Late touchdown pass from Will Levis to Dane Key sends Kentucky to win over Missouri
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Game day: Kentucky 21, Missouri 17
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Missouri football game at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Mo.
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A stellar defensive showing and late heroics from quarterback Will Levis and wide receiver Dane Key were enough to send Kentucky to a 21-17 win at Missouri.
The victory clinched bowl eligibility for the seventh consecutive season for the Wildcats.
Levis completed 12 of 18 passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns went to Key. The Kentucky defense held Missouri to 232 yards.
Kentucky started quickly by forcing a three-and-out that lost seven yards on Missouri’s first possession then driving 71 yards on eight plays to score on its opening drive for just the third time this season. The touchdown came on a 9-yard pass from Levis to Key.
The Wildcat defense continued its impressive play after the first drive, but the rest of the half turned into a comedy of errors for Kentucky’s offense and special teams.
Four more times before halftime time Kentucky reached Missouri territory but was unable to score points.
Included in that stretch were two badly missed field goals. Matt Ruffolo’s second missed field goal, which was well short when he kicked into a strong wind from 47 yards came on a drive that started at the Missouri 43-yard line after a fumble from Tigers quarterback Brady Cook.
Missouri’s only points in the first half came when the Tigers received a second chance to converted a field goal after a replay review showed there were 12 Kentucky players on the field for what had been a miss from 49 yards. Missouri converted the second chance from 44 yards to pull within four points at 7-3.
Missouri handed Kentucky another gift on its first possession of the second half when punter Jack Stonehouse dropped a snap and was stopped just short of converting the first down when he tried to salvage the play by scrambling. This time, Kentucky was able to convert the mistake into points with the help of a questionable spot on a third-down conversion to score on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Levis to tight end Jordan Dingle.
Kentucky’s next drive ended without a first down when Levis was sacked for the fifth time in the game on third down. Kicking into the wind, punter Colin Goodfellow’s kick went just 39 yards to give Missouri possession near midfield.
The Tigers used the short field to score their first touchdown of the game on a 1-yard keeper from Cook on a fourth-and-goal play. Missouri failed on its two-point conversion attempt though to keep Kentucky’s advantage at 14-9.
That reprieve was short-lived as another three-and-out from the Kentucky offense quickly gave the ball back to Missouri, this time at its own 36-yard line. Kentucky’s defense finally buckled, surrendering a 35-yard completion on the second play and a 20-yard touchdown run from Cook. Missouri then converted a 2-point conversion for a 17-14 lead.
Missouri’s attempt at a squib kick on the follow kickoff to avoid kicking into the wind to dynamic returner Barion Brown backfired as it hit a Kentucky player and ricocheted to another Wildcat to give the Wildcats possession at the UK 42-yard line. A personal foul penalty against Missouri due to a horse-collar tackle later in the drive and the short field helped jump start Kentucky’s offense enough to reach the red zone.
There, Levis hit freshman wide receiver Key on a third-and-11 play. Key eluded two defenders to walk into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game and a 21-17 Kentucky lead after the extra point.
Kentucky’s defense forced a punt on the next drive, and the Wildcats were able to ice the victory thanks in part to a bizarre play that saw Goodfellow recover from a high snap in time to coral the ball near the goal line and get off a hasty kick. Missouri was then flagged for roughing the punter for a hit on Goodfellow that gave Kentucky a first down. Goodfellow was injured on the play and had to be taken to the locker room on a cart.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kentucky’s defense held strong despite playing without either of its super senior inside linebackers thanks in large part to a stellar showing from sophomore Trevin Wallace. Starting in place of the injured DeAndre Square, Wallace led Kentucky with nine tackles, including three tackles for loss and one sack. Wallace was making his third career start but he entered the game with just 18 tackles on the season.
TURNING POINT
Given how little success the Kentucky offense had found since its opening drive, when Missouri took its first lead in the fourth quarter few Kentucky fans could have felt confident about the Wildcats’ chances. Missouri’s squib kick miscue set up a short field though, and Levis hit Key for a 19-yard completion on the first play of the drive to establish some momentum. The horse collar penalty came on the second play after a 3-yard Chris Rodriguez run. Still, Kentucky needed a replay review to overturn what was initially ruled a Rodriguez fumble later in the drive to maintain possession. A false start penalty followed to back Kentucky up to third-and-11, but Levis found Key again for his second touchdown of the game.
KEY STAT
Key entered the game already tied with Derek Abney and Tommy Cook for most touchdown receptions by a UK freshman, but his three touchdown catches came in the first three games of the season. With two touchdowns against Missouri, Key moved into sole possession of the freshman record (five). With 383 yards on the season, Key is within reach of Abney’s freshman receiving yards record (413).
This story was originally published November 5, 2022 at 3:29 PM.
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