Kentucky uses size, strength to roll past Colonels, 37-12

Nathan Hutchinson

LEXINGTON — Even at less than full strength, the Wildcats had more than enough talent, depth and size to pick up a comfortable, if not convincing, win over an overmatched in-state opponent.

Kentucky took the field without its starting running back (Derrick Locke), top receiver (Randall Cobb) and best quarterback (Mike Hartline), but still finished with 444 yards of total offense during a 37-12 win over the Colonels (5-4, 5-2 OVC) Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium.

The Wildcats (5-4, 1-4) had just 10-7 advantage late in the second quarter before scoring 27-straight points to take a commanding lead.

“At first I thought that we could stick with these guys,” Eastern Kentucky University freshman quarterback T.J. Pryor said. “But, they had bigger guys. Stronger, faster guys. They were knocking us around. It felt like David and Goliath.”

The Colonels scored on a fake field goal just before the half, but never could get much else going offensively against Kentucky. The Wildcats were methodical, not spectacular on offense, yet still they had five drives of more than nine plays, 234 yards rushing and had eight different receivers catch a least one pass.

“When you play a BCS conference team, especially from the SEC, your margin for error is going to be very small. You are going to have a chance, but when you get that one little crack of light, you’ve got to make (it count).”

The win was Kentucky’s 18th-straight against non-conference opponents, breaking the school record, which was set from 1954-60.

The victory also moves the Wildcats one step closer to securing a fourth-straight bowl appearance.

“I thought it was a workmanlike effort, if you will,” Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said. “I thought our guys really kind of took care of what they needed to take care of in this game.”

Freshman Morgan Newton started for the fourth-consecutive game and completed 20-of-29 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns for Kentucky. Will Fidler was three-of-six for 23 yards in limited action.

With Locke out of the lineup, Alfonzo Smith and Moncell Allen carried the load for UK. The duo combined for 122 yards on 26 carries and each scored a touchdown.

Freshman running back Donald Russell had a team-high 92 yards rushing, including a 79-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.

“No matter where you looked on the field, Smith was all over the place,” EKU junior linebacker Jordan Dalrymple said. “They had some big fullbacks. They just ran the ball all over us. I think we excelled in some areas, but we’ve got to get better.”

The Colonels had a season-low 264 yards of total offense — and roughly half of those yards were accumulated on their two scoring drives.

Pryor was nine-of-28 for 137 yards and was intercepted twice.

“I guess we just weren’t mentally prepared,” Pryor said. “We didn’t know what was ahead of us.”

Allen scored on a 1-yard run with 4:31 left in the first, then Lones Seiber connected on a 22-yard field goal to put the Cats up 10-0.

The Colonels responded with an eight-play, 72 drive that featured a 42-yard reception on Orlandus Harris. EKU lined up for a field goal on fourth-and-eight on the UK 9-yard line, but EKU’s holder Marcus Williams took the ball and ran into the end zone untouched for a touchdown with 2:44 left before halftime.

“(Special teams) coach (Dane) Damron had been working on that and we felt like we had a shot and that was a good time to do it,” Hood said. “The kids did a good job of executing the play.”

Smith scored on a 1-yard run with 41 seconds left before the half to give Kentucky a 17-6 lead.

The Wildcats missed a short field goal on their first possession of the second half. On that drive, EKU defensive back Andre Evans couldn’t come up with an interception that probably would have resulted in a touchdown.

“That would have went to the house and it would have been 17-13,” Hood said.

Maurice Grinter scored on a 14-yard pass in the third, then later in the quarter, Chris Matthews added an 18-yard TD reception. Russell’s long touchdown run in the fourth quarter put UK up 37-6.

On the Colonels’ final drive, H.B. Banjoman scored on a 2-yard run with just 1:23 left in the game.

Kentucky has won all three meetings between the two schools. The Colonels have not beaten an FBS team since 1985 (Louisville).

EKU is set to return to action next Saturday against Western Carolina.