Kentucky’s ground game didn’t just show up against South Alabama - it made a statement.
CJ Baxter, Jason Patterson and a now-healthy Jovantae Barnes powered the Wildcats to 386 rushing yards, with all three backs clearing 100 yards and finding the end zone at least once. Patterson did the heaviest scoring damage with three touchdowns, but the postgame mood inside the room wasn’t about individual lines. It was about how the three of them fed off one another.
That came through clearly in Baxter’s reaction to Barnes finally getting in the end zone. Barnes’ first touchdown for Kentucky came in the second quarter, while the Wildcats were still chasing the game. His seven-yard burst tied it at 14-14, and Baxter’s response said plenty about the way the room is wired.
“When he scored, I almost passed out trying to celebrate for him,” Baxter admitted after the game. “He’s put in the work to get back, to being healthy and playing how he played today.”
Baxter said Patterson’s performance hit just as hard from a teammate’s perspective.
“I was more happy for them than myself, genuinely.”
For Patterson, the box score was impressive, but not satisfying in the bigger picture. Even after Kentucky’s big day on the ground, he believes there’s more room for this group to grow.
“It’s crazy. I feel like we haven’t reached our full potential.
What our guys can do, what I can do. It’s just so much crazy, and I just feel like it’s so much more in store.
But we have the rest of the season, with eight more games.”
Barnes echoed that same edge, framing the room as a group with different styles but the same appetite.
“We’re all different, but we’re all hungry.”
After a preseason filled with questions about the running back room, Kentucky’s backs have answered plenty of them already. Barnes is also starting to look like a real third option after a slow ramp-up, and the group’s postgame comments made it clear the production hasn’t changed the tone inside the room. If anything, it’s sharpened it.
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Kentucky Just Got The National Validation Wildcats Fans Wanted
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For Kentucky fans, it is the kind of outside validation they have been waiting for, especially in a sport where the Wildcats are usually asked to prove they belong before anyone starts talking about bigger goals. McShay went so far as to suggest Kentucky could make an unexpected run toward the College Football Playoff, a level of belief that instantly raises the stakes for how this season gets judged and puts a sharper spotlight on what Stein and the offense do next. [Read more 🡒]