Instant Analysis: Who’s up, who’s down after UK’s 34-23 win over MTSU

Instant analysis from No. 17 Kentucky’s 34-23 win over Middle Tennessee State:

How the game was won

Mike Edwards returned an interception 66 yards for a touchdown and set up at second UK TD with a forced fumble; Benny Snell ran for two TDs; and Josh Allen made a game-altering quarterback sack as No. 17 Kentucky fought off a spirited MTSU upset bid.

Game balls

1. Mike Edwards. In the first three minutes of his final game at Kroger Field, the UK senior safety scored a TD and set up another. Those plays ended up being the difference in the game.

2. Benny Snell. In what could have been his final game at Kroger Field, the NFL Draft-eligible junior ran for 116 yards to snap a three-game drought without a 100-plus-yards rushing game.

3. Josh Allen. In his final home game, Kentucky’s splendid OLB/rush end had 15 tackles and set school records for career and single-season quarterback sacks.

4. Miles Butler. The Kentucky senior place-kicker, who had lost his hold on the starting job, returned to boot two field goals, including the 32-yard kick that clinched the victory.

5. Tony Franklin. Back at his old Kentucky home, the ex-UK assistant and current Middle Tennessee State offensive coordinator had a masterful game plan that utilized unbalanced lines and outside screens to keep Kentucky off balance defensively the entire game.

Running gassers

1. Kentucky punt team. After setting up scores for the opponents in the prior two games by allowing long returns, it was a short punt that set up a Middle Tennessee State field goal.

2. Kentucky secondary. Had far more trouble with MTSU’s outside screen game than I would have anticipated.

Key number(s)

Thirty-four. Kentucky recorded its eighth win in a regular season for the first time since Coach Jerry Claiborne’s 1984 Wildcats finished 8-3 (before beating Wisconsin in the Hall of Fame Bowl for a ninth victory), a span of 34 years.

Fashion police

For its final home game of 2018, Kentucky wore blue helmets, blue jerseys with white letters and numbers and blue trousers. Since the start of the 2015 season, it was only the third time UK had worn all blue. The Cats won both their previous “blue-out” games (Mississippi State in 2018; at Vanderbilt in 2017).

Fans in the stands

Kentucky announced an attendance of 47,535 for Middle Tennessee and drew 385,820, an average of 55,117, for seven 2018 home games at Kroger Field. Last season, UK drew 395,276 fans for seven home games, an average of 56,468.

Mark Story: (859) 231-3230; Twitter: @markcstory

This story was originally published November 17, 2018 at 3:21 PM.