CJ Baxter, Jason Patterson and Jovantae Barnes rushed for a combined 386 yards and five scores, helping Kentucky pull away from South Alabama in a 45-21 win Saturday afternoon in Lexington, Ky.
Baxter (career-high 149 yards, one score), Patterson (career-high 137 yards, three TDs) and Barnes (100 yards, one score) are just the second trio of Kentucky players to each reach 100 rushing yards in the same game, with the previous time coming on Oct. 3, 2020, against Ole Miss.
Kenny Minchey completed 19 of 25 passes for 177 yards and a TD, giving him eight touchdowns and one interception through his first four starts.
South Alabama’s Jared Hollins, starting a second straight game in place of the injured Bishop Davenport, was 23-of-43 passing for 266 yards, two touchdowns and two picks, while receiver Jeremiah Jones-Thomas had game highs of six catches and 91 receiving yards.
Despite 295 yards of offense in the first half, Kentucky (3-1) held just a 24-21 halftime edge thanks to some costly mistakes.
However, the Wildcats dominated the second half, outscoring the Jaguars (2-2) 21-0 while outgaining them 272-153.
Patterson made it 31-21 just 1:47 into the second half with his second touchdown. He then added his third TD from 2 yards out with 12:55 left in the game.
Minchey’s touchdown came on a 15-yard connection with Shane Carr with 10:45 left.
After Baxter opened the scoring with a 3-yard TD run late in the first quarter, a muffed punt set up the Jaguars’ PJ Martin for a game-tying 7-yard touchdown with 14:17 left in the first half.
Kentucky’s second turnover on downs of the half then allowed South Alabama to take a 14-7 lead on Hollins’ 36-yard connection with Anthony Eager.
The Wildcats leveled the score once more on Barnes’ 7-yard TD on the ensuing drive before an untimely personal foul allowed the Jaguars to reclaim the lead on Jones-Thomas’ 19-yard touchdown catch.
But Kentucky went into halftime ahead after scoring 10 points in the final 72 seconds. Patterson broke a 75-yard touchdown run to open the next drive, and a Grant Godfrey interception set up Adam Zouagui for a go-ahead 34-yard field goal with 16 seconds left.