Cats snap multiple losing skids in 24-3 win at Mississippi State
Kentucky linebacker D'Eryk Jackson returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter of Saturday's game at Mississippi State. (Matt Bush/USA Today Sports)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor Edit
@JDrumUK
Kentucky crossed three different losing streaks off its active resume with a 24-3 win over Mississippi State on Saturday night.
The Wildcats ended a three-game skid which saw them go winless in October after a 5-0 start to the season. They also won for the first time in Starkville since 2008 and gave UK head coach Mark Stoops his first road victory over an SEC West opponent during his 11 seasons with the Cats.
It was not a work of art, as the final score might indicate, but it was exactly what Kentucky (6-3, 3-3 SEC) needed.
"We had just lost three in a row and had the bye (week)," Stoops said. "It's been a long time since we had a W, and it does weigh on you.
"It wasn't perfect, but this is the resolve, this is the toughness and the grit that you like to see. We got a win, and yeah, it's ugly and whatever. But you don't go on the road in the SEC and get a lot of victories... Let's face it, we needed to win this game."
Leading 7-3 midway through the second quarter, a big defensive play helped put the Cats in control. Junior linebacker D'Eryk Jackson read an MSU pass play to the right side, picked it off, and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown to give UK a 14-3 lead and stun the cowbell-wielding fans at Davis Wade Stadium.
"That really set the tone," Stoops said. "You could tell it was going to be one of those kind of games... a grind. That was huge."
Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary, who had found running back Demi Sumo-Karngbaye for a 4-yard touchdown pass on the Cats' first drive of the game, connected with Dane Key for another 4-yard TD strike to extend the lead to 21-3 just before halftime.
Leary completed 12 of 22 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions before leaving the game in the fourth quarter after struggling with vision issues. Backup Kaiya Sheron worked the final three possessions of the game for UK.
The Cats managed only an Alex Raynor field goal from 32 yards out in the second half, but the defense held MSU to four punts and a turnover on downs after reaching the UK 2-yard line.
Mississippi State (4-5, 1-5 SEC) managed only 218 total yards. The Cats held the Bulldogs to only 73 rushing yards and recorded five sacks.
"They really played hard," Stoops said of the UK defense, which had uncharacteristically allowed 122 points in its previous three games against ranked foes Georgia, Missouri, and Tennessee.
*****
In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...
KEY MOMENT:
D'Eryk Jackson's 28-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter was the biggest play of the night. Kentucky led only 7-3 at the time, and the Bulldogs had just forced a quick punt after the Cats had given up a 20-play, 12-and-a-half-minute drive. It was a huge momentum shift, and the Cats never felt threatened the rest of the way.
GAME BALL:
D'Eryk Jackson, Kentucky - The junior linebacker picked off his second pass of the season and recorded the third pick-6 for the Cats this year to help UK take total control of the game.
BY THE NUMBERS:
2.4 - Yards per rush by Mississippi State. UK allowed 5.4 per rush to Tennessee last week.
3 - Points scored by the opponent was the lowest in a Kentucky SEC road game since the Wildcats won 31-3 at Florida in 1979.
5-91 - Receptions and yards for UK senior Tayvion Robinson to lead the receiver corps.
7 - Three-and-out drives by MSU that went for 2 yards or less.
26-25 - The Wildcats took the lead in the all-time series with the Bulldogs, winning for only the eighth time in 23 trips to Starkville.
54 - Plays run by the Wildcats, the sixth time this season that UK has run under 60 plays.
80 - Yards rushing by Kentucky running back Ray Davis, who saw his eight-game touchdown streak snapped.
QUOTABLE:
"They're not bad, right? ... It's going to be fun, a great challenge." - Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops on the Cats' next opponent, Alabama.
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns home to Kroger Field next week to face Alabama in a Noon ET kickoff. It will be the first trip to Lexington for the Crimson Tide since 2013. No. 8 Alabama (8-1, 6-0 SEC) defeated No. 14 LSU 42-28 on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.
