Kentucky sports and beyond.
Audio from post-game after UK holds on to beat Mississippi State 14-13:
Defensive lineman Ventrell Jenkins, who finished with two sacks and four tackles overall. (2:50)
Senior running back Tony Dixon talks about his 66 yards on 12 carries. (2:17)
A snippet from A.J. Nance on that converted fake punt. (0:40)
Update: Check out Chip Cosby’s talk with Joker Phillips about criticism thrown at UK offense.
Asked what it was going to take to get the moribund UK running game cranked up, sophomore speedster Derrick Locke replied: run the ball.
Ok.
That’s understandable. Locke was afforded just six carries in UK’s 17-14 loss at Alabama on Saturday. Like most backs, he’d like more than a half-dozen totes. But fact is, Kentucky tried to run the football against the nation’s best run defense, and got absolutely nowhere. As Rich Brooks pointed out Monday, the Cats fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter. With the running game stuffed, and a two-touchdown deficit, Kentucky was forced to put the ball in the air.
Let’s go back to my favorite stat, the successful run. A review of how it works: A first-down run of four-or-more yards is deemed a successful run. If a run nets 60 percent of the yardage needed on second down, it’s a successful run. If a third-down run gains the needed yardage for a first down, it’s a successful run.
Here’s how UK did at Auburn Alabama:
| Q | Down | Rusher | Yards | Success? |
| 1 | 1-10 on 42 | Dixon | 0 | No |
| 1 | 2-10 on 42 | Dixon | 7 | No Yes |
| 1 | 3-1 on op49 | Locke | 6 | Yes |
| 1 | 2-10 on op43 | Locke | 4 | No |
| 1 | 1-10 on 20 | Smith | 0 | No |
| 1 | 1-10 on 35 | Locke | 1 | No |
| 2 | 1-13 on 3 | Smith | 2 | No |
| 2 | 2-11 on 5 | Smith | 5 | No |
| 2 | 1-10 on 23 | Locke | 2 | No |
| 2 | 1-10 on op48 | Locke | 7 | Yes |
| 2 | 1-10 on 20 | Smith | 2 | No |
| 2 | 3-3 on 27 | Smith | 2 | No |
| 3 | 1-10 on 15 | Dixon | 3 | No |
| 3 | 2-2 on 28 | Allen | -2 | No |
| 4 | 1-10 on 25 | Smith | 1 | No |
| 4 | 1-10 on 42 | Smith | 6 | Yes |
| 4 | 1-10 on 22 | Locke | 8 | Yes |
John Clay is a sports columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A native of Central Kentucky and graduate of UK, he covered UK football for 13 seasons before being promoted to columnist in 2000. He lives in Lexington with his wife and two sons. You can e-mail him at jclay@herald-leader.com.
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