Kentucky’s offense a no-show as Missouri ends five-game skid vs. Cats
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Game day: Missouri 20, Kentucky 10
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Missouri football game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Mo.
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One week after ending a decades-old losing streak in Knoxville, the University of Kentucky failed to keep a good streak alive at Missouri.
UK lost 20-10 in Columbia to see a stretch of five straight wins against the Tigers come to an end. It was the Cats’ first loss to Missouri since 2014.
Save for a 75-yard drive in the second half, the Cats’ offense was ineffective all day. That series, which pulled UK within 17-10 early in the final period, accounted for nearly half of UK’s total yardage. They ended with 145 yards to Missouri’s 421, the second most posted by an opponent this season (Mississippi had 559 yards in week two).
The Tigers ran 92 total plays, the most by any opponent this season, to just 36 for the Wildcats, a season low. Mizzou quarterback Connor Bazelak, a one-time UK recruit, did not throw a touchdown but was 21 of 30 for 201 yards and added 40 yards on 10 rushes. Larry Rountree III led the Tigers on the ground with 126 yards and two scores on 37 carries.
Quarterback Terry Wilson started but reserve Joey Gatewood was in at quarterback on the Cats’ final drive, trailing 20-10 with a little more than 3 minutes to play. A Gatewood completion to to Josh Ali was fumbled and recovered by Missouri to end a rough day in Columbia.
How it happened
Kentucky opened with a three-and-out. Missouri started things off with a first down out of a flea-flicker, soon followed by another off a quarterback draw, but a loss created by Jordan Wright put them behind as their next set of downs began and the Tigers ultimately punted from midfield.
UK was able to move the chains a bit on its next possession but was stalled at its own 33 after a near-catch by Ali down the sideline was ruled incomplete. Missouri crossed midfield quickly but then was stopped on its second drive.
A face-mask penalty gave UK some extra downs but a fumble by Wilson was recovered for a loss on third down, resulting in another punt on its third trip out. Missouri overcame a procedure penalty to get into Kentucky territory again, this time capitalizing; Rountree busted into the end zone from the Cats’ 1-yard line to cap a 13-play, 66-yard drive to put the Tigers up 7-0 lead with 10:57 to left in the second quarter.
Gatewood took over at quarterback on UK’s fourth series. A.J. Rose rushed 29 yards on that drive’s first play, six more yards than the Wildcats had gained over its first three possessions. Kentucky drove to the Tigers’ 32 and was stopped on an attempt to draw a pass-interference flag down the sideline. Matt Ruffolo hit a 50-yard field goal, matching his career long, to chip into Missouri’s advantage.
Missouri got to its own 48 but an incomplete pass ended the Tigers’ ensuing drive. Gatewood’s next series was not productive; a 4-yard loss on a sack capped a three-and-out.
That allowed the Tigers to strike again before halftime: a 24-yard connection between Bazelak and Keke Chism on third-and-8 set them up at UK’s 13-yard line. Mizzou drove to the Cats’ goal line but couldn’t punch it in; it settled for an 18-yard field goal to take a 10-3 lead into the locker room.
Out of the break, the Tigers twice converted on third-and-long pass attempts to get into UK territory. Two fourth-down passes extended their series after that, but a decision to again go for it on fourth-and-1 at UK’s 7-yard line cost them; Yusuf Corker sacked Bazelak for a 2-yard loss to give Kentucky the ball after a 21-play drive. The Wildcats weren’t able to let the defense rest, however, going three-and-out again.
They weren’t on the field long the next go-around: Missouri needed only six plays, the first a 27-yard completion from Bazelak to Jalen Knox and the last a 1-yard run by Rountree, to extend its lead to 17-3 with 45 seconds left in the third quarter.
Chris Rodriguez picked up 17 and 7 yards on back-to-back carries to start UK’s next offensive trip, and Mizzou got flagged for a personal foul at the end of the second rush to push the Cats to the Tigers’ 36. Three more rushes followed — two more by Rodriguez, sandwiching a carry by Josh Ali — before Wilson tossed a 26-yard beauty to Ali into the end zone to pull the Cats within 17-10 with 13:14 left.
UK’s defense responded with a three-and-out, its first of the day, but the Cats’ offense followed with its fourth three-down series. Missouri responded with another lengthy drive that ended in a field goal to make a rally more difficult.
It didn’t matter, anyway: Kentucky fumbled away any chance at a comeback as soon as its next drive began.
Next game
Georgia at Kentucky
When: Noon Saturday
TV: SEC Network
Records: Georgia 3-1; UK 2-3
This story was originally published October 24, 2020 at 7:19 PM.
