Saturday afternoon against Missouri, UK football used their dominant offensive line play to run all over the Tigers in route to a 35-21 victory.

For the first time since 1999, the Cats have won three straight SEC games and for the first time since 2006, they have won four total conference games. 

“Just a very good victory. I’m very proud of our team. All phases,” head coach Mark Stoops said. “As I just told them, it’s about our preparation. It’s about how they go to work, each day throughout the week starting on Monday’s. I’ve been saying throughout the season that I enjoy coaching these guys. And that’s why.”

Behind the duo of Boom Williams and Benny Snell Jr., UK ran for a total of 377 yards. Williams picked up 182 of those yards and a rushing and receiving touchdown on 19 carries, and Snell racked up 192 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries.

In the first quarter, it became clear that offensive coordinator Eddie Gran was intending on running the ball and a 60-yard touchdown run by Williams gave the Cats an early 7-0 lead.

With the 7-0 lead, UK’s defense clamped down on the high-powered Tigers offense forcing four punts on Mizzou’s first four drives. And following the fourth punt of the game for Missouri, quarterback Stephen Johnson found Jeff Badet on a deep ball for a 65-yard touchdown giving the Cats a 14-0 lead.

On UK’s very next drive, Gran started dialing up the run game with Williams and Snell. Both backs carried the ball a combined seven times on an 8-play, 73-yard drive that was capped off by one of Snell’s two touchdowns.

Up 21-0, the Cats offense gave the defense all it needed to continue to beat down the Tigers offense.

The only complete drive that Mizzou had was their only scoring drive of the first half. Even that involved a little help from the officials on a questionable penalty that gave the Tigers a first down. After the Tigers scored on the very next play, UK took a 21-7 lead into the half.

Up two touchdowns coming out of halftime, the Cats defense was tested on the opening drive after the Tigers drove deep into UK territory but came up empty after a missed field goal that proved to be a big deal.

On the very next drive, the Cats drove 80 yards on 12 plays capped off by a touchdown pass from Johnson to Williams on a screen. Up 21, UK went into cruise control from that point on.

Of its 208 second half yards,191 were on the ground and the Cats were able to cruise to the 35-21 victory. Saturday was the first time in UK football history that two Cats have each rushed for over 175 yards in an SEC game.

Snell was not only a part of that record, but his pair of touchdowns brought his season total to 8 which put him past Randall Cobb for most touchdowns as a freshman in school history. And as for the offense as a whole, four of their five touchdown drives were 80 yards long.

At 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the conference, the Cats are one win away from a bowl berth and in the thick of things in the SEC East. A surprise for the Big Blue Nation that they could definitely get used to.