Kentucky gets SEC road win

COLUMBIA, Mo. — — Amid a contest during which the defenses for Kentucky and Missouri flexed their muscular tissues a lot of the afternoon, it was a botched punt snap that proved the distinction for the Wildcats in escaping with a 21-17 victory over the Tigers on Saturday.

Extremely, it was the Wildcats (6-3, 3-3 SEC) who benefitted from their very own particular workforce’s misfire, staking declare to a win making them bowl-eligible.

Lining up for a punt on fourth-and-4 from their very own 41-yard line with 2:34 left, Kentucky lengthy snapper Drew Perry sailed the snap over the pinnacle of punter Colin Goodfellow, who chased the unfastened ball down on the 4-yard line. Goodfellow managed to show again upfield and boot the ball away simply as he was tackled by Missouri linebacker Will Norris.

A flag instantly got here out and after a dialogue the officers penalized Norris for roughing the punter, figuring out that Goodfellow had remained inside the deal with field and by resuming a punting movement had maintained the safety of a punter. Goodfellow was injured on the play and was carted off the sphere.

The play enabled Kentucky to run all however 38 seconds off the clock.

“It was only a exceptional play by him,” mentioned Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops. “At first I used to be like, ‘Effectively, I want he would have taken the security.’ However he made a exceptional play.”

Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz didn’t agree with the reason he acquired from the officers however mentioned the play wasn’t finally what doomed the Tigers (4-5, 2-4).

“How a man can nonetheless be a protected punter 50 yards down the sphere and the way are guys imagined to know that he can’t deal with him is past me,” Drinkwitz mentioned, “However I’m positive I’ll get an evidence and I’m positive it would defend them, and we’ll go from there. It doesn’t change the truth that we had been 2 of 13 on third downs.”

Third downs proved pivotal for the Tigers on either side of the soccer. Whereas Drinkwitz’s protection held the Wildcats to simply 242 offensive yards, yielding simply 4.1 yards per play, quarterback Will Levis and the Kentucky offense transformed 6 of 13 third downs, together with reaching the top zone twice on completions.

After Kentucky held Missouri to minus-7 yards on the primary possession of the sport, Levis put the Wildcats on the board with an eight-play, 71-yard drive capped off by 9-yard landing cross on third-and-goal to Dane Key.

That largely marked the top of the offensive fireworks earlier than each defenses asserted their dominance.

Missouri mustered simply 76 yards of offense within the first half. Solely a 44-yard discipline objective from Harrison Mevis put the Tigers on the scoreboard, and the Wildcats took a 7-3 result in the locker room at halftime.

With neither offense able to sustaining momentum, a special-teams miscue helped the Wildcats increase their lead within the third quarter. Missouri punter Jack Stonehouse had bother dealing with a low snap and tried however did not scramble for a primary down.

The Wildcats rode Christopher Rodriguez Jr., who completed with 112 yards on 29 carries, on 5 straight rushes to the Missouri 19-yard line earlier than Levis struck once more on third down. Dealing with third-and-5, Levis linked with Tayvion Robinson for 18 yards. Two performs later, Levis discovered tight finish Jordan Dingle for a 1-yard rating to increase the result in 14-3.

Tigers quarterback Brady Cook dinner and the Missouri offense began discovering their rhythm late within the third quarter. Cook dinner led back-to-back scoring drives of 52 and 64 yards, finishing 6 of seven passes for 80 yards and dashing for 2 touchdowns. A two-point conversion throw from Cook dinner to Tauskie Dove gave the Tigers their first lead of the sport at 17-14 with 8:07 remaining to play.

However Levis and the Wildcats responded. After a squib kickoff by Missouri went awry, Kentucky began their subsequent drive at their very own 42. Levis took his workforce down the sphere in six performs, connecting with Key once more on third-and-11 from 22 yards out for the game-winning rating.

Preventing by the adversity his workforce confronted in opposition to Missouri will profit the Wildcats in the long term, Stoops mentioned.

“While you play this schedule and these groups and the grind our gamers have in them, they need the outcomes,” Stoop mentioned. “All of us do, however you bought to proceed to work.”

All 4 of Missouri’s losses in SEC play have come inside a one-score margin. Drinkwitz feels each optimism and frustration in these outcomes.

“It’s irritating as a result of we haven’t discovered the best way or play to win but it surely’s clearly an indication of progress that we’re within the combat,” he mentioned. “Now we acquired to discover a option to win that combat.”

GOODFELLOW INJURED

The savvy play by Goodfellow to get away a punt following the botched punt got here at a price. Goodfellow remained down on the sphere for a number of minutes receiving consideration from athletic trainers earlier than a cart carried him off the sphere.

“He was in some extreme ache,” Stoops mentioned. “I hope it’s nothing main. I do know he’s hurting unhealthy.”

UP NEXT

Kentucky returns dwelling subsequent Saturday internet hosting Vanderbilt in SEC play.

Missouri travels to Knoxville subsequent Saturday to battle No. 1 Tennessee.

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