Boogie Knight vs Kentucky 2021
Justin Casterline
10
ULM ULM 0-1 , 0-0
45
Winner Kentucky UKY 1-0 , 0-0
ULM ULM
0-1 , 0-0
10
Final
45
Kentucky UKY
1-0 , 0-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ULM ULM 7 0 0 3 10
UKY Kentucky 14 14 3 14 45

Game Recap: Football |

Kentucky Tops ULM in Bowden's Coaching Debut, 45-10

ULM vs. Kentucky Photo Gallery

By ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist Paul Letlow

LEXINGTON, Ky. – At first blush, ULM was off to a rousing start in its first game under head coach Terry Bowden.

A 31-point underdog against Kentucky at Kroger Field, the Warhawks landed a pair of early punches that surely had their fans smiling shortly after the 11 a.m. CT kickoff.

Indeed, before succumbing 45-10 to the Wildcats, ULM enjoyed a brief moment in the sun.

Kentucky would amass 554 total yards in the contest but saw its first series end in frustration when ULM safety Jabari Johnson intercepted quarterback Will Levis on the opening drive at the Kentucky 43.

From there, quarterback Rhett Rodriguez directed an 11-play, 43-yard drive punctuated with Kadyn Roach's 3-yard touchdown run. The Warhawks led 7-0 with 8:53 left in the first quarter, an advantage they never enjoyed during the winless 2020 campaign .

"First of all, they came out with an intent and a purpose to win a football game," Bowden said. "You always want to see if they're ready to play and we created a turnover and we drove down for a score. You know mentally, their mindset was to come out here and win a game.

"Now, that team proved better than we are. We played hard, but I don't know that we played our best. But you have to give credit first to that team."

As expected Rodriguez drew the start at quarterback. The Arizona transfer completed 9-of-17 attempts for 56 yards and was sacked four times. Colby Suits and Chandler Rogers also saw limited action in the game as ULM played three quarterbacks.

Rogers directed a fourth-quarter scoring drive that covered 28 yards in 11 plays. Calum Sutherland kicked a 29-yard field goal with 4:39 remaining.

Receiver Boogie Knight, an Akron transfer, emerged as ULM's most productive offensive threat with six catches for 58 yards. The Warhawks were limited to 87 yards on 63 plays with 12 first downs.

"Offensively, we've got to find some spark," Bowden said. "We just don't seem to have somebody that can make plays down the field. They defensively were able to get to our quarterback quickly. They were able to stuff our run. When their personnel is better than we are, there are a lot of things we can't do that I think against other people we'll be able to do."

Coordinator Zac Alley's defense registered three takeaways in the game with the interception and two fumble recoveries, Johnson and Adam Sparks led with seven tackles while Ty Shelby record two sacks and a forced fumble.

"Ty is one of our leaders and plays hard," Bowden said. "He's a veteran who has experience. He always gets himself around the ball, so I'm not surprised he had a good game."

Following ULM's early success, Kentucky responded instantly with a five-play, 84-yard scoring drive. Levis threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Wan'Dale Robinson to tie the game at 7-7, igniting a blitz of 38 unanswered points by the home team.

After forcing a ULM punt, Kentucky retaliated again with a one-play, 58-yard pass from Levis to Josh Ali to put the Wildcats ahead 14-7.

The Kentucky offensive surge continued into the second quarter as Chris Rodriguez Jr. punched in a 2-yard score for a 21-7 lead. The Wildcats covered 85 yards in 14 plays.

Kentucky led 28-7 after Robinson scored his second touchdown on a 15-yard reception from Levis to wrap an 80-yard, four play drive.

Kentucky carried its 21-point lead into halftime after outgaining the Warhawks, 341 yards to 42. ULM was just 2-of-9 on third-down conversions.

The third quarter was mostly quiet until the 3:54 mark when Kentucky's Matt Ruffolo booted a 45-yard field goal for a 31-7 lead.

Kentucky extended its advantage to 38-7 on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Levis to Brenden Bates with 13:07 left in the fourth quarter. Kentucky covered 80 plays in nine plays.

After Sutherland's field goal, the Wildcats finished the scoring as Mike Drennen punched in a 4-yard rush with 1:00 remaining.

"We'll grade the film and look at how we did," Bowden said. "The main thing is if we played hard and correct our mistakes, we'll get a lot better from this game."

Something special: When ULM went ahead 7-0 in the first quarter, it marked the team's first lead in a game since the 2019 season.

Good call: ULM's Calum Sutherland booted a 41-yard field goal on the first drive, but a Kentucky personal foul gave the Warhawks fresh downs. Bowden elected to take three points off the board to set up the touchdown three plays later.

Enemy lines: Levis, the Penn State transfer, enjoyed a monster outing in his first Kentucky start. Levis completed 18-of-26 passes for 367 yards and four TDs in three-plus quarters.

"He had a couple of bad throws early, but he really settled down," Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. "It was nice to see us complete the ball down the field and make some big plays."

Ali with five catches for 136 yards and Robinson with five catches for 125 yards and two scores were the top targets.

Rodriguez Jr. led the ground attack with 125 yards on 19 carries.

UK finished with 419 yards passing and 145 yards on the ground.

Up next: After an open date, ULM plays host to Jackson State on Sept. 18. Kickoff at Malone Stadium is 7 p.m.

Tail feathers: Kentucky improved to 5-1 in the series against ULM. … ULM wore a helmet sticker honoring legendary Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, who died in August. Bowden is Terry Bowden's father … In the second quarter, the Warhawks recorded their second takeaway as Mark Williams recovered Kavosiey Smoke's fumble at the ULM 35. … ULM had 43 yards on its first drive of the game, then 44 yards the rest of the game. … Levis became the first UK passer to throw for over 300 yards since Stephen Johnson had 338 against Louisville in 2016.
 
 
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