2014 Kentucky Wildcats football team

2014 Kentucky Wildcats football
Kentucky Wildcats logo
Conference Southeastern Conference Eastern Division
2014 record 5–7 (2–6 SEC)
Head coach Mark Stoops (2nd year)
Offensive coordinator Neal Brown (2nd year)
Offensive scheme Air Raid
Defensive coordinator D. J. Eliot (2nd year)
Base defense 4–3
Home stadium Commonwealth Stadium
(Capacity: 62,093)
2014 SEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
Eastern Division
#14 Missouri x   7 – 1         11 – 3  
#9 Georgia   6 – 2         10 – 3  
Florida   4 – 4         7 – 5  
Tennessee   3 – 5         7 – 6  
South Carolina   3 – 5         7 – 6  
Kentucky   2 – 6         5 – 7  
Vanderbilt   0 – 8         3 – 9  
Western Division
#4 Alabama x$^   7 – 1         12 – 2  
#11 Mississippi State   6 – 2         10 – 3  
#17 Ole Miss   5 – 3         9 – 4  
#22 Auburn   4 – 4         8 – 5  
LSU   4 – 4         8 – 5  
Texas A&M   3 – 5         8 – 5  
Arkansas   2 – 6         7 – 6  
Championship: Alabama 42, Missouri 13
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2014 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats competed as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) as part of its Eastern Division. The team was led by head coach Mark Stoops, in his second year, and played its home games at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky. They finished the season 5–7, 2–6 in SEC play to finish in sixth place in the Eastern Division.

Pre-season

Schedule changes for 2014

Commonwealth Stadium renovations

2014 signing class

Personnel

Roster and staff

2014 Kentucky Wildcats football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
WR 8 Blue, JavessJavess Blue Sr
QB 7 Barker, DrewDrew Barker Fr
WR 9 Robinson, DemarcoDemarco Robinson Sr
WR 10 Snodgrass, ThaddeusThaddeus Snodgrass Fr
QB 11 Smith, MaxMax Smith Jr
QB 12 Phillips, ReeseReese Phillips Fr
WR 13 Badet, JeffJeff Badet So
QB 14 Towles, PatrickPatrick Towles So
WR 17 Montgomery, AlexanderAlexander Montgomery So
RB 18 Williams, StanleyStanley Williams Fr
WR 19 Johnson, GarrettGarrett Johnson Fr
RB 21 Clemons, JoshJosh Clemons Jr
RB 25 George, JonathanJonathan George Sr
RB 32 Mahone, WilliamWilliam Mahone Fr
TE 34 Kazunas, ThaddeusThaddeus Kazunas Fr
FB 39 Warren, DJDJ Warren Sr
FB 46 Witthuhn, JeffJeff Witthuhn So
FB 48 Collins, WillWill Collins So
OG 55 Baumer, DavidDavid Baumer Fr
OG 57 Myers, ZachZach Myers So
OT 62 Greenburg, DylanDylan Greenburg Fr
C 64 Godby, MaxMax Godby Sr
C 65 Stallings, JervontiusJervontius Stallings Fr
OG 67 LaRubbio, JarrettJarrett LaRubbio Fr
OG 68 Haynes, NickNick Haynes Fr
OG 69 Meyers, RamseyRamsey Meyers Fr
OT 70 Swindle, JordanJordan Swindle Jr
OG 71 Gruenschlaeger, JohnJohn Gruenschlaeger Jr
C 72 Toth, JonJon Toth So
OT 73 Meadows, KyleKyle Meadows Fr
OG 74 Mosier, ColeCole Mosier Fr
OG 75 West, ZachZach West Jr
OG 76 Eatmon-Nared, TevenTeven Eatmon-Nared Sr
OT 77 Miller, DarrianDarrian Miller Sr
OT 78 Richardson, NickNick Richardson Fr
OT 79 Krok, JoshJosh Krok Fr
TE 80 Shields, RonnieRonnie Shields Sr
WR 81 Cunningham, RashadRashad Cunningham Jr
WR 82 Williams, T.V.T.V. Williams Fr
WR 83 Fogle, CameronCameron Fogle Fr
WR 84 Thompson, MilesMiles Thompson Fr
TE 85 Borden, StevenSteven Borden Sr
TE 86 Long, DarrylDarryl Long Fr
WR 87 Herrick, JoeyJoey Herrick Jr
WR 88 Johnson, A.J.A.J. Johnson Sr
 Defense
Pos. # Name Class
CB 1 Stamps, A.J.A.J. Stamps Jr
LB 2 Dupree, AlvinAlvin Dupree Sr
CB 3 Tiller, FredFred Tiller Jr
S 5 Lowery, AshelyAshely Lowery Sr
DE 6 Hatcher, JasonJason Hatcher So
LB 7 Blaylock, DaronDaron Blaylock Jr
LB 8 Walker, KobieKobie Walker Fr
LB 10 Brause, TylerTyler Brause Sr
CB 11 Harmon, J.D.J.D. Harmon So
LB 14 Hendrix, DorianDorian Hendrix Fr
S 15 McWilson, MarcusMarcus McWilson So
CB 16 Quinn, CodyCody Quinn Jr
S 17 Blaylock, ZackZack Blaylock So
S 18 Faulkner, GlennGlenn Faulkner Jr
DB 19 Hytchye, JaleelJaleel Hytchye So
LB 20 Harris, JoshJosh Harris So
DB 21 Willis, NateNate Willis Sr
LB 22 Henderson, KhalidKhalid Henderson Jr
DB 23 Tucker, JaredJared Tucker Jr
DB 23 Cox, RodneyRodney Cox Jr
DB 24 McClain, BlakeBlake McClain So
CB 25 Sermersheim, PatrickPatrick Sermersheim Fr
S 25 West, DariusDarius West Fr
S 26 Dunn, TreTre Dunn Sr
CB 28 Dixon, EricEric Dixon Sr
CB 29 Randolph, KendallKendall Randolph Fr
CB 31 Wakefield, KeronKeron Wakefield Fr
LB 33 Flannigan, RyanRyan Flannigan Jr
CB 35 McCray, JerryJerry McCray So
LB 40 Firios, NicoNico Firios Fr
LB 41 Paschal, TravaughnTravaughn Paschal Sr
LB 44 Aumiller, GrantGrant Aumiller Sr
LB 45 Forrest, JoshJosh Forrest Jr
DT 47 Johnson, JabariJabari Johnson Jr
LB 49 Irgang, RobbieRobbie Irgang Fr
DT 50 Douglas, MikeMike Douglas Sr
DE 55 Ware, DenzilDenzil Ware Fr
DT 59 Middleton, AdrianAdrian Middleton Fr
DT 60 Davis, AlvinAlvin Davis Sr
DT 66 Hyde, JacobJacob Hyde Fr
DT 67 Johnson, CoryCory Johnson Jr
DT 69 Elam, MattMatt Elam Fr
DT 78 Williams, ZaneZane Williams So
DT 90 Lewis, MelvinMelvin Lewis Jr
DE 91 Huguenin, FarringtonFarrington Huguenin Jr
DT 92 Coleman, ChristianChristian Coleman Sr
DE 93 Tubman, LloydLloyd Tubman Fr
DE 94 Smith, Za'DariusZa'Darius Smith Sr
DT 96 Meant, RegieRegie Meant Fr
DE 98 Dubose, TymereTymere Dubose Fr
 Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
H 13 Leet, JaredJared Leet Jr
PK, P 9 Foster, LandonLandon Foster Jr
PK 99 MacGinnis, AustinAustin MacGinnis Fr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Derrick Ansley
    Defensive Backs
  • Neal Brown
    Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
  • Jimmy Brumbaugh
    Defensive Line
  • D.J. Eliot
    Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
  • Tommy Mainord
    Wide Receivers
  • Vince Marrow
    Tight Ends
  • Craig Naivar
    Safeties/Special Teams Coordinator
  • John Schlarman
    Offensive Line
  • Chad Scott
    Running Backs
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Roster
Last update: May 7, 2014

Depth chart

Defense
FS
AJ Stamps (Jr.)
Eric Dixon (Sr.)
WLB MLB SLB
WLB_Starter Josh Forrest (Jr.) SLB_Starter
Tra'Vaughn Paschal (Sr.) Tra'Vaughn Paschal (Sr.) SLB_Backup
SS
Ashely Lowery (Sr.)
Marcus McWilson (So.)
CB
Fred Tiller (Jr.)
JD Harmon (So.)
DE DT DT DE
Jason Hatcher (So.) Melvin Lewis (Jr.) Mike Douglas (Sr.) Za'Darius Smith (Sr.)
Jabari Johnson (Jr.) Matt Elam (Fr.) CJ Johnson (Jr.) Farrington Huguenin (Jr.)
CB
Cody Quinn (Jr.)
Nate Willis (Sr.)
Offense
WR X
Demarco Robinson (Sr.)
Blake Bone (Fr.)
WR Z
Javess Blue (Sr.)
Dorian Baker (Fr.)
LT LG C RG RT
Darrian Miller (Sr.) Zach West (Jr.) Jon Toth (So.) Ramsey Meyers (Fr.) Jordan Swindle (Jr.)
Nick Haynes (Fr.) Cole Mosier (Fr.) Zach Myers (So.) Max Godby (Sr.) Kyle Meadows (Fr.)
TE
Steven Borden (Sr.)
Ronnie Shields (Sr.)
WR Y
Ryan Timmons (So.)
TV Williams (Fr.)
QB
Patrick Towles (So.)
Reese Phillips (Fr.)
Key Reserves
DB Blake McClain (So.)
FB DJ Warren (Sr.)
RB Josh Clemons (Jr.)
RB Stanley Williams (Fr.)
WR Garrett Johnson (Fr.)
RB
Braylon Heard (Jr.)
Jojo Kemp (So.)
Special Teams
PK Austin MacGinnis (Fr.)
P Landon Foster (Jr.)
KR Stanley Williams (Fr.)
PR Demarco Robinson (Sr.)
LS Kelly Mason (Jr.)
H Jaret Leet (Jr.)

Schedule

Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance
August 30 12:00 p.m. Tennessee–Martin* Commonwealth Stadium • Lexington, KY SECN W 59–14   50,398
September 6 3:30 p.m. Ohio* Commonwealth Stadium • Lexington, KY ESPNU W 20–3   51,910
September 13 7:30 p.m. at Florida Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL SECN L 30–36 3OT  88,334
September 27 12:00 p.m. Vanderbilt Commonwealth Stadium • Lexington, KY (Rivalry) SECN W 17–7   56,940
October 4 7:30 p.m. South Carolina Commonwealth Stadium • Lexington, KY SECN W 45–38   62,135
October 11 12:00 p.m. Louisiana–Monroe* Commonwealth Stadium • Lexington, KY SECN W 48–14   56,676
October 18 7:30 p.m. at LSU Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA SECN L 3–41   101,581
October 25 3:30 p.m. #1 Mississippi Statedagger Commonwealth Stadium • Lexington, KY (Rivalry) CBS L 31–45   64,791
November 1 4:00 p.m. at Missouri Faurot Field • Columbia, MO SECN L 10–20   62,004
November 8 12:00 p.m. #17 Georgia Commonwealth Stadium • Lexington, KY ESPN L 31–63   60,152
November 15 4:00 PM at Tennessee Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN (Battle for the Barrel) SECN L 16–50   102,455
November 29 12:00 p.m. at #24 Louisville* Papa John's Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, KY (Governor's Cup) ESPN2 L 40–44   55,118
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Schedule Source:[4]

Game notes

Tennessee-Martin

UT–Martin at Kentucky
1 234Total
UT–Martin 0 0014 14
• Kentucky 14 21177 59

Sources:

Braylon Heard's first-half touchdown runs of 73 and 43 yards spurred Kentucky to a season-opening, 59–14 rout of Tennessee–Martin on Saturday.

Quarterback Patrick Towles added a TD passing and running in his first career start for Kentucky, which outgained the Skyhawks 656–398. The Wildcats' sophomore threw for 370 yards, but Kentucky's tailbacks set the tone by flying through huge holes and scoring virtually untouched.

The Wildcats' improved grasp of the Air Raid offense was supposed to be displayed through the air behind Towles, who won a three-man competition for the starting job. He definitely did his part in completing 20 of 29 attempts without an interception, but the backfield rushed for 234 yards and ended up showing the scheme's big-play potential.

Heard demonstrated that on both TDs, blazing through big holes on consecutive drives to put Kentucky up 21–0 and keep the air raid sirens blaring.

Towles wasn't fazed about his tailbacks stealing the spotlight because of how well he managed the offense. The Kentucky native made good reads, avoided sacks by getting rid of the ball quickly and most importantly, showed that he could quickly hit short and long throws.

In between completions that moved the ball downfield, Towles hit several long ones to set up Kentucky scores. The first, a 44-yarder down the middle to Javess Blue, resulted in Kemp's 2-yard touchdown run soon after.

Towles followed with a 56-yard completion to Ryan Timmons to UTM's 39, a play that led to his 29-yard TD pass to freshman Blake Bone, who found a hole in the flat and then space en route to the end zone and a 28–0 lead.

Horton's 18-yard TD run came two plays after Towles' 36-yarder to Bone on the left sideline.

Ohio

Ohio at Kentucky
1 234Total
Ohio 0 030 3
• Kentucky 14 330 20

Sources:

Kentucky quarterback Patrick Towles threw for 170 yards and rushed for 59 more to lead the Wildcats to a 20-3 win over Ohio Saturday.

Towles completed 17 of 31 passes and one touchdown and led the Wildcats to their first 2-0 start since 2011. Although Kentucky's offense wasn't as explosive as last week's 59-14 rout of Tennessee Martin, it was enough to help the Wildcats avenge a 28-16 loss to the Bobcats in 2004.

Kentucky was without starting running back Braylon Heard who sat out because of a sprained ankle. Heard, a junior transfer from Nebraska, rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns in the team's opener last week.

Jojo Kemp and freshman Boom Williams split time in the backfield in Heard's absence. Williams led the Wildcats with 60 yards rushing on five carries, including a 53-yard touchdown run with 8:24 remaining in the first quarter.

Towles had six rushes of 10 yards or more on 22 attempts, including a 16-yard jaunt in the second quarter. Towles made successful completions to four different receivers, with sophomore receiver Ryan Timmons catching 10 passes for 95 yards, both career highs.

Dorian Baker had two catches for 41 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown reception to open Kentucky's scoring with 3:33 remaining in the first quarter.

After two straight scoring drives to open the contest, Kentucky's offense managed just three points on its final four possessions of the first half. Towles completed 10 of 17 passes for 131 yards and one touchdown in the first two quarters. He added 46 yards on 13 carries.

Florida

Kentucky at Florida
1 234OT2OT3OTTotal
Kentucky 0 3143730 30
• Florida 0 3170736 36

Sources:

Florida (2-0, 1-0 SEC) was an 18-point favorite in the game, no surprise given how lopsided the series has been. The Gators haven't lost to Kentucky (2-1, 0-1) since 1986 and haven't lost a game against the Wildcats at Florida Field since 1979.

The streak looked to be in jeopardy several times late in the SEC opener for both teams.

Matt Jones' 1-yard plunge in triple overtime gave Florida a 36-30 victory over Kentucky on Saturday night, extending the Gators' winning streak in the Southeastern Conference series to 28 games.

Kentucky's Austin MacGinnis, who hit a 51-yarder to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, missed a 41-yarder to start the third extra frame.

The play of the game was Florida's fourth-and-7 conversion in the first overtime. Jeff Driskel floated a ball to the back corner of the end zone and found Demarcus Robinson for a 9-yard score.

Robinson finished with 15 receptions for 216 yards and two scores. He tied Carlos Alvarez's school record for catches in a single game. No other Florida receiver caught more than two passes. Driskel completed 25 of 43 passes for 295 yards, with three touchdowns and an interception.

On Kentucky's first play of overtime, Stanley Williams reversed field, outran several tackles and scored from 25 yards out. The Gators struggled to answer, but eventually did on the fourth-down play.

The teams exchanged field goals in the second overtime. Florida could have found the end zone, but Driskel was late delivering the ball to Robinson near the front pylon.

Frankie Velez hit from 20-yard out to send it to the third extra frame.

Velez missed from 39 yards out in the fourth quarter that would have given Florida a little breathing room.

Austin Hardin, Florida's stronger-legged kicker, had a chance to win it regulation. But he pushed his 52-yarder wide right.

Florida trailed twice in the third quarter, falling behind 10-6 and then 17-13 on touchdown passes from Patrick Towles to Garrett Johnson.

Towles picked apart Florida's inexperienced secondary, throwing for 369 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson was his top target, finishing with six catches for 154 yards. He burned the Gators for a 60-yard touchdown, and then added a 33-yard score on the next drive.

Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt at Kentucky
1 234Total
Vanderbilt 0 700 7
• Kentucky 7 1000 17

Sources:

Patrick Towles threw a 20-yard touchdown pass and scored on a 1-yard run, and Kentucky made three fourth-quarter interceptions to hold off Vanderbilt 17-7 on Saturday to end a 17-game Southeastern Conference losing streak.

Though the Wildcats (3-1, 1-1) sent 56,940 away happy with their first conference win since November 2011 against Tennessee, there was no wild on-field celebration by Kentucky players after escaping the Commodores (1-4, 0-3). Coach Mark Stoops congratulated several players and shook hands with Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason before departing to cheers.

All of the game's scoring came in the first half with Towles doing the work with his arm and feet. He connected with Ryan Timmons to cap a 99-yard, 13-play opening drive, then followed Austin MacGinnis' 44-yard field goal with a 1-yard sneak just before halftime.

Kentucky's defense, particularly defensive back Marcus McWilson, A.J. Stamps and Ashely Lowery, kept the Commodores from scoring again with timely pickoffs. The Wildcats held the Commodores to just 57 second-half yards and 139 total, the fewest total yards Kentucky has given up to an SEC opponent since Vanderbilt had 91 in 1996.

Towles completed 23 of 30 passes for 201 of Kentucky's 384 yards but lost a fourth-quarter fumble and had a second-quarter interception returned 13 yards by Darrius Sims for Vanderbilt's only points. He was also sacked four times.

Despite Kentucky's inconsistent performance, the victory still was an encouraging step forward for a program seeking respectability after consecutive 2-10 seasons. Most important was finally closing the deal on an opponent for the first time in over two years, a goal the Wildcats came up just short on with a 36-30 triple-overtime loss at Florida two weeks ago.

That disappointing yet thrilling loss stirred its fan base enough to gobble up discounted upper-deck tickets and give Kentucky its biggest crowd this season.

The Wildcats were even 17-point favorites against a Vanderbilt squad that had won the last three games in this series by a 100-14 margin. Though Kentucky didn't cover the spread, being favored spoke volumes about its improvement.

In fact, Kentucky's main concern was avoiding a letdown from the Florida game, especially coming off a bye. The Wildcats showed no effects from that disappointment or the break on their first drive as they drove 99 yards in 13 plays behind Towles' arm and feet.

Besides hitting his first nine passes for 77 yards, including the slant to Timmons for the TD, the sophomore extended the drive with a 21-yard keeper on third-and-11.

Towles completed another short pass before the costly interception to Sims, whose two kickoff returns for touchdowns last week against South Carolina resulted in preventive measures by Kentucky's special teams.

Towles recovered to lead Kentucky to 10 unanswered points by intermission but Kentucky didn't score again.

South Carolina

South Carolina at Kentucky
1 234Total
South Carolina 7 10147 38
• Kentucky 0 17721 45

Sources:

A late interception returned for a touchdown led the Kentucky football team to its biggest win of the Mark Stoops era with a 45-38 victory over South Carolina Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium.

In front of 62,135, Patrick Towles threw for 208 yards and a touchdown and Jojo Kemp had 131 yards rushing and three scores - most of them out of the Wildcat formation - to lead the Wildcats to their second consecutive Southeastern Conference victory. Kentucky improved to 4-1 and 2-1 in league play, while South Carolina fell to 3-3 and 2-2 in the SEC.

UK has two conference wins for the first time since 2011, and won back-to-back SEC contests for the first time since 2006 when the Wildcats won three consecutive league outings.

Kentucky found itself down by two scores twice, but continued to battle back. It was the second time, early in the fourth quarter, having given up 21 unanswered points that was the game changer.

UK’s offense found the end zone on consecutive drives following USC’s final score, both Kemp touchdown runs, to tie the game at 38-38.

It was on South Carolina’s possession after Kentucky tied the game that the UK defense made its biggest statement yet. With the Gamecocks on their own 20-yard line, Alvin “Bud” Dupree intercepted a tipped pass on the six-yard line. The senior went untouched into the end zone for the game winning touchdown. UK’s first interception returned for a score since 2009 gave the Wildcats a 45-38 lead with 2:29 left.

Louisiana-Monroe

Louisiana-Monroe at Kentucky
1 234Total
Louisiana-Monroe 14 000 14
• Kentucky 3 21213 48

Sources:

Led by a strong defensive effort that included two interceptions returned for touchdowns, the Kentucky football team scored 45 unanswered points to defeat ULM, 48-14 Saturday afternoon in front of 56,676 fans on a crisp fall day at Commonwealth Stadium.

With the win, the Wildcats improved to 5-1 while the Warhawks fell to 3-3. UK, 5-1 for the first time since 2007 and just the seventh time since 1950, has won three consecutive games for the first time since the 2010 season.

UK overcame a slow start to eclipse 45 points for the third time in 2014, the most since 2010. All but three of those points came after Kentucky spotted ULM a 14-3 advantage in the first quarter.

The UK defense, which had two interceptions returned for touchdowns in a game for the first time since 1986, held the Warhawks to 187 yards passing and just 77 yards on the ground. ULM was forced to punt eight times and fumbled five times, one which Kentucky recovered.

Offensively, quarterback Patrick Towles was 16-of-28 for 216 yards and three touchdowns. Javess Blue caught three passes for 109 yards and two scores, while Blake Bone caught two for one touchdown. Towles' 83-yard touchdown pass to Blue was a career long for the sophomore quarterback.

On the ground, Stanley Williams rushed seven times for 104 yards and one touchdown, a 58-yarder in the third quarter. He also opened the game with a 75-yard kickoff return to set up UK's first score of the game.

Kentucky entered the second quarter trailing 14-3, but after the UK defense forced ULM to punt with just over five minutes remaining in the quarter the Wildcats quickly began to cut away at the deficit. Towles hit Blue for an 83-yard touchdown pass, the longest play of the season for Kentucky, to bring UK within four.

On the very next ULM drive, Josh Forrest returned an interception 29 yards to give UK a 17-14 lead. The pick-six marked the second time in as many weeks the Wildcat defense returned the game-winning score for a touchdown.

On the game's opening drive, Austin MacGinnis hit a 37-yard field goal to give UK a 3-0 lead, the third time in six games in 2014 that Kentucky has scored on its first drive of the contest.

Following Forrest's pick-six that resulted in the go-ahead score, the UK defense forced ULM into a three-and-out, and six plays later, Blake Bone caught a four-yard touchdown pass from Towles to give UK a 24-14 lead. Boone's second touchdown catch of the season with 4:08 left in the half capped a six play, 44-yard drive.

On Kentucky's second drive of the second half, after the UK defense forced ULM into back-to-back three-and-outs, Blue hauled in a 21-yard pass from Towles for the score to give the Wildcats a 31-14 lead. The touchdown catch, Blue's second of the game, capped a four-play, 30-yard drive.

ULM's next drive resulted in another interception for the Wildcat defense. Marcus McWilson, with the 36-yard interception returned for a touchdown, gave UK a 38-14 lead and its fourth defensive score of the season. It marked the first time since 2008 that UK returned two turnovers for touchdowns, while the four defensive touchdowns was also the most since 2008.

LSU

Kentucky at LSU
1 234Total
Kentucky 3 000 3
• LSU 17 10140 41

Sources:

Facing arguably its toughest test of the season, the Kentucky football team suffered a 41-3 loss to LSU Saturday night in front of 101,581 at Tiger Stadium.

The Wildcats (5-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) were held to 217 yards offensively, with 146 coming through the air and 71 rushing yards. The Tigers (6-2, 2-2 SEC) had 423 total yards, including 303 on the ground and 120 passing.

Kentucky returns home Saturday, where it is a perfect 5-0 in 2014, to face No. 1 Mississippi State Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Wildcats will look to become bowl eligible with their sixth win of the season for the first time since 2010. UK's matchup with the top-ranked Bulldogs will air live on CBS and on the UK Radio Network.

UK quarterback Patrick Towles was 19-36 for 146 yards in addition to 16 yards rushing on seven attempts. Demarco Robinson caught three passes for 52 yards, including one for 33 yards, while Ryan Timmons had four catches for 24 yards.

On the ground, Mikel Horton led Kentucky with 29 yards while Stanley Boom Williams had seven rushes for 19 yards.

Defensively, three Wildcats had 10 tackles apiece. Marcus McWilson had an interception, his third pick of the season, along with a career-best 10 tackles. Za'Darius Smith added a sack.

LSU's offensive production was led by Terrence Magee, who ran for 127 yards and two touchdowns in addition to hauling in three passes for 44 yards. Quarterback Anthony Jennings was 7-14 for 120 yards and one touchdown.

The Tigers' Tre'Davious White also returned a 67-yard punt for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Kentucky got on the board with 1:15 left in the first quarter on an Austin MacGinnis 33-yard field goal to cut LSU's lead to 17-3. The score capped a 13-play, 66-yard drive for the Wildcat offense.

LSU scored on the game's opening drive to give the Tigers an early 7-0 lead. The touchdown marked just the second time this season that UK has allowed a game-opening touchdown drive by its opponent.

After the Tigers scored on their opening drive, they proceeded to score on their next two drives as well, with a field goal and a touchdown to lead 17-0. After UK's field goal to cut the deficit to 14, LSU was stopped on its three drives before scoring 10 points in the final minute to go ahead 27-3 at the half.

The halftime deficit was the first time this season UK has trailed after 30 minutes.

The Tigers scored two touchdowns in the third quarter, both Magee runs, for the final scores of the contest.

Mississippi State

#1 Mississippi State at Kentucky
1 234Total
• Mississippi State 10 71414 45
Kentucky 7 3147 31

Sources:

A career-outing by sophomore quarterback Patrick Towles was not enough for Kentucky to pull off an upset of visiting No. 1 Mississippi State on Saturday night in front of a season-high 64,791 rabid fans in Commonwealth Stadium. Towles’ career-high numbers included touchdowns (4), passing yards (390), and rushing yards (76) in the first meeting at home against a No. 1 foe since UK upset LSU in three-overtimes in 2007.

Towles was 24-of-43 for 390 yards with two touchdowns through the air, while connecting with nine different receivers. The Ft. Thomas, Ky., native logged 76 yards on 23 attempts and a pair of scores on the ground which included a career-long rush of 48 yards in the third quarter. Towles accounted for four plays of more than 40 yards including a pair of touchdown tosses that went for 58 yards or longer.

Senior Alvin ‘Bud’ Dupree led the defensive charge with 10 total tackles. He accounted for 1.5 tackles for a loss including a sack in the second quarter. Dupree is six sacks shy of becoming UK’s all-time career leader in that category. He also had a team-high two quarterback hurries.

The Bulldogs were led by quarterback Dak Prescott who passed for 216 yards and a touchdown. He added 88 rushing yards and a pair of scores. Running back Josh Robinson rushed for 198 yards and two touchdowns.

After Mississippi State drove 82-yards for a touchdown on its first possession, the Wildcats utilized a five-play 78-yard drive to counter the No. 1 team in the country. Towles found senior Demarco Robinson on a curl route to the sidelines, and he tip-toed the sideline before racing 67 yards for the score. The touchdown haul was the first of the year for Robinson and the third of his career.

Kentucky’s defense forced a three-and-out on the Bulldogs’ next drive, but suffered a fumble at its own 19-yard line on its second play giving the ball back to State. UK’s defense limited the Bulldogs to a 26-yard field goal giving the visitors a 10-7 lead with 2:41 remaining in the opening quarter.

Mississippi State started the second quarter by going 68 yards over 10 plays capped by a two-yard plunge by Prescott to lift the Bulldogs to a 17-7 advantage. Kentucky answered with a 12-play, 58-yard drive of its own which ended in a 34-yard field goal by freshman Austin MacGinnis.

With the Bulldogs driving late in the half, Dupree applied pressure to Prescott forcing a tipped pass that was intercepted by Josh Forrest with under a minute to play in the half. It was the third interception of the season by UK’s middle linebacker. UK drove to State’s 40-yard line and attempted a 50-yard field goal to end the half, but it missed wide right.

Mississippi State began the second half with an 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive to take a 24-10 lead. Prescott scampered 12-yards for the score, his second rushing TD of the game.

The Wildcats answered with an eight-play, 86-yard scoring drive. A career-long 48-yard dash by Towles highlighted the drive. The QB scurried for a 10-yard score on third down to make it 24-17 in favor of the visitors with 8:33 remaining in the third quarter. It marked the third time in Towles’ career that he rushed and threw for at least one touchdown.

Missouri

Kentucky at Missouri
1 234Total
Kentucky 0 307 10
• Missouri 0 1433 20

Sources:

The Kentucky football team's late-game comeback fell two scores short in a 20-10 loss at Missouri Saturday afternoon at Faurot Field.

Kentucky's touchdown came with 7:18 left in the game following a Missouri field goal. The Wildcats' 12-play, 8-yard drive was capped by a Javess Blue 1-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Patrick Towles. The score cut UK's deficit to 10 at 20-10.

The Kentucky defense held Missouri to 320 total yards. Junior linebacker Josh Forrest forced his first career fumble and led UK with 10 tackles and two tackles for loss. Senior DE/LB Alvin "Bud" Dupree finished with five tackles, a career-high 2.5 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Offensively, Towles was 19-37 for 158 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Towles hit freshman Stanley "Boom" Williams five times for 58 yards, including a long of 32 yards. Freshman Mikel Horton led UK on the ground with 62 yards on 10 attempts.

After both teams punted twice to open the game, Missouri got on the board first with a 3-yard touchdown pass with 12:56 left in the second quarter. On the following drive, freshman Austin MacGinnis hit a 47-yard field goal to cap a four-play, 45-yard drive.

Mizzou answered on its next drive with another touchdown, a 26-yard pass from quarterback Bud Sasser, to take a 14-3 lead. The Tigers got on the board again late in the third quarter with a 41-yard field goal before another field goal with 7:23 left in the fourth quarter to make it 20-3.

Georgia

#17 Georgia at Kentucky
1 234Total
• Georgia 21 14217 63
Kentucky 0 2407 31

Sources:

The Kentucky football team was unable to overcome an early 21-0 deficit in a 63-31 loss to No. 17 Georgia in UK’s final home contest Commonwealth Stadium of the 2014 season.

The Wildcats trailed the Bulldogs 21-0 just 10 minutes into the game, but quickly rallied back to score 24 second-quarter points to trail 35-24 at halftime. Georgia scored four unanswered touchdowns in the second half to extend its lead and clinch the verdict. UK second-quarter spurt began with a three-yard touchdown run by Braylon Heard. Heard’s rush capped a 16-play, 74-yard drive that took 6:15, UK’s longest scoring drive of the year in number of plays and time of possession. On the ensuing kickoff, Georgia couldn’t gain control of the ball, and UK’s J.D. Harmon recovered to give the Wildcats possession on UGA’s 23-yardline. Eight plays later, Austin MacGinnis hit a 38-yard field goal.

The Bulldogs scored a touchdown on their next drive, but the Wildcats answered. On the third play of the drive, Stanley `Boom’ Williams found a hole and ran for a 56-yard touchdown. Williams finished the day with exactly 100 rushing yards, his second game of the season at the century mark. UK’s next possession featured a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Patrick Towles. On the day, Towles passes for 139 yards, including an 9-yard TD to Javess Blue in the fourth quarter, and the UK QB also rushed for 60 net yards.

Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason threw for 174 yards and four touchdowns while tailback Nick Chubb led all rushers with 170 yards and a TD. Isaiah McKenzie returned a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns.

Tennessee

Kentucky Wildcats at Tennessee Volunteers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Kentucky 0 0 000
Tennessee 0 0 000

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN

  • Date: November 15th, 2014
  • Game time: TBA EST
  • Game weather: Temperature: • Wind: • Weather:
  • Game attendance:  
  • Referee: Referee: • Umpire: • Linesman: • Line judge: • Back judge: • Field judge: • Side judge:
  • TV announcers (TBA):  
Game information
First Quarter
    Second Quarter
      Third Quarter
        Fourth Quarter
          Top Passers
          • UK –
          • UT –
          Top Rushers
          • UK –
          • UT –
          Top Receiving
          • UK –
          • UT –
          Top Tackler
          • UK –
          • UT –

          Louisville

          Kentucky Wildcats at Louisville Cardinals – Game summary
          1 2 34Total
          Kentucky 0 0 000
          Louisville 0 0 000

          at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, KY

          • Date: November 29th, 2014
          • Game time: TBA EST
          • Game weather: Temperature: • Wind: • Weather:
          • Game attendance:  
          • Referee: Referee: • Umpire: • Linesman: • Line judge: • Back judge: • Field judge: • Side judge:
          • TV announcers (TBA):  
          Game information
          First Quarter
            Second Quarter
              Third Quarter
                Fourth Quarter
                  Top Passers
                  • UK –
                  • UL –
                  Top Rushers
                  • UK –
                  • UL –
                  Top Receiving
                  • UK –
                  • UL –
                  Top Tackler
                  • UK –
                  • UL –

                  Postseason awards and further accomplishments

                  Associated Press All-SEC

                  All-SEC First Team
                  All-SEC Second Team
                  SEC Freshman of the Year

                  Coaches All-SEC

                  All-SEC First Team
                  All-SEC Second Team
                  SEC Freshman of the Year:
                  Freshman All-SEC Team

                  AP All-America

                  Team statistics

                  UK OPP
                  Scoring 253 198
                    Points per Game 31.6 24.8
                  First Downs 166 171
                    Rushing 72 87
                    Passing 83 72
                    Penalty 11 12
                  Rushing Yardage 1,279 1,536
                    Rushing Attempts 287 337
                    Avg per Rush 4.5 4.6
                    Avg per Game 159.9 192.0
                    TDs Rushing 15 13
                  Passing Yardage 2,133 1,485
                    Comp-Att-Int 166-279-5 140-259-13
                    Avg per Game 266.6 185.6
                    TDs Passing 12 9
                  UK OPP
                  Total Offense 3,412 3,021
                    Avg per Play 6.0 5.1
                    Avg per Game 426.5 377.6
                  Fumbles–Lost 16–4 17–5
                  Penalties–Yards 45–434 43–361
                    Avg per Game 54.2 45.1
                  Punts–Yards 40–1,690 46–2,022
                    Avg per Punt 42.2 44.0
                  Time of Possession/Game 28:44 31:16
                  3rd Down Conversions 45/119 47/121
                  4th Down Conversions 4/12 7/11
                  Touchdowns Scored 31 25
                  Field Goals–Attempts 12–18 8–13
                  PAT–Attempts 31–31 24–24
                  Attendance 342,850 189,915
                    Games/Avg per Game 57,142 94,958

                  References

                  1. ↑ Adelson, Andrea (August 21, 2013). "Louisville-Kentucky Moved to Finale". ESPN. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
                  2. ↑ "MAJOR FACILITY CHANGES IN FULL SWING FOR UK FOOTBALL". University of Kentucky Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
                  3. ↑ "Football – 2014 Coaches". University of Kentucky Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
                  4. ↑ "2014 Kentucky Wildcats Football Schedule". University of Kentucky Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
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