By Hayden Kennedy
Kentucky snapped its four-game losing streak with a 48-6 victory over hapless Murray State Saturday afternoon at Kroger Field.
The Wildcats maintained control throughout the game, allowing highly-touted freshman quarterback Cutter Boley to see the field for the first time since the Florida game.
Kentucky QB Brock Vandagriff started the game fast, scoring on the fourth play of its first possession with a 52-yard pass that would land short only to be tipped up to Hardley Gilmore IV for a touchdown.
Vandagriff would go on to complete 12 of 19 passes for 183 yards and one score with an interception.
At the start of the second half, Boley, a consensus four-star recruit who played at Lexington Christian Academy, took over under center and gave a glimpse into what the future could look like for Kentucky. The rookie played well, completing 10 of 14 passes for 130 yards and two scores with 21 yards rushing.
Asked about the play of Boley, UK coach Mark stoops said, “I liked just everything about it. Just the poise that he had, obviously, nothing rattled him at all. He was very patient in the pocket. I thought he moved when he had to. Threw the ball very well and made good decisions. So, yeah, definitely very excited."
Boley commented on what it was like to see action. “It was super cool to just get a few completions off at the beginning to my roommate, Josh Kattus," he said. "That first one, that was pretty cool, but once you get out there it is just like playing ball again.”
Running back Jamarion Wilcox of Kentucky rushed 13 times for 123 yards and a touchdown. It was his second straight 100-yard game and became the first freshman with consecutive 100-yard games since Benny Snell did so in three straight in 2016.
The Wildcat defense also played well, giving up only two field goals that came later in the game and defensive back Jordan Lovett forced two interceptions which would bring his career total to seven.
“It felt great," Lovett said of his interceptions. "[I was] just doing my job, being a post safety. It felt great. Especially with my guys cheering me on and getting everybody going, it felt great.”
Although the competition was a mediocre Murray State team, which dropped to 1-10 for the season, it was nice to see UK's young players be able to shine, and show fans a possible glimpse of what the team could look like in the future after a somewhat disappointing season so far.
On the younger players getting reps, Kentucky defensive lineman Tre’vonn Rybka said, “It's fun seeing the young guys go out there and work and practice a lot. They put in a lot of work, just as much as us and, [it is nice] to finally get to see them go out there. The work is done and the work is good."
Kentucky now sits 4-6 overall, and with only two games remaining UK is in danger of not appearing in a bowl game for the first time since the 2015 season when the Cats finished 5-7 overall, just one game short of the six-win requirement for bowl eligiblity.
The Wildcats will travel to Austin to take on the third-ranked Texas Longhorns on Saturday. The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be shown on ABC. Early betting lines have Texas favored by 21 points as of Sunday morning.
Hayden Kennedy, a recent UK graduate, is a contributing writer from Lexington.
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