Saturday afternoon was a familiar site for Kentucky fans, as Kroger Field was only half full during the national anthem and the Wildcats’ start to their season opener with the Central Michigan Chippewas was lackluster.
New starting quarterback, Terry “Touchdown” Wilson, had a nightmare first half with two interceptions and a fumble. Somehow Kentucky was still in contention, thanks to two bursts from running backs AJ Rose (55-yard) and Benny Snell Jr (52-yard) that went for touchdowns.
Wilson suffered an injury during the end of the second quarter that inserted backup quarterback Gunnar Hoak.
Hoak lit up the Chippewas, taking Kentucky down the field in just 55 seconds to connect on a touchdown pass to slot receiver David Bouvier. It was Hoak’s first career passing touchdown and Bouvier’s first on the receiving end.
The score gave Kentucky a slight 21-20 lead heading into halftime, with the defense playing a superior first 30 minutes of football.
After the break, the Wildcats came out with a smash-mouth mentality and never looked back. Veterans Josh Allen and Kash Daniel put the heat on the Chippewas, shutting out Central Michigan while both Rose and Snell each scored another touchdown (both from the Wildcat formation). Wilson also returned from injury and played much better than his first half self.
Kentucky’s 14-0 victory of the second half sealed Central Michigan’s fate, 35-20.
Starting their season 1-0, Kentucky will face the near impossible as they head down to “The Swamp” in Gainesville, Florida to take on the Florida Gators.
It’s been three decades since Kentucky last beat Florida, with last year’s defeat coming at the expense of a fourth quarter debacle.
As head coach Mark Stoops takes his team down south, he’ll have by far his best defense and a two-headed monster of a rushing attack to rely on. If one of his quarterback can make a handful of plays, this may be the year for the Wildcats.