Mistakes pile up as UK football remains winless in SEC play after 33-10 loss

Staff report

UK and Missouri entered Saturday’s game with no wins in Southeastern Conference play between them. For much of the game, both teams made enough mistakes to ensure they would not be breaking that streak.

In the end though, it was Kentucky that ended up on top in the mistake tally and on the bottom of the final score in a 33-10 loss.

UK opened the game with a promising 60-yard drive, but junior tailback Jonathan George fumbled at the Missouri 11-yard line and Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson returned the fumble 60 yards.

Four plays and 25 yards later Missouri had scored the first touchdown of the game.

A 50-yard kickoff return from junior tailback Raymond Sanders set up a four-play, 50-yard touchdown drive, capped by a Sanders’ one-yard carry, for the Cats to tie the game.

The Cats recovered a muffed punt in the second quarter to set up a 43-yard field goal from senior kicker Craig McIntosh, but on UK’s next drive a botched hold on a field goal try, when freshman holder Jared Leet fumbled the snap, gave the Tigers the ball back at midfield and led to their second touchdown of the game.

J. D. Harmon. (Photo from UK Athletics)

In the third quarter, UK freshman corner back J. D. Harmon picked off back to back passes from Missouri quarterback Corbin Berkstresser, but the Cats could not score on either of the resulting drives that began in Missouri territory.

Missouri would add a field goal on a drive than began near midfield and a touchdown after Wildcat freshman quarterback Patrick Towles fumbled at his own 12-yard line to put the game out of reach. The Tigers later returned a Sanders’ fumble for a touchdown.

None of Missouri’s scoring drives started from farther away from the end zone than the Tigers’ own 48-yard line, while UK wasted two drives that started deep in Missouri territory.

The teams combined for 10 fumbles in the game, but UK lost three of its six fumbles while Missouri only lost one of its four. The Tigers scored 20 points off UK’s turnovers, while UK scored just three points off the Tigers’ three turnovers.

UK rotated freshmen Jalen Whitlow and Towles at quarterback but neither player was able to establish any consistency in the passing game. Whitlow, who started, completed nine of 18 passes for 76 yards with 62 of those passing yards coming on the Cats’ first two drives of the game. Towles completed one of four passes for two yards, was sacked twice and lost a fumble.

The loss dropped UK to 1-8 on the season, and 0-6 in SEC play.