Box score and MVP from Kentucky vs. Mississippi State

The Kentucky Wildcats fell to the Mississippi State Bulldogs by a score of 28-13 Saturday afternoon.

The Cats didn’t get off to the best of starts as they were steadily driving the ball right down the field before Sawyer Smith threw a pick-6 right into the linebacker’s arms. It wasn’t ideal to say the least.

And it didn’t get any better. Actually, it got a lot worse.

Kentucky went into the half down 21-3 as they made mental mistake after mental mistake. No one played particularly well and the Cats missed a 47-yard field goal right before the halftime buzzer.

Sawyer Smith struggled in this one. He made some big throws, but he also made big mistakes and he had a hard time connecting with his receivers. However, it didn’t help that UK wide outs dropped three touchdown passes and the kicker missed two field goals.

It also didn’t help that Smith looked like he was playing on a bum shoulder. He got hit hard and played through it. You have to respect that.

Lynn Bowden put up some solid numbers, but he dropped three wide open passes and that’s unacceptable for anyone, much less one of the best players on the team. He hasn’t looked as into it this year as he did last season. But he did finish strong and helped give Kentucky a chance.

I don’t mean to overreact, but Chance Poore might be one of the worst field goal kickers I’ve ever seen. I don’t know what else to say. He had another bad performance, including a missed 26-yard attempt, and something has to change.

Finally, AJ Rose played one hell of a game despite all the criticism through the first two weeks. Kavosiey Smoke was bottled up all night, but the Dogs couldn’t contain Rose. This was an excellent bounce-back performance for the speedster.

The Cats had every chance. They just came out sluggish and unprepared. And they couldn’t finish in the red zone.

On to the next one. Kentucky will now look ahead to the South Carolina Gamecocks next Saturday on the road.

Box Score

Game MVP

Lynn Bowden finished strong, AJ Rose played a great game, but Brandin Echols impacted the game in a multitude of ways.

The defense struggled at times, but all in all, they played well and Echols played a huge part in that.

The JUCO cornerback plays with a chip on his shoulder. He finished with 10 tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and one forced fumble. That forced fumble came when MSU was about to extend their lead and effectively end the game.

Echols is small, but he has the heart of a lion. With such an inexperienced secondary, having a kid that plays as hard as he does is essential for the Cats. They’re lucky to have him.