Kentucky beats Oklahoma 21-13 in late rally
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- No. 15 Kentucky beat Oklahoma 21-13 in Norman on Saturday night.
- Jordan Castell returned an interception 41 yards for the late winning score.
- The win put Kentucky level with Georgia at the top of the SEC standings.
15th-ranked Kentucky beat Oklahoma 21-13 on Saturday night in Norman. The Wildcats scored two late touchdowns to steal the win. The result put Kentucky level with Georgia at the top of the SEC.
The SEC is the Southeastern Conference. It is one of the top leagues in US college football. Kentucky now shares first place in that league.
That is a big deal for a team that started the season with low hopes.
What happened
Kentucky started fast. Quarterback Kenny Minchey led a first-drive touchdown.
He found tight end Willie Rodriguez for a two-yard score. Kentucky led 7-0 early in the first quarter.
Oklahoma hit back. Tate Sandell kicked a 44-yard field goal.
Then quarterback John Mateer threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Rocky Beers. Oklahoma led 10-7 at half time.
The second quarter had one wild moment. Oklahoma tried a trick play. The Sooners lined up for a short field goal.
It was a fake. Jacob Ulrich threw a pass instead of a kick. Jordan Castell picked it off.
Oklahoma got nothing from the drive.
The Sooners pushed their lead to 13-7 in the third quarter. Sandell kicked a 26-yard field goal. Kentucky's attack had stalled by then.
Oklahoma held the Wildcats to 76 yards on their next five drives. Kentucky punted four times in that stretch, according to ESPN.
Kentucky needed a spark. The defense gave them one.
Ty Bryant picked off a Mateer pass late in the third quarter. He returned it 42 yards to the Oklahoma 45. Seven plays later, Minchey found Rodriguez again.
This time it was a 12-yard touchdown. Adam Zouagui kicked the extra point. Kentucky led 14-13 with 12:53 left in the game.
Oklahoma tried to answer. But Kentucky's defense forced punt after punt. Then came the biggest play of the night.
With 1:17 left, Castell picked off Mateer again. He ran 41 yards down the left side for a touchdown. That made it 21-13.
Bryant picked off one more pass with 21 seconds left. The game was over.
The numbers that tell the story
Minchey was 21 of 28 through the air. He threw for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Both touchdowns went to Rodriguez.
The first was from two yards out. The second was from 12 yards out.
Mateer threw for 270 yards and one touchdown, according to ESPN. But he also threw three interceptions. That was the difference in the game.
Kentucky's defense picked off four passes in total. The fourth came on the fake field goal try.
The Wildcats also recorded five sacks. A sack is when the defense tackles the quarterback behind the line.
Kentucky is now 6-1 overall and 4-1 in SEC play. Oklahoma fell to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the SEC.
Why it matters
Kentucky has now won five games in a row. At 6-1, the Wildcats are bowl eligible. That means they have earned a spot in a post-season bowl game.
Bowl games are bonus games played after the regular season. Only teams with winning records earn a place in one.
It took head coach Will Stein seven games to reach bowl eligibility. That is a fast start for a new coach. Kentucky fans now have real hope for a special season.
Kentucky is tied with Georgia at the top of the SEC. Auburn stunned Georgia 27-24 on the same day.
That loss opened the door. Kentucky walked straight through it.
Kentucky is also 3-0 in SEC road games this season. The last time the Wildcats won three straight SEC road games was in 2009. Winning on the road is hard in college football.
The home crowd makes noise. The travel is long. Kentucky has handled all of it.
Oklahoma fell to 3-3. The Sooners had beaten then-No. 1 Texas the week before. That win had lifted their mood.
This loss ends that good feeling. Oklahoma must now fight just to stay in the race.
The defense won this game for Kentucky. Four interceptions. Five sacks.
Three stops came when Oklahoma drove deep into Kentucky territory. The fake field goal stop kept Kentucky close when the game could have slipped away.
What happens next
Kentucky hosts Vanderbilt on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM ET. The game airs on the SEC Network.
Vanderbilt is another SEC opponent. Kentucky will be the favorite at home.
The SEC race is now wide open. Kentucky controls its own path. If the Wildcats keep winning, they can reach the SEC title game.
That game takes place in Atlanta in early December. From there, a spot in the College Football Playoff is possible. The playoff is the tournament that picks the national champion.
It was a weekend of late comebacks across football. The Texans beat the Jaguars 34-31 in London on a last-second field goal.
Kentucky's win fit the same pattern. The team that stayed calm late took the win.
Oklahoma must regroup fast. The Sooners need wins to steady their season. Their defense held Kentucky quiet for long spells.
But three Mateer interceptions proved too costly. Oklahoma will need cleaner play from its quarterback in the weeks ahead.
One night in Norman changed Kentucky's season. The Wildcats came in as the lower-ranked team on the road. They left tied at the top of the SEC.
The defense made the plays. The offense finished the job. Now the question is simple.
Can Kentucky keep this run going all the way to Atlanta?
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