Photo by Keyli Chisesi | Go Big Blue Country
LEXINGTON, Ky- The Kentucky Wildcats stepped out of conference play on Saturday to face in-state opponent Murray State.
The Wildcats, fresh off ending a 31-game losing streak to Florida, wasn’t going to fall victim to looking ahead to a showdown with Mississippi State at Kroger Field next Saturday.
Kentucky entered Saturday’s matchup as a 41-point favorite over Murray State. They were set to cover the spread, but a late touchdown from the Racers set the final margin at Kentucky 48, Murray State 10.
Sophomore quarterback Terry Wilson led the attack for the Kentucky offense, spreading the ball around to his playmakers. Wilson completed 19-of-25 passes for 163 yards. Additionally, he added 80 yards on the ground, including a 42-yard burst to the end zone for the first score of the game.
“From watching it out there, obviously he made some big plays again with his legs,” said head coach Mark Stoops. “We have to look at some things. I know early on, there was a few assignments that—again, it will fall on the receivers. A few releases and a few of the little things, the little things that add up.”
Kentucky’s rushing attack led the way again on Saturday, eclipsing 200 yards for the third time in three games. In addition to Wilson’s team leading 80 yards, Benny Snell, Chris Rodriguez, Sihiem King, AJ Rose, and Danny Clark all carried the ball to bring the team total to 245 rushing yards.
Snell led the team with 15 carries for 75 yards, bringing his season total to 375 yards. His 7-yard touchdown run in the second quarter pushed Kentucky’s lead to 17-0.
After leading 17-3 at the half, Kentucky’s offense exploded in the second half to race away from Murray State. The Wildcats put up 31 second half points, bringing their second half scoring margin to 65-13. The 38-point margin of victory was the largest since Kentucky defeated Charlotte, 58-10, in November 2015.
“I think just depth,” said Mark Stoops. “Again, we have some good, young players that when they get in there, they want to play so they run the ball hard and they block and catch it and so on.”
Next Up:
Kentucky moves to 3-0 on the season and will face Mississippi State at Kroger Field next Saturday night at 7 p.m. A network is yet to be announced for the game.
