Seth McGowan rushed for 72 yards and three touchdowns as Kentucky cruised past Tennessee Tech 42-10 on Saturday at Kroger Field.
Quarterback Cutter Boley was efficient, completing 18 of 21 through the air for 236 yards and a touchdown. Kendrick Law was the primary target for Boley, catching a career-high 11 passes for a career-high 124 yards.
Kentucky (5-5) got five tackles apiece from Ty Bryant, Grant Godfrey and Daveren Rayner.
The Kentucky defense forced a three-and-out on the first TTU possession. After a punt, the Cats took over at their own 12 yard line.
On UK’s first possession, the Cats went to the ground game early, with Seth McGowan picking up 23 yards on five carries. Kentucky would cross midfield and that’s when Boley found Kendrick Law for a 43-yard completion that got the Cats to the TTU six yard line. Two plays later, McGowan scored on a one-yard run. Jacob Kauwe added the point after and Kentucky led 7-0 with 6:55 left in the first quarter.
The Golden Eagles went three-and-out on their second possession as well and a 30-yard punt set the Cats up at their own 41. Kentucky would take advantage of the good field position, covering 59 yards in six plays, ending with a 30-yard touchdown rush from Boley. Kauwe added the point after and Kentucky led 14-0. That would be score after one quarter.
Tennessee Tech would put together a solid drive on its next possession. The Golden Eagles would get three first downs and would get into UK territory. However a 32-yard field goal by Dom LeBlanc missed wide left, and the score remained 14-0.
The Cats were unable to do anything with the ensuing possession and punted the ball back to the Golden Eagles, who took over at their own 20 with 9:36 left in the half.
On the third play of the TTU drive, quarterback Kekoa Visperas was intercepted by UK’s Cam Dooley, giving the Cats the ball at their own 49. Kentucky would take advantage of the good field position. UK went 51 yards in nine plays, mostly on the ground, and McGowan found pay dirt again on a four-yard touchdown run. Kauwe added the point after and UK led 21-0 with 3:46 left in the half.
Tennessee Tech would get on the board on its next drive. The Golden Eagles went 65 yards in nine plays, ending when Visperas found Brian Courtney for an eight-yard touchdown pass. LeBlanc added the point after and UK’s lead was cut to 21-7 with 1:18 left in the half.
The Cats were not done with the half. Kendrick Law returned the kickoff 40 yards and a personal foul penalty set the Cats up at the TTU 45. A 19-yard completion to Law, followed by a 20-yard connection with Ja’Mori Maclin set Kentucky up to score late. Two plays later, McGowan scored again, this time from one yard out, to extend the lead. Kauwe’s PAT made it 28-7 with 19 seconds left in the half. That would be the halftime score.
Kentucky had the ball to begin the third quarter, but the Cats went three-and-out and punted the ball back to TTU, who took over at their own 39.
Tennessee Tech had a solid drive, covering 40 yards in eight drives. However, the UK defense stopped the Golden Eagles and forced a field goal. LeBlanc was good from 38 yards out and the UK lead was cut to 28-10 with 9:15 left in the third quarter.
The Cats’ ensuing drive was methodical, as UK went to the ground with McGowan and Dante Dowdell. However, Boley was sacked for a loss of 12 and it appeared that the drive would stall. However, on the next play, Boley found Hardley Gilmore IV across the middle and Gilmore did the rest, taking it to the house for a 45-yard touchdown reception. Kauwe added the point after and Kentucky led 35-10 with 2:24 left in the third quarter. That would be the score through three periods.
As the fourth quarter began, TTU drove into UK territory, getting to the UK 26. However, on fourth and six, the UK defense forced an incompletion and the Golden Eagles turned the ball over on downs with 13:07 left in the game.
Kentucky would waste little time, covering 74 yards in just five plays, ending with a 19-yard touchdown run by Dowdell. Zach Schreiner added the PAT and Kentucky led 42-10 with 10:37 remaining.
The Cats return to action on Saturday, visiting Vanderbilt in Southeastern Conference action. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET. The TV network will be designated later.
Courtesy of UK Athletics
