Kentucky football narrowly avoids another brutal loss against Missouri: 3 takeaways

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Cold, wet, windy conditions rarely are conducive to high-scoring football. Those are the elements that welcomed Kentucky and Missouri football in Columbia, Missouri, Saturday morning.

It should come as no surprise, then, that the Wildcats and Tigers engaged in a defensive slugfest at Memorial Stadium.

UK won 21-17, for its all-important sixth victory of the season that ensures the Wildcats will be in a bowl game for the seventh year in a row.

Kentucky (6-3, 3-3 SEC) scored on its first possession Saturday, as Will Levis found Dane Key in the middle of the end zone for a record-breaking score by the freshman wideout. Missouri (4-5, 3-3) answered on the following drive with a 44-yard field goal from Harrison Mevis.

But that was all the scoring the first half saw.

Watch it:Fight breaks out during Kentucky-Missouri football game

Levis added another TD toss in the third quarter — a 1-yarder to Jordan Dingle — to give the Wildcats a 14-3 lead and some breathing room.

Briefly.

Just like the first period, the Tigers responded: This time, the hosts finally crossed the goal line. It took four tries, but Missouri quarterback Brady Cook dived into the end zone from a yard out to cut the Wildcats' lead to 14-10 with 13:09 remaining. Then the Tigers went 64 yards in seven plays — capped by another score from Cook at 8:07 to play — to take the lead for the first time all game.

Levis and the offense regrouped to go back on top. Key slipped away from a tackle en route to a 22-yard score with 5:18 left, his team-leading fifth receiving touchdown of the year.

Missouri appeared it would have a final shot to win — in great field position — after the snap sailed over the head of Kentucky punter Colin Goodfellow. But officials flagged the Tigers for roughing the kicker, giving the Wildcats a fresh set of downs, which helped them milk the clock.

Missouri got one last shot to drive the field with seconds remaining. But JJ Weaver stepped in front of a lateral on the Dukes' last-gasp hook-and-ladder attempt with no time left, securing the narrow road victory.

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Here are three takeaways from the Wildcats’ second win in three games:

Kentucky defense has standout showing — for 45 minutes

Jacquez Jones and Deandre Square didn't play. That wasn't shocking. All week, both starting linebackers had been expected to sit out this game because of injuries.

How well the Wildcats played in their absence, however, must be commended. Each member of the duo has 299 career tackles. That's a lot for any team to miss.

But Kentucky, for three quarters, played as well as anyone could have asked. The Tigers only scored three points. UK forced a turnover (a fumble), plus came up with a pair of turnovers-on-downs thanks to fourth-down stops. And the Wildcats induced four punts.

In the final quarter, however, it all came apart.

Cook's two final-quarter rushing touchdowns obscured what otherwise had been a stellar defensive outing for the Wildcats. Especially the two players tasked with filling in for Jones and Square.

Trevin Wallace, replacing Square at weakside linebacker, had nine tackles (tied for the game high). Including in that total were three tackles for loss and a sack. D'Eryk Jackson, manning Jones' spot in the middle, had six takedowns, trailing only Wallace.

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UK offense does enough ... barely

The UK offense was far from an unstoppable force Saturday. But coming off the worst outing of his career, Levis didn’t have a letdown.

His stat line in last week’s blowout loss to Tennessee: 16-for-27, 98 yards, three interceptions, no touchdowns.

Levis’ final numbers Saturday: 12 of 18, 160 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions.

While he made the throws Kentucky had to have to leave Memorial Stadium with a win, having a weapon like Key doesn’t hurt, either.

Rookie record:WR Dane Key broke this freshman receiving record against Missouri

Running back Chris Rodriguez didn’t score. But he gave the offense balance, rushing for 112 yards on 29 carries (3.9 yards per attempt). His bellwether status was needed, too: His backup, JuTahn McClain, didn’t travel with the team this weekend because of an injury. Non-Rodriguez rushers gained just 6 yards on five attempts.

The line and Levis once against struggled, allowing six sacks for a loss of 39 yards.

The 160 passing yards and 242 total yards are second lowest this season, both behind only last week's 44-6 loss at Tennessee. Kentucky has produced three games of 300 or fewer offensive yards in the last four games.

Placekicking disaster for Kentucky

No two ways about it: Kentucky kicker Matt Ruffolo was awful.

He had two field goal attempts. He missed both. And wasn't close either time. In a game as close as this one, every point counts.

And the Wildcats couldn't count on Ruffolo Saturday.

The senior is in the middle of his worst stretch of his career. His 0-for-2 performance Saturday — he missed on kicks of 43 and 47 yards in the first half — leaves him 2 of 7 in the last five games. Ruffolo is now 9 of 15 on the season (60%), on pace for by far his worst season at UK. Weather was certainly a factor, with winds around 20 miles per hour and temperatures in the 40s.

Missouri kicker Harrison Mevis, meanwhile, made a 44-yarder in the first quarter.

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

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky football vs. Missouri: 3 takeaways from Wildcats' narrow win