Kentucky football score? Mark Stoops of Great Britain beats Ohio in Lexington, Kentucky.

LEXINGTON – Kentucky's offense was burdened with an eight-quarter touchdown streak on Saturday and wouldn't have to do much to show improvement in that regard.

A touchdown would mean progress.

The Wildcats' offense did just that. And they added three more points – helped along by their strong defense and the ever-reliable kicker Alex Raynor.

Overall, the game ended with a stress-free 41-6 win for UK over Ohio at Kroger Field.

The Wildcats (2-2) did what they had to do to get the better of their Mid-American Conference opponent. The 35-point victory helped Kentucky end its two-game losing streak after two home losses (South Carolina and Georgia).

“It's nice to be back on the winning track,” said UK coach Mark Stoops. “I feel like our guys have worked really hard the last few weeks to get some things right and have had the right mindset in their preparation.”

The United Kingdom's offense delivered a solid, if not spectacular, performance against Ohio (2:2).

The Wildcats, who totaled 488 yards (282 passing, 206 running), had eight possessions: They scored four touchdowns, kicked two field goals (both by Raynor), punted once and had one turnover on downs.

“I wish we could have scored a few more points and gotten some guys a few more snaps, but we got away late,” Stoops said. “But I told you that all week – that it was going to happen. (Our players) knew … they had to win the snap, and it was going to be methodical.”

The hosts might have got the “few more points” that Stoops wanted if there had not been a time error at the end of the first half.

On third-and-11 at Ohio's 33-yard line with 19 seconds left in the game, Kentucky had no timeout. Instead of kicking a field goal, UK grabbed the ball. The Bobcats dropped Wildcats quarterback Brock Vandagriff and lost 10 yards. Although UK sent its field goal team onto the field, it was too late: time ran out before Raynor could launch a 60-yard field goal attempt.

“We blew that at the end of the first half,” Stoops said. “That's on me. I knew better. I knew I should have kicked it on the third attempt like I was going to. That's on me. Since there were no timeouts, we had to kick it there.”

Despite this missed opportunity, Great Britain went into the dressing room with a 17-0 lead.

Running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye scored both touchdowns in the first half, from the 1- and 2-yard lines, respectively. Receiver Barion Brown also scored on the ground, running for 23 yards in the final quarter to extend the lead to 34-6.

The British offense crossed the goal line four times, but none of these goals came through the air.

Vandagriff, who hasn't thrown a touchdown pass since a 31-0 win over Southern Miss in Week 1, finished Saturday completing 17 of 24 passes for 237 yards. He left the field in the fourth quarter, making way for backup Gavin Wimsatt with 10:02 left. Wimsatt scored the game's final touchdown with 3:45 left, putting the finishing touches on the Wildcats' commanding victory.

“Nice to see Gavin get some reps,” Stoops said. “I thought Brock did a really good job, too. He played hard and got some yards. It was good to get some yards and get the ball in the air a little bit.”

Although he didn't throw a touchdown, Vandagriff threw passes early and often to junior wide receiver Dane Key. Key caught seven passes for 145 yards, matching the game's highest passing scores in both categories.

“I just wanted to go out there and do my best and let the ball come to me,” said Key, who set a personal record with his pass catches while also tying his all-time high for most passes caught in a game after also catching seven passes last season against Tennessee.

Kentucky's other touchdown came at the expense of Ohio's offense: Cornerback Maxwell Hairston intercepted a pass from Bobcats signal-caller Nick Poulos and carried it back 25 yards for a touchdown at 5:12 of the third quarter.

Kentucky will be on the road for the first time this season after concluding its four-game home series next week.

Awaiting UK in Oxford, Mississippi, is an Ole Miss club that entered Saturday with a 3-0 record and ranked No. 5 in the latest U.S. LBM Coaches Poll.

Ole Miss hosts Georgia Southern at 6:45 p.m.

Next week's contest at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, which will be televised nationally on either ABC or ESPN, is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. ET.

“It was a hot day (today) for our players, but we needed that to test ourselves and push ourselves,” Stoops said. “And in some ways that's nice because we're playing really early next week. So our guys don't have to be out all night. They need to rest and sleep. And we need to have a great week of preparation because we know what a challenge we have ahead of us.”

“(The rebels) will challenge you in every way and put you under pressure in many ways. That's why we need to be on top of things from the beginning of the week.”

Reach Kentucky men's basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

Kentucky football score? Mark Stoops of Great Britain beats Ohio in Lexington, Kentucky.

ByVanessa

By Vanessa

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