McGowan's three TDs power Kentucky over Tennessee Tech 42-10

Seth McGowan scored three touchdowns to power Kentucky to a 42-10 win over Tennessee Tech on Saturday.

The Wildcats (5-5) relied on a balanced ground game from McGowan and Dante Dowdell, who added a 19-yard touchdown. The two combined for 159 of Kentucky’s 207 rushing yards. McGowan scored on a pair of 1-yard runs and a 4-yard run.

Cutter Boley added a 30-yard scoring run, bowling over a Golden Eagles defender at the 2-yard-line to help Kentucky lead 28-7 at the half.

“I was a little bit dumfounded when he did that, but it’s fun,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “We’ve got to teach him how to protect himself a little bit, but some of that is going to fire up your team. It just shows another element to his game and what he’s willing to do.”

The loss snapped a 15-game winning streak for Tennessee Tech (10-1), ranked No. 6 in the FCS Coaches Poll.  Kekoa Visperas paced the Golden Eagles offense with 112 yards passing and 44 yards rushing.

“We hate losing, and that is a disappointed locker room which means the standard has changed at Tennessee Tech,” said coach Bobby Wilder. “We knew what we were facing coming into this against an SEC team, but I loved how we competed and proud of what I saw.”

The resurgence of the Wildcat offense continued Saturday. Boley completed 18-of-21 passes for 236 yards and a 45-yard touchdown to Hardley Gilmore IV who split two defenders at the Tech 30 and went untouched for the score. Kendrick Law had career highs with 11 catches for 124 yards. Kentucky has scored 30 points or more in three of the last four games.

“The game is just a reflection of what we do every week. I mean that’s the simplest way we can put it. We go out there, we prepare to win and we go out and we win. I like the progress we’re making,” Law said.

The Golden Eagles were averaging 45 points per game, best in the FCS. But this was the first game against an FBS program this season, and offense was harder to come by. Brian Courtney scored their lone touchdown on an 8-yard pass from Visperas with 1:18 left in the first half.

The Wildcats won their third straight game and need to beat either No. 13 Vanderbilt next Saturday or No. 19 in-state rival Louisville to become bowl eligible. The defense has been stout during the winning streak, allowing a total of 23 points in the three games.


(AP Photo/Tanner Pearson)