Kentucky offense wakes up in 41-6 win over Ohio

LEXINGTON, Ky (AP) — It had been two games since Kentucky had scored a touchdown and it took another quarter before Demie Sumo-Karngbaye scored twice to jumpstart the offense in a 41-6 win over Ohio on Saturday.

Quarterback Brock Vandagriff was 17-of-24 passing for 237 yards as the Wildcats (2-2) put together a balanced offensive attack of 488 yards after South Carolina and Georgia kept them out of the end zone. Junior Dane Key caught seven passes for a career-high 145 yards yards, and redshirt freshman Jamarion Wilcox led the ground game with 82 yards as Kentucky ran for 206 yards.

“I think we executed the game plan that we were trying to go out there and execute. We played fast,” Vandagriff said. “We had a couple of penalties that were not crucial, but were drive killers. But we felt like if we were able to execute our plan and we’d be able to get in the end zone a few times.”

Sumo-Karngbaye’s 1-yard touchdown at the start of the second quarter was Kentucky’s first touchdown in nine quarters. That ended a seven-play, 80-yard drive kept alive by a 15-yard pass from Vandagriff to Key on third-and-nine. His second touchdown was a 2-yard run with 4:07 left in the first half after Vandagriff and Key hooked up for a 36-yard pass to convert on fourth-and-seven.

The Bobcats (2-2) were held to 108 yards rushing, well below their average of 203 yards per game. Anthony Tyus III, who ranked ninth in the country in rushing at 367 yards, only had 24 yards. Ohio’s score came with 14:53 left in the game when Ricky Hunt Jr. scored on a 1-yard run.

“We knew we would have to play flawless,” said Ohio coach Tim Albin. “I said earlier in the week I don’t see a weakness in Kentucky’s defense. I stand by that statement. They are athletic. We had trouble adjusting to the speed on both sides of the ball. But I thought we settled in after the first quarter.”

Receiver Barion Brown scored his third touchdown of the season on a 23-yard run with 11:38 left in the game, and backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt scored on a two-yard run with 3:45 remaining.

“It’s good to get back in the win column, obviously. I feel like the last couple of weeks, our guys have really worked hard to get some things corrected,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “We want to be more consistent. Obviously, today it was far from perfect. But, a lot of young guys got in there tonight and I think that’s extremely important.”

The Takeaways

Ohio: Starting quarterback Packer Navarro was a late scratch due to a soft tissue wrist injury. He had practiced earlier in the week, but wasn't able to finish a midweek practice and had been listed as questionable. Backup Nick Poulus threw for 110 yards. The best first half scoring threat ended in the second quarter when Poulus fumbled at the Kentucky 5 and JJ Weaver recovered for the Wildcats.

Kentucky: Placekicker Alex Raynor converted field goals of 30 and 34 yards, setting a school record with 12 consecutive field goals made. Defensive back Maxwell Hairston returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown with 5:12 left in the third quarter. It was his third pick six of his career, tying a school record.

Up Next

Ohio hosts Akron on Saturday to open Mid-American Conference play.

Kentucky goes on the road to No. 5 Mississippi on Saturday.

Steve Mcclain, The Associated Press