Jovantae Barnes scores first TD of Kentucky career to even score with South Alabama
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Jovantae Barnes racked up 1,281 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground with the Oklahoma Sooners. Through three weeks, he had posted just two total yards on four touches for the Kentucky Wildcats. Saturday afternoon, he picked up his pace.
Facing a 2nd-and-Goal from the South Alabama 7-yard line in the second quarter, Kentucky turned to Barnes. He tried taking the handoff from quarterback Kenny Minchey right up the middle, but the Jaguars clogged any open avenues. Barnes then bounced to his right, found a sliver of space and burst through it for his first touchdown as a Wildcat.
Barnes turned 3 carries into 20 yards and the touchdown on Kentucky’s scoring possession. His opportunity came in relief of starting rusher CJ Baxter, who racked up 88 yards and a score of his own prior to Barnes’ first touch.
The Wildcats are not dominating the Jaguars on the scoreboard, but they are gashing them on the ground. One play after South Alabama regained the lead, Kentucky tied the game again on a 75-yard rushing touchdown from Jason Patterson. The scoring scamper gave Wildcat running backs 19 carries for 196 yards (10.3 yards per carry) and three touchdowns through that point of the first half.
Following Patterson’s touchdown, Kentucky intercepted South Alabama quarterback Jared Hollins and notched a field goal to claim a 24-21 edge heading into halftime. You can watch the Jaguars and Wildcats on SEC Network.
