[SLIDESHOW] UK beats Louisiana-Monroe, 36-13

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For one week at least, there were no theatrics.

There was no fourth-quarter comeback, no emotional roller coaster and no late heroics from sophomore Randall Cobb. It wasn’t always pretty and the Cats weren’t perfect, but they still dispatched Louisiana-Monroe 36-13 on a chilly Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium. UK also celebrated Military Appreciation Day on Saturday, and a contingent of troops from Fort Knox were on hand for the game.

“It definitely feels good to get a win, especially in a decisive manner,” senior defensive tackle Corey Peters said. “I don’t think there was any point when I felt like we would lose or anything like that. I think that’s always positive. That being said, I think there were times when we could have played better but we’ll take it and we’ll move forward.”

The Cats’ defense bent against the Warhawks’ balanced attack but never broke. UK held Louisiana-Monroe to 2-of-5 on red zone possessions. Louisiana-Monroe outgained UK, registered more first downs, completed for a higher percentage on third downs and controlled the clock for ten minutes more than UK, but the defense never gave in.
UK jumped out to an early lead on Louisiana-Monroe, another change from earlier in the season. UK had struggled in the first and second quarters against other teams, and being able to take control early set the pace for the rest of the game.
“That was big for us,” Cobb said. “As an offense, we knew we needed to get a jump on them because if you let a team like ULM hang around, that’s just going to build their confidence and give them a chance to come through in the end.”
But there was no chance to come through in the end. UK led by two possessions entering the fourth quarter and sealed the game with a safety and three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Backups played most of the final quarter as fans filed out. Most of the fans who stayed into the fourth quarter seemed more interested in starting a ‘wave’ than what was left of the game, which only grew more stale as Louisiana-Monroe turned the ball over repeatedly. In his first collegiate start, freshman Cody Wells played well for the Warhawks before a late meltdown when he threw three interceptions.

UK’s quarterbacks continued to struggle. As a team, UK completed 13-of-23 passes for 145 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Freshman Morgan Newton started the game for the Cats, but junior Will Fidler saw the majority of the snaps under center.

“We need more production from that position,” UK head coach Rich Brooks said. “We did some things better, I thought, in this game. We did complete some passes and move the chains with our quarterbacks in the passing game a little bit. But overall our passing game is not where it needs to be and our quarterbacks have to continue to develop.”

But with all that, the team said they still have more positives than negatives to take away from the game. Even with the mistakes, the Cats still got the job done.

“I think we would have liked to play a little bit better, but when it’s all said and done, a win’s a win,” Fidler said.

After two tough weeks on the road and a pair of crushing losses in the two weeks before that, there was still plenty to be happy about — for most people, anyway.

“We’re 4-3. No, I’m not happy,” Brooks said. “But I’m happy with where we are now based on where we were two weeks ago. I think to get the Auburn win and then come home and get this one, it’s critical. It puts us in position to go back into conference play this coming week against Mississippi State and play a critical football game for us and for them. This is a huge football game for both teams next week.”

Game notes
Senior linebacker Micah Johnson left the game early with an MCL injury and did not return. He is questionable for Saturday’s game against Mississippi State … Fidler registered his first career passing touchdown in the second quarter, a 25-yarder to senior fullback John Conner … The win tied a school-record with 17 consecutive victories in nonconference play. The previous winning streak had come from 1954-1960.