After three consecutive weeks of playing uphill for entire games, the Kentucky Wildcats celebrated Senior Day by ending that trend in a hurry.

A minute and 27 seconds into UK’s 34-23 victory over Middle Tennessee State, senior safety Mike Edwards grabbed an errant Brent Stockstill pass and raced 66 yards down the left sideline for a game-opening score that gave Kentucky a lead it would never relinquish.

From there, the Wildcats rode an efficient ground attack to the team’s 8th regular-season win, the first time since 1984 that the Wildcats accomplished the feat. With next week’s tilt against a morbid Louisville squad and a bowl game to go, Kentucky sent off its Senior Class from Kroger Field with a chance to be the first UK squad to reach 10 wins in a season since 1977.

MTSU scaled Kentucky’s advantage back to 31-23 on a 5-yard pass from Stockstill to Patrick Smith with 13:18 to play in the game.  MTSU then stopped Kentucky on a fourth down run on their own end of the field in order to regain possession. On 4th-and-short on the Kentucky 32, senior Josh Allen sacked Stockstill to allow the Wildcats to grind out the victory.

Kentucky recorded back to back sacks to close out the game, including Allen’s second sack. The Wildcats finished with 7 sacks.

Offensive, running back Benny Snell carried the day for the Wildcats, scoring a pair of touchdowns and amassing 100 rushing yards for the 17th time in his career. Snell eclipsed 3,600 career rushing yards and is closing in on Kentucky’s Sonny Collins, who holds UK’s career mark with 3,835 yards.

Snell’s first touchdown was a 7-yard run with 8:36 to go in the opening quarter that extended Kentucky’s advantage to 14-0. Kentucky extended its advantage to as many as 21 points, leading 31-10 on Snell’s second touchdown, a 6-yard run, on the opening drive of the second half. From there, MTSU pulled back into the game with a pair of touchdown drives.

Kentucky will finish the regular season at Louisville, which parted ways with Bobby Petrino last Sunday and then fell to 2-9 with a loss to NC State this afternoon. Kentucky appears likely to be placed in a Florida bowl, perhaps the Citrus or Outback, depending on myriad factors and other teams.

Middle Tennessee fell to 7-4 with the loss, but carries a 6-1 mark this season in Conference USA heading into next week’s matchup with UAB. It was the Blue Raiders’ third loss to an SEC school this season, with the others coming to Vanderbilt (35-7) and Georgia (49-7).