Kentucky Wins a Clunky Football Game 48-6 Over Murray State
It wasn’t always pretty, but Kentucky emerged from a bye week to overwhelm Murray State in a 48-6 win at Kroger Field.
This was a flag-fest that featured 24 penalties and a comedy of errors. That’s not to turn a phrase. some of the plays were objectively hilarious.
Brock Vandagriff threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to Hardley Gilmore on Kentucky’s first offensive possession. It wasn’t a pretty pass. The ball was under-thrown by about 10 yards. It bounced off the Murray State defensive back’s hands and into the breadbasket of the true freshman for his first touchdown as a Wildcat.
On the very next Kentucky offensive snap, Bush Hamdan called the same play. Vandagriff threw the exact same pass. This time Murray State completed the interception.
That sequence really summed up the clunky first half of football for the Wildcats.
The ship was eventually steered back in the right direction, largely thanks to the explosiveness of Jamarion Wilcox. After not receiving a carry for the first quarter, he toted the rock 13 times for 123 yards and a touchdown. That does not include the 73-yard run that was negated by a holding penalty.
Big Blue Nation eagerly awaited an exciting exhibition filled with high-octane offense. That is not how I would describe this clunky football game that was a tough watch at times. At least the underclassmen gave us a snapshot of what the future may look like for this program.
Cutter Boley Comes in Hot
He didn’t get the start, but as soon as Cutter Boley entered the game, the true freshman had the Cats rocking and rolling. Kentucky fans who stuck around to see the talented young quarterback in action were rewarded with the best offensive drive of the day.
The Wildcats went 75 yards in only seven plays and five of those gained 10+ yards. Boley was on target on each of his two throws, which averaged 17.5 yards, while Wilcox knifed through the defense until he punched it into the end zone. He even showed off his athleticism, opening his second series with a 30-yard run on an option play.
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Boley would not remain perfect, but you couldn’t count too many mistakes from the quarterback during his first extended run under center. He capped off the day with his first career touchdown pass, a 22-yard throw to Anthony Brown-Stephens on fourth down. They connected one more time for another fourth quarter score. Boley’s final stat line: 10-14, 130 yards, and two touchdowns.
Jordan Lovett Balled Out
Jordan Lovett developed a reputation as a ball-hawk during his time at North Hardin High School. He had five picks over his first two seasons in Lexington. He got a couple of them today, his first of the season.
On the opening possession of the game, Lovett slid underneath an errant Murray State pass to give the Wildcats excellent field position. Later in the first half, the Wildcats’ wheels were spinning when No. 25 answered the bell. Murray State had a 44-yard completion and a big QB run that got the Racers in the red zone. This time Lovett had to make a much more acrobatic play, tipping the ball to himself, to snatch the ball back for the offense. Brock Vandagriff and Co. responded in kind, going 91 yards in under two minutes to get a touchdown right before halftime.
The Ugliest Football You’ve Ever Seen
The third quarter of this football game took approximately 6 hours thanks to 600 penalties. That’s only a slight exaggeration.
Facing many of Kentucky’s twos, Murray State went on a 13-play drive. At one point there were penalties on five consecutive plays. That does not include the three or four other flags that were waved off or declined.
It didn’t end with a chip shot field goal. On the ensuing kickoff, Kentucky was flagged for a hold during a long return by reserve Brandon White, who was tackled by his facemask. The offsetting penalties forced a re-kick. During the second kick, White fumbled the ball about 12 yards forward right to Murray State.
The word ugly doesn’t do enough work to describe the football we watched.
Kentucky vs. Murray State Box Score
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