By TIM WILLERT Associated Press
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Kenny Minchey threw two touchdown passes, Jordan Castell returned an interception 41 yards for a score, and No. 15 Kentucky rallied in the second half to beat Oklahoma 21-13 on Saturday night and move into a tie for the Southeastern Conference lead.
Kentucky (6-1, 4-1 SEC) has won five straight and pulled even with No. 1 Georgia after the Bulldogs lost to Auburn.
The Wildcats intercepted Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer three times and holder Jacob Ulrich once. Castell’s late score sealed the win, but the first of Ty Bryant’s two picks breathed life into Kentucky, which trailed 13-7 with time winding down in the third quarter and struggled to move the ball up until then.
Following the pick, Minchey took the Wildcats 44 yards in seven plays, finding tight end Willie Hernandez for a 12-yard touchdown. Adam Zouagui’s extra point gave Kentucky a 14-13 lead.
“Obviously, another really good win for our team, for our program,” first-year Kentucky coach Will Stein said. “That’s a really good Oklahoma team, one of the best defenses we’ll see all year. But this was about us tonight. It was about our resolve, our resiliency, our perseverance.”
Mateer threw for 270 yards and a touchdown and Oklahoma finished with 346 yards of offense, but the Sooners struggled to score points and his mistakes ended up costing the Sooners (3-3, 1-2) who knocked off then-No. 1 Texas the previous week.
“That’s kind of how they’ve been winning this year,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. “The margins are really small. They made the plays when they needed to and we weren’t able to get it done as a staff or as a team. We had plenty of opportunities there late in the third quarter to knock ‘em out and we just weren’t able to get it done. Couldn’t get a stop when we need to. Couldn’t get a conversion when we needed to.”
Kentucky drove 67 yards for a score on its first possession, with Minchey finding Rodriguez for a 2-yard TD. But Oklahoma’s defense held the Wildcats to 76 yards and four punts on their next five drives.
The Takeaway
The Sooners’ defense limited Kentucky to 230 total yards but turnovers once again did in the offense.
Not So Special
After Oklahoma’s second drive stalled at the Kentucky 10-yard line, the Sooners lined up for a 29-yard field goal attempt. Only Tate Sandell went in motion and holder Jacob Ulrich took the snap and ran toward the line of scrimmage, jumped and threw a feeble pass intended for tight end Rocky Beers that was intercepted in the end zone by Castell.
No Margin for Error
Oklahoma began the night tied for 122 among FBS schools in turnover margin. In five previous games, the Sooners had gained six turnovers and lost 10. Mateer’s three-interception night didn’t help that ranking. Kentucky, which came in tied for ninth in the same category, didn’t have a turnover against OU.
Up Next
Oklahoma plays at No. 16 Mississippi State on Saturday.
