Finishing drives allowed Kentucky to pull away from Ball State

Kentucky left Kroger Field on Saturday with a 30-point blowout win that included explosive plays on offense, a pair of non-offensive touchdowns, and some splashy havoc plays from the front seven. The Wildcats handled their business, but there were some rough moments.

True freshman quarterback Kadin Semonza came off the bench in the third quarter to light up Kentucky’s zone coverage (7.9 yards per attempt on 21 throws) and was responsible for four explosive plays, but the defense made some key stops when backed up.

On offense, the Wildcats had just three possessions in the second half and bogged down multiple times on Ball State‘s side of the 50, but Liam Coen‘s offense ended productive drives with points.

Finishing drives was the separator on Saturday.

Kentucky’s offense takes advantage of opportunities

Kentucky’s offense ended the game with 30 points in nine possessions. That points per drive (3.33) number would’ve ranked No. 10 nationally last season. Liam Coen’s offense scored two touchdowns in two red zone possessions — something that was a huge issue last year — and gave Georgia Southern transfer Alex Raynor three opportunities to split the pipes. He delivered with three made field goals from 40-plus yards.

Kentucky also flashed some explosiveness with a 30-yard touchdown scamper from Ray Davis to record a somewhat miraculous cover.

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Finishing drives were a major issue for Kentucky’s offense last season. The Wildcats struggled in the red zone and had a plethora of kicking game problems. Those were eliminated on Saturday, and it allowed Kentucky to maximize opportunities.

Kentucky’s defense gets key stops

At the end of the game, Ball State scored 14 points in 10 possessions (1.10 points per drive) as Brad White‘s defense limited Mike Neu‘s offense to 4.2 yards per play and a 29.6 percent success rate. There were some rough moments, but this defense forced two turnovers and got three stops when Ball State had a first down inside Kentucky’s 40.

In the second quarter, Alex Afari Jr. made a big hit on Ball State tight end Tanner Koziol that Jalen Geiger recovered and ran back 69 yards for the program’s first scoop-and-score touchdown since 2019. In the fourth quarter, Kentucky got two more stops.

After an iffy pass interference call on Zion Childress took an interception off the board, Ball State had a first-and-goal at the Kentucky two. However, White’s unit bowed up and forced a turnover on downs. One possession later, Kentucky blocked a 51-yard field goal attempt.

Ball State was limited to 2.8 points per scoring opportunity. That is getting the job done. Now Kentucky needs to find a way to get off the field so scoring opportunities never occur.