The Kentucky Wildcats capped off the first month of the season with a 3-1 record as they defeated South Alabama
45-21 on Saturday. The Wildcats struggled in the first half but dominated in the second half. It all started up front, as the big blue wall looks to be getting better every week. Let's spotlight offensive players that made an impact in the win, which was a historic game on the ground for Kentucky.HB CJ Baxter
Kentucky's offensive line deserves a lot of credit for the success of all the running backs we are about to mention. CJ Baxter looks healthy, he is a handful to bring down and we finally saw some explosives from Baxter on Saturday. Baxter had 149 rushing yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. Baxter had an explosive 53 yard carry and averaged
9.3 yards per carry on the day.
HB Jason Patterson
I am convinced Jason Patterson is the best running back on this football team, he has been unbelievable to start the season. Patterson had the 75-yard touchdown that really started the momentum shift for the Wildcats in what turned out to be a dominant performance on the ground. Patterson consistently breaks tackles and has the best burst out of all these running backs. Patterson scored three times on Saturday, he had 137 rushing yards on 12 carries which is an average of 11.4 yards per carry.
HB Jovantae Barnes
It was good to see Jovantae Barnes get going for Kentucky, he really flashed in his limited touches. Barnes had eight carries for 100 rushing yards and a touchdown, his longest rush was a 39-yard gain. Averaging over 12 yards per carry, Barnes showed a great blend of speed and power in this performance. As the first month of the season comes to a close, Kentucky will enter October with three healthy running backs that they all have confidence in.
As I highlighted all three running backs, you have to tip your cap to this offensive line. Offensive line coach Cutter Leftwich has done a phenomenal job with this group as they seem to improve every single week. This is quickly becoming a strength of Kentucky's football team again. The big blue wall is back.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky offensive spotlights in week four win over South Alabama
