FINAL: Kentucky handles Ohio 41-6 in bounce back win

Kentucky broke two important streaks during Saturday’s win over Ohio: getting into the endzone for the first time in nine quarters and recovering a fumble for the first time all season.

Fueled by a near-perfect outing from the defense, Kentucky was able to breeze past the Ohio Bobcats 41-6 during a warm day at Kroger Field. Maxwell Hairston recorded the third pick-6 of his career, which tied the school record, while Alex Raynor nailed his school-record 12th straight field goal. The offense certainly had some hiccups along the way, but scoring 34 points without turning the ball over is a good way to respond after last weekend’s one-point loss to the Georgia Bulldogs.

Quarterback Brock Vandagriff finished his day early in the fourth quarter with a career-high 237 passing yards, 145 of them going to Dane Key. Vandagriff completed 71 percent of his passes, although he couldn’t throw one into the back of the endzone. Demie Sumo-Karngbaye scored the Wildcats’ two offensive touchdowns with Jamarion Wilcox leading the way on the ground behind his 82 yards.

It was a slow start out of the gate for Mark Stoops‘ team. Kentucky only managed three points in the opening quarter thanks to a 30-yard boot from Raynor. Sumo-Karngbaye scored both of his touchdowns in the second quarter — the first for UK since the season-opener against Southern Miss — to get the offense moving. However, poor clock management right before the intermission resulted in a missed scoring opportunity.

Brad White‘s defense prevented Ohio from scoring a single point in the first half. The Bobcats even coughed up a fumble in the second quarter, which was recorded by the Wildcats. After missing out on the previous seven lost fumble opportunities (one happening on the previous play), this was the defense’s first recovery of the season. Kentucky led 20-0 at the break.

Hairston’s pick-six would come halfway through the third quarter, a 25-yard return after an excellent reading on Ohio’s screen pass. It happened six seconds of game time after Raynor chipped in the record-setting 34-yard field goal. Kentucky finally gave up some points to begin the fourth quarter, which came on the heels of a turnover on downs from the Wildcats around midfield. Barion Brown responded on the next possession though, taking a 23-yard run to the house for a 34-6 Kentucky lead.

Gavin Wimsatt checked in for Vandagriff after that score. The Owensboro native immediately led Kentucky down the field on a 59-yard drive and capped it off with a short run into the endzone. The clock soon ran out on Ohio as the Wildcats won 41-6.

Kentucky improves to 2-2 (0-2 SEC) on the season. The Wildcats return to action next Saturday for the first road game of the year against No. 5 Ole Miss. Stay tuned for more postgame coverage from the KSR crew.