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3 takeaways from Kentucky’s dominant win over outmatched Ohio

Ethan Stone

By Ethan Stone

Published:

Kentucky football improved to 2-2 on the season Saturday with a 41-6 win over visiting Ohio.

Ohio is Ohio, but a win is still a win at the end of the day for a team that had lost 2 straight heading into Saturday. Kentucky now looks ahead to a Week 5 trip to Oxford to take on Lane Kiffin and No. 5 Ole Miss.

For now, here are 3 takeaways from Kentucky’s dominant win over the Ohio Bobcats.

Maxwell Hairston leads a dominant defensive effort

Maxwell Hairston is addicted to pick-sixes. That’s my main takeaway from this one.

The senior defensive back recorded the 3rd pick-six of his career in this one, jumping a lazily thrown route for an easy touchdown. Check it out below:

Hairston only recorded 1 tackle throughout the rest of the game, but that’s a testament to his coverage. Ohio quarterback Nick Poulos only completed 8 passes for 110 yards the entire game, thanks to a suffocating secondary led by Hairston and Zion Childress.

We’ve got to talk about Mark Stoops’ clock management…

Okay, we’ve got to have a discussion about Kentucky’s clock management in crucial situations.

Sorry Wildcats fans, but I’m going to relive the end of the first half from last week for a minute here. The Wildcats had a shot at scoring a touchdown before going into the half against No. 1 Georgia, but instead elected to kick a field goal with 9 seconds remaining in the quarter. They made the field goal, of course, but missed out on a chance to extend their lead over Goliath. Who knows if the Wildcats would have scored, but the opportunity was there and Stoops and Co. didn’t even try.

Of course, the Wildcats ended up losing by just 1 point.

Now fast-forward to this week. Similar situation. The Wildcats had a chance to attempt a long field goal and add to their lead, but instead decided to go for it on 3rd down with time ticking away. Brock Vandagriff then got sacked and Kentucky was unable to rush their field goal unit out before the half expired. No points in a scenario where 3 points should be guaranteed.

Obviously, Kentucky was never in danger this week as they were last week, so “no harm, no foul.” But does it really matter? Once again, the Wildcats completely mismanaged a situation that they have to get right every single time. If it happens against Ohio it’s fine, but what if it happens against Ole Miss, Auburn, Tennessee, Louisville, etc?

Perhaps even worse? Here’s Stoops’ comment on the decision right at the half:

Not good, y’all.

Alex Raynor sets Kentucky record for most consecutive field goals made

Back to some positives. Alex Raynor, Kentucky’s kicker, set a Kentucky record for the most consecutive field goals made in school history. The below 35-yarder was Raynor’s 12th straight make.

Raynor has been fantastic for the Cats this year. He’s nailed 9 of his 9 field goal attempts (obviously), 2 of which were longer than 50 yards. He’s also a perfect 9/9 on extra points.

In a game where kickers can never be taken for granted, it’s nice for Kentucky to know they have one of the best in the nation on their side for when it matters.

Ethan Stone

Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.

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