Kentucky football snaps losing streak to secure bowl eligibility for 8th straight season

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Six was the magic number for Kentucky on Saturday night.

A six-game losing streak at Davis Wade Stadium? Gone.

A sixth win, required for bowl eligibility? Clinched.

And arguably the game’s biggest, momentum-altering play? A pick six, of course.

After 15 years of frustration, the Wildcats finally left the field in Starkville on the right side of the scoreboard, battering the Bulldogs 24-3.

"Very pleased with the victory, obviously," said Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, who notched his first victory at MSU's home stadium in six tries. "Make no mistake about it: We needed a win. And to come on the road to a place we haven't won in a long time? We needed to win by any means necessary."

Prior to Saturday, Kentucky’s last road victory over MSU was a 14-13 triumph on Nov. 1, 2008, when the Wildcats held on after blocking an extra point in the fourth quarter.

Though Saturday’s result wasn’t in doubt once the final period started, it was the Kentucky defense that made it so.

The contest’s most pivotal play was courtesy of D’Eryk Jackson. UK’s senior linebacker intercepted Mississippi State quarterback Mike Wright and ran untouched across the goal line for a 28-yard touchdown in the second quarter, which gave the visitors a 14-3 advantage after kicker Alex Raynor’s successful extra point.

"(There) was pressure (to score), because they always pick on me," Jackson said, referring to ribbing from his teammates, "because I caught one pick two years ago and I fell."

The takeaway couldn’t have come at a more critical time for the Wildcats (6-3, 3-3 SEC) and their exhausted defense. On their previous drive, the Bulldogs (4-5, 1-5) consumed nearly an entire quarter.

One could say the hosts took their time.

The drive started at the 6:20 mark of the first quarter. It ended with 8:51 left in the second. The 20-play, 88-yard drive lasted 12:29.

But the Wildcats’ defense stood firm, allowing only a 25-yard field goal to cap the lengthy possession.

Those were the only points Kentucky permitted in the 21-point victory.

The Wildcats struck first Saturday night, driving 62 yards in eight plays on their first possession. They ended the possession emphatically, with a pair of former N.C. State teammates concocting some old magic: quarterback Devin Leary hit running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye for a 4-yard score. It marked Sumo-Karngbaye’s first TD reception as a Wildcat and his second score overall. (He ran for a touchdown versus Akron in Week 3.) After Raynor’s successful extra point, Kentucky led, 7-0, at the 10:11 mark of the opening period.

Following Jackson’s pick six, UK crossed the goal line one more time before intermission. Leary recorded his second 4-yard TD toss of the contest, threading the needle to sophomore wide receiver Dane Key, who made the catch despite MSU cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson’s lock-tight coverage. Raynor also was responsible for the only points of the third quarter: He knocked in a 32-yard field goal at the 5:51 mark of the period for the game's final score.

The Bulldogs’ offense, which was missing starting quarterback Will Rogers and leading rusher Jo'Quavious Marks, found nothing easy against the Wildcats’ defense.

MSU tallied barely 200 yards — it gained 218 (145 passing, 73 rushing) — and failed to find the end zone. The performance was a shot in the arm for a UK defense that had given up more than 30 points in its last three outings — Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee — that all ended in defeat.

The Wildcats’ defense was so dominant Saturday, Leary clocked out early.

The sixth-year senior signal caller, who finished 13 of 22 (59.1%) for 156 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, remained on the sideline when the Wildcats’ offense took the field less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Third-year sophomore Kaiya Sheron piloted the unit during the final stanza, a time in which the Wildcats were content to bleed clock.

To wit: Sheron threw just three passes in UK’s final three drives.

Kentucky tallied 271 yards (161 passing, 110 rushing) in Saturday's win.

The Wildcats return to Kroger Field next week for their home finale, which will double as senior day.

UK hopes to make it memorable: It hosts Alabama, looking for only its third win (in 42 tries) in the series.

The game will kick off at noon, with ESPN handling the national television broadcast.

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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky vs Mississippi State: UK bowl eligible after win vs MS State