm and connect with a variety of receivers for big plays. The junior averaged a season-best 9.2 yards per attempt.
GAME BALLS
- QB Patrick Towles: The coaching staff has to be thrilled with how Towles bounced back from his performance against the Gators (8 of 24, 126 yards, two interceptions and sacked six times). We’ve already made reference to his efficiency and pretty throws against a tough defense.
- WR Garrett Johnson: The sophomore finished with game-highs in receptions (six) and receiving yards (119). It was just the second 100-yard receiving game of his career.
- DT Cory Johnson: The senior had a team-high 11 tackles, including a half tackle for loss and half sack.
INJURY UPDATE
- There were no major injuries to report for Kentucky, but a few of Missouri’s players exited the game and did not return: LB Kentrell Brothers, S Ian Simon, TE Sean Culkin and RT Nate Crawford.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
