Mizzou Football Defeats Kentucky 20-10
The Mizzou Football defense turned in a stifling performance and Shane Ray recorded two sacks to break the team’s single-season record in Mizzou Football’s 20-10 victory over Kentucky on Saturday, November 1 in The ZOU.
With the win, Mizzou Football improves to 7-2 on the season, 4-1 in SEC play, and sits atop the SEC East standings as the sole one-loss team in the division.
The Mizzou Football defense was overpowering, becoming the second team this season to hold the Kentucky offense under 14 points and 300 yards. The Wildcats managed just 258 yards of offense, made only one trip inside red zone, and converted only two of 16 third downs. Mizzou Football made nine tackles behind the line, deflected seven passes, and stopped Kentucky on four of five attempted fourth-down conversions.
In the last three games, the Mizzou Football defense has held opponents to an average of 12.3 points per game and 261 yards of total offense.
Ray’s two quarterback takedowns led the charge. The junior defensive end now has a Mizzou record-breaking 12 sacks on the season, passing the mark set by NFL First Round Pick Aldon Smith in 2009 and matched by Unanimous All-American Michael Sam last season. Ray also leads the nation in the category.
His teammates turned in impressive performances as well. Kentrell Brothers, Michael Scherer and Kenya Dennis each had 1.5 tackles for loss, and Brothers recorded a game-high eight solo tackles. Markus Golden and Harold Brantley combined for a sack, and Aarion Penton snagged his third interception of the season to go along with two pass-breakups. Dennis deflected a career-high four passes on the day.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Maty Mauk–Bud Sasser connection once again proved lethal, as the dynamic duo recorded pair of scores for the second straight game.
Mizzou Football jumped out to a 7-0 lead two minutes into the second quarter when Mauk hit Sasser on a 3-yard slant route. Following a Kentucky field goal, the two struck again when Mauk threw a picture-perfect 26-yard fade to the senior receiver in the right corner of the end zone, putting Mizzou Football up 14-3.
Sasser finished with six catches for 67 yards, marking the sixth time this season that he has recorded at least five receptions in a game. The wide receiver’s 46 catches on the season are the fourth highest in the SEC, and his eight touchdown grabs rank second in the conference.
Andrew Baggett rounded out the scoring with a pair of field goals. He made a 41-yard kick in the third quarter and a 26-yard chip shot in the fourth.
With the victory, Mizzou Football…
- Reaches seven wins for the 10th time in head coach Gary Pinkel’s 14-season tenure.
- Has won its third consecutive game against Kentucky after last season’s 48-17 win on the road in Lexington and a 33-10 win in Columbia in 2012.
- Takes the lead in the all-time series with Kentucky, improving to 3-2 overall.
- Improves to 109-65 under Pinkel.
With its final Saturday home game in the books, Mizzou Football has a bye this week before heading to College Station, Texas on November 15 for a showdown with Texas A&M.
Mizzou Football posts live updates on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook throughout the games, and fans can also listen in via Tiger Network radio affiliates.
