Kentucky wanted to keep the momentum rolling after last week's road win at Texas A&M, and the Wildcats did exactly that Saturday afternoon at Kroger Field.
It wasn't always easy, but once Kentucky's running game took over, South Alabama simply couldn't stop it.
The Wildcats rushed for an incredible 390 yards, piled up 567 yards of total offense and scored the final 31 points of the game on the way to a convincing 45-21 victory.
The biggest story was a Kentucky backfield that absolutely exploded. C.J. Baxter, Jason Patterson and Jovantae Barnes all topped the 100-yard mark, giving Kentucky three 100-yard rushers in the same game.
Kentucky's running backs didn't just have a good afternoon. They completely took over the game.
Baxter led Kentucky with 149 yards on 16 attempts, including a 53-yard run. Patterson may have delivered the most memorable performance, rushing for 137 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 carries.
Barnes completed the trio with exactly 100 yards on just eight attempts, including a 39-yard run.
Add it all together and those three backs produced 386 rushing yards and five touchdowns on only 36 carries.
Kentucky opened the scoring late in the first quarter when Baxter finished a 73-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run.
But the game changed quickly in the second quarter.
South Alabama took advantage of a Kentucky special-teams mistake to tie the game at 7-7, then quarterback Jared Hollins connected with Anthony Eager for a 36-yard touchdown that put the Jaguars ahead 14-7.
Barnes answered with a seven-yard touchdown to tie it, but South Alabama responded again. A 19-yard touchdown pass from Hollins to Jeremiah Jones-Thomas gave the Jaguars a 21-14 lead with just 1:22 remaining before halftime.
That's when Patterson provided the play that completely changed the feel of the game.
Just ten seconds after South Alabama had taken the lead, Kentucky had tied the game again.
The Wildcats weren't finished. Grant Godfrey intercepted Hollins late in the half, and Adam Zouagui kicked a 34-yard field goal to send Kentucky into the locker room with a 24-21 lead.
The second half belonged entirely to the Wildcats.
Baxter opened the third quarter with a 53-yard run, and two plays later Patterson scored from 15 yards out to make it 31-21.
South Alabama would never score again.
Patterson added his third touchdown early in the fourth quarter on a two-yard run, and Kentucky quarterback Kenny Minchey put the finishing touch on the offensive explosion with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Shane Carr.
That gave Kentucky a 45-21 lead and completed a remarkable stretch in which the Wildcats scored 31 unanswered points after falling behind 21-14.
| Stat | Kentucky | South Alabama |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 567 | 354 |
| Rushing Yards | 390 | 88 |
| Passing Yards | 177 | 266 |
| First Downs | 26 | 19 |
| Yards Per Play | 8.3 | 4.8 |
| Rushing TDs | 5 | 1 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Penalties | 2-22 | 6-50 |
With Kentucky running the ball at will, Kenny Minchey didn't need to put up huge passing numbers.
Minchey completed 19 of 25 passes for 177 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. His lone touchdown was the fourth-quarter strike to Shane Carr that essentially put the game away.
Kenny Darby led Kentucky's receivers with three catches for 43 yards, while Henry Boyer added three receptions for 24 yards.
South Alabama had success through the air during the first half, but Kentucky's defense made the necessary adjustments and pitched a shutout over the final two quarters.
Hollins finished 23-of-43 for 266 yards and two touchdowns, but Kentucky intercepted him twice.
Godfrey's interception late in the first half directly helped Kentucky take the lead before halftime. Antwan Smith added another interception in the end zone late in the fourth quarter to finish off the victory.
The Wildcats also held South Alabama to just 88 rushing yards and recorded three sacks.
Kentucky is now 3-1, and the Wildcats have followed their loss to Alabama with back-to-back victories.
More importantly, Kentucky may have discovered the identity of this offense.
When Baxter, Patterson and Barnes are running behind an offensive line that creates this much space, Kentucky doesn't have to ask Minchey to carry the offense. The Cats can control games on the ground, generate explosive plays and make life much easier for the quarterback.
There are still things to clean up. Kentucky had some shaky moments in the first half and lost two fumbles. Against SEC competition, those mistakes can be much more costly.
But it's hard to complain about an offense that produced 567 yards, averaged 8.3 yards per play and had three running backs reach triple digits.
Kentucky gets back into SEC play next Saturday when the Wildcats travel to Columbia to face South Carolina.
Kickoff is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
The Cats are 3-1. The running game is rolling. Now it's time to see if they can take it on the road.