Coming into the game in Norman, most everyone was down on Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer; even his coach had thought about benching him earlier in the year.
Meanwhile, Kentucky Football seemed to strike gold with Kenny Minchey, who has come in and executed Will Stein and Joe Sloan’s offense to perfection.
For 3 quarters, that completely changed. But when it mattered most, it flipped again.
Kentucky couldn’t get near John Mateer, who carved the Cats up in the first half. Mateer was 15/20 for
167 yards and a TD. Meanwhile, the Cats’ line was holding up, but the offense didn’t click after a really good opening drive.
After a 13-play, 67-yard opening drive, the Cats cooled way down, gaining just 57 more yards before halftime. Minchey was 9/13 and only had 59 yards in the first half. He didn’t find his rhythm in the 3rd as he has in the past, but the fourth offered some hope.
You have to give the Sooners credit. They forced Minchey off his spot, and Kentucky’s QB1 couldn’t make enough plays on the run through 3 quarters.
After a great throw to Rodriguez for 14, Minchey was off target on the next 3rd-down throw, throwing behind Willie, and Oklahoma harmlessly knocked it down.
Mateer answered with a dart to Isaiah Sategna to pick up 25 and jump-start another Sooner drive. To start the night, Oklahoma had drives of 13, 12, 12, 3, and 10 plays. What started as a 7-0 lead became a 13-7 deficit, and the offense needed a big answer.
After a great play by Kentucky’s defense to get them the ball back, Minchey had his best throw of the night. He found Willie Rodriguez on a wheel route in between 3 Sooner defenders to put the Cats up 14-13. It was a perfect throw.
After another huge Kentucky stop, Will Stein rolled the dice on 4th and 4 inside the 10, but a missed assignment by Lance Herd and Olaus Alinen allowed Oklahoma a free rush on Minchey, and the Cats’ defense would have to step up one more time.
Minchey would get back out on the field after a great defensive stand with just over 5 minutes to go. A holding penalty and a blown-up screen left Kentucky with a 2nd and 19. Another screen to Anderson forced Kentucky to punt it back to Oklahoma with just over 3 minutes to go.
But just as Minchey came alive in the 4th, Mateer faltered. Mateer hit Jordan Castell in the gut, and the Kentucky safety took it to the house.
On the night, Minchey was 21/28 for 158 yards. His counterpart was 24/40 for 270 yards. The difference was that the Kentucky QB took care of the ball, finishing with 2 TDs, while Mateer had 3 interceptions.
The Cats improved to 6-1 and are now tied for first place in the SEC. Minchey wasn’t flashy, but he did exactly what he needed to do to win the game. What more could you ask for?
