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Highlights, MVP, and Twitter reactions to Cats’ dominant win at Mississippi State

The Cats are going bowling!

By Tristan.Pharis
/ new
Kentucky v Mississippi State Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images

Losers of three straight, Kentucky Football was in desperate need of a win as they entered Starkville to play the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday night. They walked away not just breaking their current losing streak but also getting their first win in Starkville since 2008.

Out of the gates, Kentucky looked prepared on both sides of the ball. After forcing a Mississippi State three-and-out, Kentucky took advantage and went down the field to score first on a four-minute, eight-play drive. The passing game was featured heavily in the drive, with Leary throwing 5-6 for 53 yards, including two third-down conversions.

While things started quickly, the game took on a much slower pace when Mississippi State drove for a 12-minute, 20-play drive, which ended in just a field goal. With the help of a pick-six from Deryk Jackson and another quick touchdown, the Wildcats opened up a 21-3 lead at halftime. However, the pick-six may have come at a cost, as Darrion Henry-Young suffered a serious non-contact injury.

Coming out of halftime, neither team’s offense had much substance. Kentucky had the only drive to enter opponent territory, which they scored a field goal on to increase their lead 24-3. In the fourth quarter, it was much of the same, with neither team putting too much pressure on their opponent to score.

The biggest story of the second half was Devin Leary, who looked to have injured his throwing shoulder, which is also the side of the pec that he surgically repaired last year. Leary did return to the game for one play and threw it to a wide-open Dane Key for a touchdown until he dropped it.

While the exact injury or severity is not known, Leary was in and out of the injury tent twice before returning to the sideline, as Kaiya Sheron played the remainder of the game. With a matchup against Alabama next week, that is not promising.

Game MVP

Today’s MVP is Tayvion Robinson, who caught five passes for a total of 91 yards. While the offense wasn’t the most efficient tonight, the three big play connections between Leary and Robinson provided Kentucky with offense opportunities to score, which they capitalized on.

Robinson’s 91 receiving yards are his fourth most at Kentucky and his second most this season behind his six-catch, 136-yard performance against Akron.

Box Score

Highlights

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