Cats still unbeaten, 2-0.
LEXINGTON, September 7, 2019 – Bradley Charles – BSN
Kentucky and Eastern Michigan squared off tonight at Kroger
Field. Each team entered the game with a 1-0 record.
Eastern Michigan won the coin toss and elected to defer to
the second half. Kentucky was forced to punt on their first possession of the
game, pinning Eastern Michigan on their own 8-yard line. The Eagles went
three-and-out and were forced to punt. Lynn Bowden returned the punt 29-yards
which setup Kentucky at the Eastern Michigan 26-yard line. It took just three
plays for Kentucky to punch the ball into the endzone via an eight-yard run by
A.J. Rose. Kentucky led 7-0 with 6:56 to go in the first quarter.
On the next possession, the Eagles were forced to punt in
just five-plays. The punt traveled 48-yards, pinning Kentucky on their own
10-yard line. The Cats were able to overcome the poor field position, capping
off a six-play 90-yard drive with a 32-yard touchdown run by Kavosiey Smoke.
Kentucky led 14-0 with 2:09 left in the opening quarter.
After Eastern Michigan was forced to punt, the Kentucky
offense put together a 13-play drive, but a fumble by A.J. Rose gave the Eagles
the ball on their own 1-yard line. Eastern Michigan quarterback Mike Glass threw
an interception to Jordan Griffin on second down, Griffin went 15-yards on the
return. Kentucky took over on the Eastern Michigan 11-yard line. The Eagle
defense stood tall, and Kentucky settled for a 40-yard field goal kick by
Chance Poore. The Cats led 17-0 with 7:43 remaining in the second quarter.
The Kentucky defense followed by forcing another turnover.
This time, it was a deflected pass which was intercepted by Kash Daniel.
Daniel’s 18-yard interception return set up the Cats on the Eastern Michigan 30-yard
line. The Kentucky offense faltered, and so did Chance Poore as he missed on a
field goal attempt from 49-yards with 4:57 remaining in the first half.
Eastern Michigan took advantage, capping off a 10-play,
62-yard drive with a 24-yard field goal by Chad Ryland with 1:52 left in the
opening half. The Kentucky offense went three-and-out, giving the Eagles the
ball on their own 11-yard line with 1:11 remaining in the half. The Kentucky
defense held firm, and at halftime Kentucky led 17-3.
Eastern Michigan started the third quarter with a five-play,
31-yard drive which resulted in a punt. The Kentucky offense proceeded to march
92-yards on a 15-play drive, capped off by a two-yard touchdown run by Terry
Wilson. Kentucky led Eastern Michigan 24-3 with 5:01 to go in the third
quarter.
On the next possession, a 38-yard pass from Mike Glass to Arthur
Jackson put the Eagles at the Kentucky 26-yard line. The Eagles followed with a
26-yard touchdown pass from Glass to Ryland. Kentucky led 24-10 with 2:15 to
play in the third quarter.
On the next possession of the game, Terry Wilson was tackled
down by the back of the jersey on a run to the right. A horse-collar penalty
was accessed to Eastern Michigan. Wilson was carted off the field, and Sawyer
Smith came in at quarterback. Smith’s first career pass as a Wildcat came later
in the drive when he connected with Ahmad Wagner on a 54-yard touchdown. It was
Wagner’s first career touchdown and was the longest reception of his career.
Kentucky led 31-10 with 14:20 remaining in regulation.
The Eagles responded with a 12-play, 75-yard drive, which
was capped off by a seven-yard touchdown pass from Glass to Bryson Cannon.
Kentucky led the Eagles 31-17 with 10:41 left in regulation.
Kentucky was forced to punt on the following possession. The
Eagles put together a 10-play drive, but ultimately turned the ball over on
downs. Kentucky added to their lead with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Smith to
Bowden with 0:54 left in regulation. Eastern Michigan was able to move the ball
into Kentucky territory, but the clock expired before they were able to score.
Kentucky advances to 2-0. Eastern Michigan falls to 1-1.
Kentucky’s next game is at home against Florida on September 14th. The game will
be broadcasted on ESPN and is scheduled to start 7:00 p.m.
