Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Kentucky 24, Arkansas 20
Wildcats hand Hogs 14th consecutive SEC loss
Arkansas defender Jonathan Marshall forces a fumble in the first quarter Saturday in Lexington, Ky.
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Arkansas Razorbacks knocked at the door with another shot at an upset late in the fourth quarter at Kentucky on Saturday night.
And once again the door slammed shut on the University of Arkansas.
Kentucky held the Razorbacks on downs inside its 20-yard line, then unleashed versatile Lynn Bowden for more havoc to polish off a 24-20 victory before a crowd of 57,060 at Kroger Field.
The Razorbacks struggled to contain Bowden, the receiver who moved to full-time quarterback due to injuries. Bowden ran for 196 yards and two touchdowns and threw for another score for the Wildcats (3-3, 1-3 SEC), who snapped a three-game losing streak.
The Razorbacks (2-4, 0-3) lost their 14th consecutive SEC game dating to a 38-37 victory at Ole Miss on Oct. 28, 2017.
Arkansas, which led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter and 13-0 late in the first half, also dropped its 17th game since 2012 in which it held a 10-point lead or more.
The Hogs lost their second game in a row by four points in which they were driving late in the game and had to score a touchdown. Again, senior Ben Hicks was at quarterback with the game in the balance, but this time he replaced ineffective starter Nick Starkel, who completed 7 of 19 passes for 41 yards. In a 31-27 loss to Texas A&M two weeks ago, Hicks came in after Starkel sustained a left arm contusion.
Hicks was more on point, hitting 5 of 8 passes for 81 yards.
Bowden’s second touchdown, a 24-yard run over the right edge, gave Kentucky a 24-20 lead with 6:53 remaining.
Arkansas took over at its 18, and Hicks quickly put a solid drive together, starting with his 13-yard scramble to convert a third-and-3 play. After a 9-yard run from Rakeem Boyd, Hicks found Cheyenne O’Grady for passes of 15 and 22 yards to reach the Kentucky 17 with less than three minutes left.
The Wildcats stopped a Hicks run for 2 yards, before he threw incomplete for Mike Woods on second down. Calvin Taylor sacked Hicks for a 7-yard loss on third down, then T.J. Carter hit the quarterback as he threw on fourth down to force an errant pass.
The Hogs still had a chance to get the ball a final time, but Bowden had runs of 51 and 15 yards to reach the Arkansas 7 and ice the victory.
The scoring was limited until the teams traded three touchdowns midway through the second half.
Kentucky took its first lead at 17-13 with 1:50 left in the third quarter on Bowden’s 10-yard fade to Clevan Thomas to cap a 48-yard drive.
Hicks and the Razorbacks struck back, fueled by freshman Treylon Burks’ 26-yard punt return.
Burks ran 11 yards with a lateral that was setting up as a receiver pass, then caught a 15-yard slant to the Kentucky 3. After a pass interference call on the Wildcats, Boyd ran for a 2-yard score for his second touchdown to put Arkansas ahead 20-17.
Boyd ran for a career-high 134 yards.
Kentucky outgained the Hogs 418-305 in total yardage.
The Razorbacks struck early on Boyd’s 74-yard touchdown run and held momentum most of the first half, though they did not fully capitalize on scoring opportunities.
Boyd’s long scoring run, behind a gaping hole off right tackle Dalton Wagner, came on the second play of the game. It was the Hogs’ fastest touchdown since Rawleigh Williams scored on the second play of back-to-back games at Mississippi State and against Missouri in 2016.
Boyd rushed for 110 yards in the first half and averaged 12.2 yards per carry in the opening two quarters.
Arkansas drove into Kentucky territory on each of its first four series, but scored only six more points the rest of the half.
A drive to the Kentucky 41 on the Hogs’ second sequence resulted in nothing when linebacker Jamar Watson blitzed and notched a strip-sack from behind Starkel, which the quarterback recovered for a 9-yard loss.
Kentucky punt returner Josh Ali muffed the ensuing punt at the Wildcats’ 15, but the officials ruled possession to the home team as many Razorbacks reacted as if they had recovered.
Bowden drove the Wildcats into Arkansas territory on three of four first-half possessions, but Kentucky suffered from a couple of drive-stunting penalties and other mistakes.
The biggest blunder of the first half came when Kentucky Coach Mark Stoops elected to go for it on fourth and 1 from his own 35 in a Shotgun formation late in the opening quarter.
Arkansas defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall got quick penetration and knocked the ball free as Bowden tried to hand to A.J. Rose in the backfield. Linebacker De’Jon Harris pounced on the loose ball at the Kentucky 32.
A couple of Boyd runs took the ball to the Kentucky 19, and a defensive holding penalty gave Arkansas first and goal at the 9. But there the Hogs stayed and Connor Limpert’s 28-yard field goal made it 10-0.
Kentucky kicker Matt Ruffolo missed wide left on a 47-yard field goal try, opening the door for another Arkansas scoring drive.
Devwah Whaley jumpstarted that series with a 21-yard drive. Later, Starkel found Burks for a 10-yard pass to convert third and 10 to the Wildcats’ 25. The drive stalled there and Limpert made a 44-yard field goal for a 13-0 lead.
Kentucky finally finished a drive on its next series. The Wildcats ran on eight of 10 plays, but the passes went for 12 and 31 yards to tight end Justin Rigg. Bowden’s 3-yard keeper around right end cut Arkansas’ lead to 13-7 with 55 seconds left in the half.