2016 Southern Miss @ Kentucky One Hour

[Music] [Applause] the day lines of Lexington it's the season opener for the Kentucky Wildcats and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles it's all a part of the SEC on ESPN we are at Commonwealth Stadium in the Bluegrass State it's been called the greatest opening weekend in the history of college football but so far it has not gone according to plan for the SEC I've Anish Shroff he's former Longhorn Ahmad Brooks howdy Ahmad boy for the SEC this season has not begun the way they thought it would well you look at it Tennessee you've got Arkansas and AM all had games to the wire but then LSU Mississippi State and Mizzou all lose but this is why we love college football and this is why this week who is so exciting because we knew we had some compelling matchups and some competitive matches now for Kentucky and Mark Stoops this is his fourth season he knows he's got to start getting this team wins and getting this team to the postseason well this is the most talented roster he's had in the four years he's been here and I think this is about building confidence in himself as a head coach since it's his first time in this role but I also think it's about making sure these players believe in the game playing he's got some talented players to work with now he's got a quarterback Andrew Barker who started the final two games of last year but now this is his team yeah where he's made the most progress has been off the field and I think that's where he needed to grow the most now if he can transition that to the football field convert on critical third downs be a good leader for his team the sky is the limit for this young man Southern Miss last year but they've got a new head coach and Jay Hopson he comes over from Alcorn State he takes over for Todd Monken who left to become the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and when Hopson inherits Ahmad is one of the best quarterbacks in college football even though he's not a household name I love watching this kid play he's so accurate and one thing he does extremely well as the throw that catches the ball for his wide receivers Mullins one of the top quarterbacks in the nation a season ago in terms of efficiency and effectiveness look for him to get his team an early start today Kentucky won the toss the Wildcats [Applause] [Music] [Applause] broccoli will kick it off for Southern Miss [Applause] first [Applause] 23 yard line and we get our first look at Drew Barker the redshirt sophomore at one time the number one player coming out of Kentucky in high school I think he is the best quarterback to recruit out of high school that they've had since Tim Couch when you look at him he's got all the specs 630 225 and he has a Kentucky native this young man is trying to carry a program on his back the one thing he must guard today is not putting too much pressure on himself just go out this is football like it is in your backyard and have the time of your life to throw on first down and it's incomplete intended for the tight end CJ Conrad Levante foster broke it up of note Kentucky's top wide receiver Dorian Baker was a game-time decision with a hamstring injury he has not started the game out on the field [Applause] second in Tennessee's Jojo Kemp and he spun down by Dylan Bradley for a loss of two this isn't under sized southern miss front but boy they're very quick they use it to their advantage and this is probably the best prospect on the team number 94 Dylan rally watching there in the middle of the screen excellent swim moved their own number 69 Ramsey Myers as he got in the backfield but did you see those tracking abilities the ability to track a player faster than him Dylan Bradley's starting to game off the right way interesting front there by Southern Miss nobody close to the line of scrimmage as the play clock is under 10 this is a defense that will throw you some confusing looks Parker checks down and not much room is Bradley again on the stop and it'll be fourth down Jojo Kemp with a catch for four yards on the punting unit will come on this has been a bit of a mystery who comes on to punt for Kentucky Brian Kerr she and grant McInnis are competing to be the starting punter and it's McInnis who will take the first punt with Allen say staggers back deep to receive [Applause] the tick is blocked [Applause] it rose to of the 45 across the 45 yard line and Southern Miss off to a great start the one they called Papa xavier think penn got his Jaguar paw on that football one of the best sound with football is the thud of a block kick or a punt just a special play and you know when you when you start off with that type of energy you can see here that Southern Miss clearly has the momentum I'm early on in this ballgame for a Kentucky team looking to get back to the postseason this year it's been awhile 2009 the last time it happened not a strong start three and out a block kick and the Golden Eagles beginning fluffs territory [Applause] first down it's Ito Smith coming off at 1100 yard season make some 5 it'll bring up second in 5 Nick Mullens the quarterback into my last season simply put he had the greatest passing season in the history of Southern Miss football very impressive he was the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year [Applause] Smith again running Whiteside have some green pushdown so Smith before he's tripped up by blake mcclain a gain of 11 this is a guy who averaged better than 6 and a half yards per carry last year he was one of two thousand yard rushers on a prolific offensive season to go dynamic playmaker and he reminds me a lot the way they use them to Marshall Faulk I'll delve into that a little bit later [Applause] on the ground against Nick looking for anyone is offended shy of the 30-yard line I want to Kentucky's outstanding corners Derrick baity come on what are your keys tonight offensively it is for southern message so when the explosive plays one of the most slow Civ offensive units of season ago and if you're Kentucky you're breaking in some new and inexperienced defensive linemen they've got a hold up against the run ft look here on second down shine quarterback run and Mullins scampers for a gain of four he's to the 27 yard line he's not really much of a runner but running quarterbacks gave Kentucky a lot of trouble a season ago this is a big third down and this is where Mullins likes to shine they give him a lot of flexibility at the line of scrimmage to get his team into the right place you see them now communicating to his mates and here is where if you were a quarterback you're judged on what you do all money downs like this as the pressure checked down Isaiah Jones inside the twenty first down and more and Jones finally taken down at the eleven a gain of 17 yards what makes Nick mode so good he has a lightning-quick loose yep and also awareness he saw the pressure there he knew he had to move around enough to be able to make that throw found a young man Isaiah Jones who they really like here and many are hopeful that he can replace the other number 98 Mike Thomas who was here season ago a very dynamic playmaker on the edges warm [Applause] on the ground Peter Smith right into the teeth of that Kentucky defense the offensive coordinator for Southern Miss to name familiar to Kentucky fans Shannon Dawson it was Kentucky's offensive coordinator a season ago only there for one season he was fired and he went to Southern Miss and it's a bit of a chess match because Kentucky knows what Dawson does and Dawson knows what Kentucky does it's tough business and that's what he and of course Mark Stoops said when we had an opportunity to talk to them in if you're Shannon Dawson you've just got to go out here and do what you think you do best Bowen split wide Ito Smith on the direct snap got a block to his tight end Washington and Smith rumbles in for the score [Applause] young man is dynamic and you heard me earlier in the ballgame one of the keys for this Kentucky defense was one to be to defend the run you watch it here ito Smith with an excellent job of letting his blockers get out in front of him to buy him time and he just was patient with that run and this is one of the reason why I say this young man has so many unique qualities he can run inside he's got the quickness and speed to beat to run the stretch and the run outside of the tackles and then last but not least he had 44 catches a season ago which tells me that this young man could also get involved with the passing attack and the coaches swear that this guy has the best hands on the team parker's Shawn field the sophomore from Aledo Texas Shawn for the point after and the kick is good Kentucky on its first possession went three and out Southern Miss blocked the punt took over just inside midfield seven plays later it's the judge Ito Smith for six for all the chatter about how Nick Mullens would match up against this elite Kentucky secondary on Southern Miss his opening drive it was the run game that produced yeah he's such a skilled player and he has so many ways that he can affect the ballgame and if you're Kentucky's defense you can see that they are trying to establish the run and I don't know the plan defensively for the Wildcats but I do know this it'll be a long day for them if they can't stop the run with Edo Smith because we know that when Nick Mullens gets going he's one of those streaky players that can be very effective with the pass as well maybe the deep man for Kentucky broccoli to kick it off short kick came from before [Applause] to the outside versus direction cuts it back one more time Kings got the twenty finally brought down at the 24 yard line third offensive possession for Kentucky boom Williams of the backfield Williams gets the call three second at 70 tough offseason for Williams he had offseason elbow surgery and his younger sister suddenly died top of all that he's at a bit of a rough adjustment to the new demands of this offense second and seven Parker finds Jeff to death but that's got great speed Open Sesame 72 yards bull turn to predict and Kentucky's on the boy I was a quick strike there caught the defense off-guard and just the tunnel screen right developed right behind and you see these offensive linemen get out great block there to get out in front of it and this is the last guy you want to be looking at the back of his jersey is Jeff Baudette one of the fastest players on this team if not the fastest and those are the types of design plays you want to get a guy like that in space where he can utilize that vertical speed the extra point is good and we've got a tie game yeah the Baudette and barker looking up here on a ton of screen and my man turns on the Jets pay dirt Barker playing being his first score of the season a 72 yard pass from Drew Barker to jeff Baudette and that was mostly yards after catch Curtis Michael from the goal line Michael taken down well shy of the 20 yard line inside ed to Julian Allen and the slot top of your screen against the fool man twist underneath to ito Smith a gain of about four for Smith who had 49 catches last year and is very dangerous as a receiver out of the backfield [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Mullens has passed his tips the pals to the ground this Courtney Miggins who's the best D lineman for Kentucky got his hand on it yeah he's 65 to 85 and every defensive line coach around the country preaches this if you can't get to the quarterback throw those big balls not go ball down those are game changers and if you're Nick Mullens r61 if he wants to play at the next level what he has to do is prove to people at the next level NFL scouts in particular that he can find passing windows at in his height that time they're Miggins doing an excellent job with knocking the ball down there's the pressure in the mornings and ghosts Josh Allen the sophomore linebacker got to a post yeah I want you to watch him here second from the left that's him right here as he comes through excellent job he just would not be denied excellent job of getting underneath his pads and that prevents the blocker from being able to control you and the lower you get especially when taking on offensive linemen the more difficult it is for them to block you so Tyler showers in a four-year starter now punts from his end zone and a fair catch signal by Charles Walker Kentucky will start at the 42 yard line [Applause] in the summer pass his wings across midfield in the Southern Miss territory a gain of 16 as we talked about those facilities one thing when you're a student athlete you've got limited time your schedule is as your you're always trying to manage your time and and the one thing I loved is the proximity everything is there's no wasted time for these athletes and they're able to perform at a high level Barker stage Strother completes the Garrett Johnson Johnson with a path to the endzone and he's in well it was going to happen but to Barker has been handed the keys to this program started the last two games of the seasons a year ago and he's not known for buying time with his feet at 6-3 and 225 pounds but the way that he extended this play is what allowed Garrett Johnson to be able to get open for him to find him put the ball on target and then the wide receiver did the rest of the work the extra points by Austin macginnis is good Kentucky has landed a couple of haymakers first it was Jeff Baudette going to 72 yards now Barker to Johnson a 43 yard score [Applause] I go for the 8 yard line he's got the 20 take you down to 23 a big hit [Applause] motion four-man rush downfield and it's intercepted with JD Harvin his sixth career pick put an asterisk next to that one well oh my now that may be SportsCenter top ten at the time you have a world head and his partners deception JD harm and pulling out the bag of tricks he did a great job of getting on the inside pocket I want you to watch him here at the top right of your screen he's in the perfect location to defend this route ran by DJ Thompson he's got one hand on the wide receiver great hand and eye coordination what a fantastic finish to what was already excellent coverage JD Harmon got the people out of the stands with that play you're a former DP he got you a new shoe hey I'm almost ready to go hit somebody you better watch out an itch you were doing some walkthroughs with marks ditch yesterday I was worried you might do something new you're killing those snap Barker he'll take another shot downfield Richardson saving Richard sit down to the 32 yard line a David 33 long coverage there in the backend for a very experienced Golden Eagle defense and Barker their fee to let it out in front that would have been his third passing touchdown of the day off the turnover Kentucky going quickly [Applause] third down flag on the play Johnson hold it is if the catch stands it'll be enough for a first personal foul face mask defense number 94 to go automatic first down that was on number 94 Dylan Bradley perhaps maybe the best defensive player I'm for the Southern Miss team we just talked about how chalant that he is and very physical there but once he gets you see there and I don't know if that was intentional look like maybe his hand might have gotten caught in totes facemask and the officials making the right call they're watching out for 66k Juan Ross bottom of your screen we're at 19 Ross he's wide open to the end zone and he holds it in for the score yeah a niche that was a great call and I can say this much about this young man he's coming off of injury everybody has been waiting to see him reach his full potential when we asked Mark Stoops and 80 grand yesterday about some of the players that have really surprised them during camp their eyes little and that is why he's a six six target and he's got a ton of talent to back that up that time they're doing a nice job of finding space and making the catch in traffic to score his first touchdown of the year a junior college transfer Eddie gran the offensive coordinator told us he had sort of been going through camp as a non descript guy they weren't sure how much they could count on him during the season and then one day the light bulb went off and he has been a monster the second half of fall camp they told us we would see him he's six six he's a huge target and I don't know how southern misled him getting that wide open that close to the end zone Drew Barker by the way eight out of 12 228 yards with 25 seconds to go in the first quarter that's impressive and you know in every position player is trying to compete against the guy on the other sideline if you're a quarterback you're trying to play better than the other quarterback in right now Drew Barker is performing at a level that I don't think many people expected that he would be outperforming Mullins at this point in the ballgame Michael for the 10 he's out to the 25-yard line that's where Southern Miss will start staggers in motion hands it off to ito Smith got a couple of good blocks and Smith stampers for a gain of nine seconded one this is a Southern Miss offense that averaged more than 500 yards per game last season Southern Miss scored first after a blocked punt the Golden Eagles punched it in ito Smith one of their stars and then Kentucky landed a series of makers first Jeff Baudette then Garret Johnson and then the juco transfer Kay want Ross 21 7 Big Blue Nation started the second quarter here in Lexington Jay Hopson the first-year head coach for Southern Miss the Golden Eagles won nine games a season ago and then their head coach Todd Monken left for the NFL he became the Bucs offensive coordinator Hopson hired away from Alcorn State a terrific four-year run there which culminated in back-to-back Slam titles it's tough to win at a place like Alcorn you're in the middle of nowhere in Mississippi you've got to navigate the Natchez Trace which is a harrowing Drive that you've never done it before and at a school like that you don't often have all the resources all the bells and whistles but he made the most of it we won there and he comes back to Hattiesburg where he's had two previous stick so he's familiar with Southern Miss their history their program and the recruited turf play-action looking downfield and that was merely tipped and it's intercepted in Weston and picked Blake mcclain the third interception by Kentucky of this first half after putting so many plays on tape with accuracy here I believe that the pressure is starting to get to Mullins he had busy feet on that particular Drive and he did not hit the right location a lot of that has to do with the pressure Kentucky is putting on him right now but give credit to the secondary we call it tip drill the idea of to try to tip the ball up and allow somebody to come right underneath it blake mcclain was in the right location but watch the feet here of Mullins you see though busy feet you can tell that the pressure is now starting to get inside of his head and when that happens for a quarterback as a coach you've got to walk up to the sideline if you're Shannon Dawson sit him down say big fellow we're fine we're still within striking distance of coming back to win this ballgame Ahmad Southern Miss lost its top two receivers from last season from what you're watching or guys get it open well I mean he's been a guy that could throw into tight coverage so I don't think that is necessarily the problem scream to Garrett Johnson [Applause] about a yard so seconded fourteen ball was thrown in the rut and the wrong location ideally you want to throw that and out in front of the wives or see the Barker they're missing his target Barker ten out of eighteen 234 yards he's cooled off a little bit in the second quarter check with me play you see this going throughout offenses all across the country they line up and force the defense to give them a look so they can now choose a play Parker downfield receiver romantic spot touchdown Kentucky get her Johnson with his second TV grab of the game this one from 53 yards and that was Barker's best bottle of the night if you ask me he hit the wide receiver in stride stood tall in the pocket with confidence swag moxie if you poured it all out for sport touchdown pass up the night and totally right now out dueling and out playing the quarterback on the opposite side line Nick Mullens a Barker's been the best player on the field so far this way for TD passes three of them have gone at least 40 yards twenty eight two seven Kentucky Barker - Garrett Johnson that's juice [Applause] they call him juice and the wide receivers as a unit are the juice boys and the juice boys have been loose and they've been making plays all night for Drew Barker yeah Johnson led this team last year and reception yards and 277 passing yards on this day get this a hundred and thirty seven of those are after the catch that's what you call yack wide receivers out here today making plays for their quarterback and their teams they're taking the simple place and making them spectacular rented Fitzgerald of the studio will tell us what's coming up at half-time right after this kid 30 cycle darts across the 20 that's DJ Thompson with the launch of both Mike Thomas and Casey Martin two record-setting receivers a year ago Thompson becomes the Alpha go-to guy in the Southern Miss receiving game there you see the finishes to the last two last three seasons really 2013 was a disaster start to finish but 2014-2015 Kentucky had its chances and sometimes it's a play here in a play there and it's been that way for Kentucky one plane each of the last two seasons if that goes their way they're in a bowl game nice run by Payne who does not look to be suffering from any ill effects after not playing at all last year and if you're Southern Miss listen you come back here you cut the lead in half you score a touchdown here you're right back in this ball game this is one of the the quickest striking offenses in all of the country a season to go they've got playmakers and they've got guys that can punch it in the end zone you've just got to stay settled wait for your time and make your play when it comes to you pressure bolus downfield receiver wide open it staggers bumped out of bounds by Beatty after a big game yeah and there was some confusion there on the back end for Kentucky now the defensive backs look at each other pointing fingers and he'll watch this corner on that on the top of your screen here he just fits caught it appears that he doesn't follow with the wide receiver number 15 Marcus McGill sin' when you have that will route you've got to turn around with it eatos sniff to them 15 a gain of five second and five as we come up on four minutes to play in this opening half Kentucky has scored 28 unanswered three passing touchdowns of 40-plus yards for Drew Barker [Applause] back to Smith third down and three coming up for Southern Miss therefore for seven so far on third down started thinking about the ways that you could convert here anytime you've got Itoh Smith in the backfield he's an option running the football but also getting involved in the quick passing game something found at the backfill as they've gone with a set here they bring in a tight end three wide receiver said something we haven't seen a lot of early on from Southern Miss they've had trouble at handling Kentucky's Ed's pressure they clock down to seven Southern Miss out of timeouts Mullens moves the pocket on the one grows end zone incomplete fourth dog we took a shot right to the chest got to sit in there to throw this football looking for somebody downfield and boy did he take the shot there from Courtney Love but this is what you called a coverage sack if they would have gotten to him but here just excellent covers across the board he had a window there but unfortunately wasn't able to get our crew Sean field will come on for the field goal we thoughts to the broccoli would be attempted the field goals we were told before the game Sean field would handle the place-kicking duties to four-five the season to go I snap kick his up and Sean field puts it through and that ends some of the bleeding Southern Miss had given up 28 unanswered prior to that field goal this is Jojo Kent burst of speed he's across the 30 drags attack go to the 37 [Applause] [Music] to give us the Williams off to the races before being tripped up that was a touchdown saving tackle Denarius head Swan saved the touchdown for Southern Miss and that almost look like the opening play from a season ago where he broke it right down the middle of the field and great block there he picked up from his all conference center Jean Todt and we talked about Eddie gran talking about that one cut as he got in behind him the burst the acceleration to get to the second level is something I'm sure coach Eddie gran would be very proud of back to boob he's inside this 25 yard line tackled by Yancey a gain of four Eddie grant has a track record too he's not just telling boom Williams this is how you've got to play grand coach Rudy Jobs said deuce McAllister Cadillac Williams in the Ronnie Brown at all arrested Brandon Jacob wah we'll use up the middle or a gator for two-minute offense critical and crucial downs are what quarterbacks are judged on but also how you operate in two minutes because you are essentially the coach on the field whether it's calling plays lining up your team working with efficiency Barker here will be tested in his first two minutes of the season Jojo Kemp in the backfield Kentucky has all three timeouts so they can be a little patient to the red zone [Applause] quarterback draw bunker he's got the fish down inside the 10 at the 6 yard line first and goal for the Wildcats I'm going to get credit to the plate ball there that's not the plate you're expecting you're not expecting on third down a design quarterback draw with Drew Barker but what we might be seeing here at merged after having two or three critical runs is that Barker showing that he's a lot more athletic than I think people tend to give him credit for he's known as being more of a pocket passer but a tremendous and huge third down conversion the six Ross lined up at the top of your screen red zone target Jojo Kemp good sketch straight ahead another touchdown for Kentucky and what a tort of course offensively in this opening half that was very MacLeod operated that series and drive like a machine everything they got into they were able to execute with excellence and when you can do that at any level of football it increases your chances of scoring [Applause] the point after is goodbye McGinnis be careful he's got a kicker named Austin macginnis a punter named grant McInnis yeah this just goes right up the middle behind that meet Nick Haines Jon Toth Ramsey Myers as they win the line of scrimmage there you see the push back in the crease that opened up for Joe Joe Kent because he churns those legs and gets into the end zone a year ago when we had a game here we asked we asked Mark Stoops what it what it was going to take to get over that hump and he said we need to establish depth it felt like they're starting to build that especially with the last two recruiting classes and now you're starting to pay off because they have a wave of players that can throw at you whether it obvious playmakers or even when it comes to live inside the bomb guys who are hungry to get to the football Burtis Michael from the end zone the outside the dragged down B from behind at the 16 yard line Southern Miss will have the ball with 48 seconds to go and no timeouts [Applause] stand it's a run play that's T man Tyree on Holmes for a gain of five it gets out of bounds and that'll stop the clock with 42 seconds to go almost had a terrific freshman season in 2013 fifty three receptions hurt all of 2014 and just one catch last year we'll just keep this on the ground that's Ito Smith to the 29 yard line it'll momentarily stop the clock if it does not appear Southern Miss is going to take any chances but let's see if that changes now that they've picked up a first down heads to the air over the middle one of the judge Isaiah Jones to the house 71 yards and Southern Miss gets a much-needed touchdown they love this Wildcats defense to sleep with the runs and they waited for the opportunity to go deep this was just brilliant play calling here and they found what they were looking for the safety with horrible eyes coming from number 27 Mike Edwards he got locked in on the intermediate route and didn't have an opportunity to cover back deep and anytime that happens it is the cardinal sin for safety b8c by Shawn field is good Isaiah Jones with a 71 yard t-d grab that takes us to the end of half number one Drew Barker this is his team at Kentucky might have itself a quarterback he's accounted for more than three hundred yards of total offense in this first half 287 through the air four touchdowns three of those TD passes 43 yards or more yeah he's been spanked he's been spectacular the Kentucky defense had three picks on the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year Barker did the rest with the help of his white outs halftime now we go to the studio and Apprendi this is the SEC on ESPN just a perfect September evening for football here in the horse capital of the world in Kentucky unleashed its thoroughbreds in the opening half the Wildcats have a 35 17 lead they're on pace for more than seven hundred and seventy yards of total offense Anish Shroff Lamont Brooks in if you're a Kentucky fan you're thinking we may have our quarterback of the present and the future true Barker was terrific he's been spectacular you know and coming into this ball game I thought Mullins was going to be the more accurate quarterback but it's been him that's been finding that pinpoint accuracy and placement and the command he has I mean he's really brought that maturity from off the field onto the field and it's clear to see this is a Kentucky team that has not been to the postseason since 2009 it's Mark Stoops fourth season he's turned to Drew Barker at quarterback and Barker himself 315 yards of total offense in that first half four touchdown passes three of which were for 40-plus yards Southern Miss this was a pretty good team a season to go one of the best offensive teams in the country nine wins they got to a bowl game after just four wins in the previous three seasons but the Golden Eagles have their work cut out for them here at half number two they did get a late score that first half so some momentum to take into halftime Mykel Mykel lesson down at the 16-yard line Southern Miss has had some great quarterbacks in its history Brett Favre most notably Austin Davis said all the records if McMullen stays healthy he has a chance to rewrite the record book before he's done he put together the greatest passing season in school history last year but he looked less than ordinary against this Kentucky defense in the first half he's got to step up here and I know that's what was going on through his head in the locker room at halftime he realizes that this team will go as Mullins goes this years he's got to come out of perform much better in the second half first down StreetPass that's DJ Thompson gives him eight second to two that's one way to get a quarterback comfortable the quick passing game throw it out to your wide receivers pick up some good positive yardage force the secondary and the defense for Kentucky to tuck tackle in open space one of the most difficult things in all of football to do [Applause] giggles keep it on the ground so Smith picks up poor he's closing in 100 yards he's up to 91 but it's third down and six Southern Miss with the ball at the 44 yard line press coverage all the way across this is an outstanding Kentucky Simmons up here at the bottom not to cut you off they've been attacking the boundary side with one on one as you see the safety now up top here rolling over to give the look for the quarterback southern you've done pick back off at the top of your screen Hollins looking toward the boundary he wants Thompson covered by pardon and a flag at the end of the play [Applause] Harvin had two picks I don't know about this pass interference defense I'll be frank with you I am with defensive back and I'll say if I were coaching him I don't know if I'd coach them any different the bottom line is watch huh they're both hustling with they're both hustling he turns to the ball I'm a little confused here maybe it was that last push when he moved his head back to the wide receiver if there was one thing I coach him up on I tell him to keep his head on the ball and not turn back into the wide receiver maybe that's where the call came from so another first down off the penalty Holland's under pressure dumps it off to Smith ito Smith with a nice to move a pic of the seats he relies on that jump cut in the ability to change directions often in his game when we call that a PlayStation right triggers love true yep it was just nasty bugs here feeling the pressure they're coming from lovey then the outlet pass is checked out so you don't Smith with the nasty cut beside that Allen split wide Smith gets the call he picks up a first down with his own needles yeah much different rhythm right now in this offense and the way they're operating Jay Hopson knows if his team can come away with seven points on this Drive it changes the complexion of this ball game once again Smith and flex forward to the 24 yard line a gain of three and Ito's Smith for the ninth time in his career has crossed the century mark in rushing yards yeah I know he's a little under sized at five 995 pounds but if you're if you're looking at the next level you're an NFL scout the ways in which you can use this young man I think at the next level he'd be a mighty fine returner maybe you can use him in the return game but he is a special talent that is showing tonight why he's one of the top players in their conference Allen motions to the field [Applause] bring up a third and seven and the bottom points about Ito Smith what's going to be different for him this year last year Southern Miss had Jalen Bouchard and in and Smith Southern Miss had two thousand yard bats he chose now the bell tower in 2016 yeah they had two bad boys I had their watch there their ball game against Washington and you know this when when you latch the line up against these guys we're gonna have to stop both of them s Mullins here with a big third down as I've got trips to the field Holland's to the Aries got top soon and Southern Miss moves the chains at key third down conversion for the Golden Eagles speaking of Westry that's why they like to put him in the ball game to the boundary side and you just entered the ball game Harmon who's done a good job tonight but you're in man-to-man coverage with no middle of the field Hill got to prevent him from crossing your face and getting inside but nice job by the Golden Eagles defense I mean offense to convert the West three back into the game on the ground ito Smith pushes ahead to the six yard line and it's seconded for it just feels different you know with this Southern Miss offense the efficiencies the way they're picking them up and putting them down right now until Smith maneuvers for some room it'll be first and goal for the Golden Eagles they'll have it at about the one-and-a-half yard line and they're not slowing down Mullins trying to get the team gathered [Applause] Smith in the backfield Jones splits at the top of your screen [Applause] Bowens will try to sneak it in and he gets the push for his line Nick Mullens brings Southern Miss a little closer that was exactly what they needed coming out after half to get to get the juice flowing and to get their confidence restored after that first drive in the ball game the Kentucky defense really took it to him but they were they they had command over what they were trying to do I thought Shannon Dawson throughout that series just now call the right place and it resulted in a touchdown Shawn fields point after his good an impressive opening salvo here the second half for Southern Miss at 11 play 84 yards ride capped by a quarterback sneak for a TV Southern Miss offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson was in the same role a season ago with Kentucky he was fired after one season he's been saying all along this is just another game it's hard to believe but that's the line he's sticking to it the one thing I'll give him credit for he was very honest with us when we asked him about why it didn't work in Kentucky he said I knew halfway through the season Mark Stoops knew halfway through the season it just wasn't a good fit philosophically and it was probably a good thing we both boomed on no hard feelings as there's an onside kick that'd go 10 yards before Southern Miss touched it that is a matter Kentucky recovered you know I don't blame them here if your Hobson you've got you came out after half you're trying to give your team some type of hope I thought the that the kick here was was good enough for him to recover it but what an effort there from the players from Kentucky only two guys with the awareness there to make a play [Music] Marcus Walker was the one who dove on it so Kentucky will have the ball near midfield 1033 to go in quarter number three [Applause] there's Garrett Johnson juice let's attack local food back inside the 30 and juices down inside the 20 yard line is a 232 he's had a monster game over a hundred yards receiving two touchdowns sometimes team will include their quick passing game in their rushing attack that was brilliant their swift and smooth as he was really putting the moves on their Johnson was on the ground here on first down its boom Williams is brought down by the ankles by Dylan Bradley and CJ Perry yeah just the screen break blocking on the edges from the wide receivers blocking for their mate and the cutback here just trying to find some space in room to use that track speed that he has one of the faster guys on this Kentucky roster Barker under pressure trying to get away from Bradley the ball comes out so they're messed able to pick it up Xavier big pin got it and it's a turnover and the Golden Eagles get the ball back his first big mistake of the night and when it adversity strikes like this we'll want to see how it respond but watch here the pressure right in his face typically when you're rolling right into pressure with one of their best defensive players the coach is going to say just throw that ball away let's live to fight another down but hit once again we're talking about a sophomore quarterback for the first time in his career the undisputed starter on this team and that was just a great job from Dylan Bradley one of the best defensive linemen in his conference and Jay Hopson now has something to smile about as his Golden Eagles offense is back out on the field Southern Miss scored the first 7 points of this game Kentucky countered with 28 in a row the Golden Eagles got a long touchdown before halftime scored on their opening drive of the third quarter and now get it back after a turnover Smith one cut across midfield mister the 49-yard line m6 on the stop the Nebraska transfer Courtney Love who despite sitting out all of last year has emerged as a leader on this Kentucky defense one of them the most neat stories that we heard was after a loss slasher this guy wasn't even playing and he met the team as they got off the plane that's the type of committed player he is to this University Smith to the outside first down and they're pushed out of bounds by Walker but he picks up Ted Moore and we've got a flag personal foul defense far scholar 15-yard penalty automatic first down yeah I played in the era where a guy like Roy Williams to safety from Oklahoma we used to do this all the time I think it's one of the more dangerous plays in all of football and I'm really glad that this rule isn't stated it's hard to judge you know when you're trying to grab cloth yeah it's hard not to know that you're grabbing the black of that horse collar but I like the call there it's definitely for the play of safety [Applause] she's George pain he's inside the 20th Southern Miss and so to the leg zone six more his ground game who's been effective all night for the Golden Eagles right now the pace of the game is really forcing you to gauge your conditioning levels because you're not having the opportunity to sub out packages and so they're just they're just putting their foot on the gas vans line and get away from lovely slow them up and its third down coming up to Southern Miss Julie Allen the tight end emotion wide open to the end zone and it's the catch and it's a touchdown for Southern Miss to plenty unanswered and the momentum has swung to the other side [Applause] if your Kentucky you're trying to prevent yourself from going uh-oh because I've played in ball games like this where you have a convincing lead and as we talked about it Southern Miss is a team that is a quick strike offense it looked like here they just had a will route and they had a pump and go which held the corner which allowed him to get over the top of coverage and make a play there Julian Allen the tight end nice play call at the right time which ended up allowing them to scored the touchdown phe by Shawn field good [Applause] Kentucky out of 30 5/10 lead late in the first half 21 unanswered as Mullins hooks up with Allen when I spoke to him last week he said he learned so much for the 2013 and 2014 seasons when Southern Miss was a bad football team but he said you go through that adversity you lose you lose you lose that really helped him and helped his teammates have a nine win season in 2015 they're looking to build off that so he said going through that adversity we never feel we're out of a game because we've been way down before so you look at a two-touchdown deficit of three touchdowns deficit Hey that's nothing compared to going through a one win season or a three win season there true this kickoff Jojo Kemp picks it up to the edge as the 25 to cross the 30 of the 32 nowhere to go for being against that smell in front and its third and long now for Kentucky Bradley is flexing his muscle and the meat of puff kiss defense and as you see here the yards by half just completely lopsided and flipped here in the second half in favor of Southern Miss Garrett Johnson has been the go-to receiver he's in the slot top of your screen here's the Blitz Barker under pressure and he is set [Applause] Jabari pool and a couple of sacks last year this senior makes it fourth and long for Kentucky and Southern Miss will get the ball back with a chance to take the lead great series you come out here after half you get a turnover now you come back and you have a three and out and the way that the pocket just closed in on Barker that means that all players on both sides of the ball are containing forcing him right into the pressure and that is how they were able to come up with that big sack as now Kentucky getting ready to punt the ball away to a Southern Miss offense it looks like they're starting to find grants McKenna's had one punt blocked his first one he punched this one he staggers who makes a fair catch at the 43 [Applause] Smith split wide Mullins 45 a day of three I've been really surprised by the designed quarterback runs that this man right here Shannon Dawson has been calling for Mullins because that's not necessarily his strength but he has caught the defense off-guard a couple times tonight Holmes goes in motion up the middle Smith barrels ahead in the Kentucky territory and he's got a first down to the Wildcat 40 for a gain of 10 Islands to the airtight window he's got Robertson Korie Robertson a gain of 14 to the 32 spied some tight coverage by West Ruth you seeing a pattern you saw it right before half before they scored in two minutes they ran the football ran the football ran the football and then they pop them with a play and the accuracy there from Mullins is what we were trying to describe earlier in the game he put that on the money Smith cuts it back in Courtney Love throws it down at the 27 yard line [Applause] [Applause] second down Mullins to the air downfield in the debt recovery didn't completely wanted Isaiah Jones third down [Applause] that's his crowd here at Commonwealth Stadium is off on their feet and trying to make some noise on a big third down we saw Edwards go into the tunnel with the trailers third and seven Lions looking for help Smith on the screen he's got a first down and running room inside the 10 down to the 6 that was pretty once again the multiple ways you can use them in Edo Smith he's frustrated with himself right here he thought he had a touchdown Mullins doing a good job of leading him into this into this of his base now they're back on the ball he's been driving this spill away but he can't Jordan Jones and the love God on the backfield second and goal and this is a big test right now for this Kentucky defense Southern Miss as all the momentum this kentucky d has been on the field pretty much this entire third quarter you're right and they're also bringing on some more muscle as Adrian Middleton comes on to the field keep that Eddie's flank Mullins he gives it to Smith up the middle dragging tacklers reaching and he's gonna be markdown while now one official says touchdown the field the judge says touchdown after one official marked him down at the one and Southern Miss down 35 to 10 has taken the lead to take another look Smith the feet don't stop churning and he reaches is he down right there it's more the point burned when his knee is down hard to tilt after review the runner was down at the three quarter yard line it'll be third down and goal this is the right call in to your point about what the SEC is doing right now look the more eyes you can get on a play I believe the less likely you have blown calls and at this level of football look take the chance make sure it's right I know it slows down the game not all not always do the fans and coaches like that but you've got to make the right call and now that they've gotten it right a third down coming here with less than a yard to go can this Kentucky Wildcats defense bow their back and prevent these Golden Eagles from scoring a touchdown here I wish our Nick the quarterback sleep they come out of the eye they haven't done that I think all night let's see phones keeps get off the boy came but it's fourth down we've got watch the pressure coming off of this side oh my the best defensive player according to the coaches on this team course I mean this is going for it they're gonna try to go quickly Mullins was trying to sneak it in is he in on the second effort waiting for a signal touchdown Southern Miss and they have taken the lead four consecutive possessions that have resulted in a TD for the Golden Eagles the element of surprise tempo paying off here from Mullins in this office as they are fully in full effect right now with scoring point putting pressure on this defense and finding ways to make plays when it counts most [Applause] a stunning turn of events in Lexington 28 unanswered by Southern Miss they've rallied back to take the lead that Southern Miss benches fired up the contingent that made the trip from Hattiesburg to Lexington is rowdy and the Big Blue Nation awfully quiet they've seen Kentucky blow up thirty five tenth lead 28 unanswered by Southern Miss this pick goes out of bounds kentucky ball at the 35 what a turn of events while Southern Miss has just been flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct so Kentucky's going to move up 15 yards and the Wildcats now with prime starting field position at their own 48 yard line Jojo Kemp in the backfield Drew Barker after a big first half has been quiet so far as is this offense in half number two [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] barker steps up underneath to Baudette the speedy jet the dead is dampened by Elijah Parker the hard-hitting linebacker no game hard-hitting that time they're just draped all over one of the more talented and speedsters on this Kentucky team great overfill top down field on second down and that ball is intercepted Trey Collins and his second career start has his first career interception great coverage in the hip pocket you will you if you are ever out of the practice and you're around defensive backs you will hear them say hip pocket what you're trying to do is you want to be in this position right here and really what happened there was Trey Collins just turned into the wide receiver he got a good beat on the ball got it at his highest point and if I'm Kentucky I'd like to see a better effort out of Richardson he's 6-3 he's got to hide there the advantage you've got to go up and try to make a better effort for your quarterback and win that one-on-one matchup [Applause] the Golden Eagles back to work [Applause] towards pain to the 18 again at six that is impressive last five drives have all resulted in points for touchdowns as we've mentioned 28 unanswered for the Golden Eagles we go to the end of the third quarter Kentucky scored 28 unanswered in the first half Southern Miss with a late score in quarter number two and twenty one more this third quarter and the Golden Eagles have a three point lead as we go to the fourth [Music] here's tonight's games rack brought to you by Taco Bell for those of you that may have switched this game off when it was 35 10 Kentucky welcome back Southern Miss has come back they now lead 38 to 35 28 unanswered for the Golden Eagles Drew Barker a big first half kentucky hasn't had the ball much of the second half and ito smith 200 yards of total offense for the golden eagles started the fourth quarter with ahmad brooks Anish wrapped season opener part of the greatest opening weekend in college football history and this has been a fun ride the roller coaster of the game once more the pain he's got Running Room against his tired defense Haynes heads it to the 45 before he's dropped by Walker 14 more is paying again breaking tackles to the outside shoved out by Westley six more he told you earlier under his hat two thousand yard rushers last year one of those Jalen Rashard is God but tonight nito Smith 150 yards on the ground and aimed with 86 closing in on the century mark I like it in right now I think they're sticking with pain just because this defense is tired and there's nothing that you want to do more than tackle a big physical back when you're tired and that wouldn't surprise me if they handed to him again here they do Hanes got a first down out of bounds of the 40-yard line of Kentucky nine more now they bring in the speedster ito Smith's after pain put in plenty of work you played a defense tell me what this defense is going through right now they've been on the field almost the entire second half you're frustrated yeah you wishing your offense could bail you out and help out here a little bit more and get you a rest back to the ground Smith taken down by buildings after [Applause] it's a lawsuit soon set to 212 tackles for losses like that can really help you but defense establish a state and to say you know what we're not going any further because you don't want to let ego Smith get that edge like we've seen him do tonight we really make it difficult on this Kentucky defense [Applause] four-man rush Smith out of the backfield great tackle in space third and the long who Southern Miss the best part about that plate was his angle he forced him to the sideline gave him one go Newsome just a great angle here watch that beautiful tackle in the open field has another big third long situation coming up for the golden eagle the ball at the 32 yard line Southern Miss Deshawn field their kicker is career long 33 this could be four down territory [Applause] for that twist bones give time in traffic and through the hands of Thompson they put that on the spot the receivers got to catch that one yeah I mean that's that's where you want to put it and you're right fourth down here and it looks like Southern Miss is keeping their off it's out on the field got some open space they ran a crisscross there at the back which really confused the defensive backs and a fall hit DJ Thompson right in his mitts and he wasn't able to come up with the catch they'll bring in the field goal unit now something you should know the holder Tyler Saracen who's also the punter has attempted four passes so a fake is not out of the question here this would be a 50-yarder the kick is up and it's good how about that Parker Shawn field from 15 and had distance on that kick Wow Shawn field is just two four five a season ago this sophomore with those Lannister locks makes it a six-point game Southern Miss picked to win the conference USA West Division they won it last year and played in the league title game they've got a 4135 lead on kentucky out of the SCC Parker Sean field will kick it off after booting what was officially ruled a 49-yard to get the Golden Eagles a six-point lead Shahin King out to the 30-yard line Perry the middle linebackers showing blitz it's a handoff to boom Williams looking for Running Room Moody's 5-yard line a gain of five and to your point of this Kentucky offense sputtering and struggling they only had two plays and the opponent's territory in the second half compared that to 26 for Southern Miss barkow under pressure flushed and he's going to go down Darien Yancey with the sack and it's third and Louisville hesitation here it uses you've got to make decisions decisive with the football now I'll give him credit he protected it and took the sack rather than trying to throw it up and with a costly interception but almost an insurmountable third and long situation here it's pressure Johnson on the tunngle screen they took one the distance not that time Denarius Antoine with the stop and Kentucky faces a fourth down and last year's season opener against louisiana-lafayette kentucky had a sizable lead they saw the ragin cajuns come back and it was a late drive by the wildcats that allowed them to pull away tonight kentucky out of 35 10 lead they have not scored since Southern Miss has scored 31 straight fair catch signal by staggers on the McInnis punt Southern Miss has scored on 6 straight possessions they have the ball with a six-point lead at the 40 Southern Miss entered tonight having lost 13 straight against the SCC the last win in 2000 against Alabama of 21 nothing shutouts but the Golden Eagles 7 minutes and change getting a win against the SEC that is caught for a first down staggers and he's in the Wildcat territory before being subdued and that sideline has fired up and why wouldn't you be before you look at the total yard before this series started Kentucky in the first half had three hundred eighty seven yards compared to twenty eight and it has been all about the Golden Eagles in the second half and third downs conversions like that when you're on defense those are so deflating because now you've got to get back up and ready for another set of downs George Payne the battering ram to the 39 of Kentucky I really like his style of running and when you've got when you've got a team on their heels what a perfect style of player to bring in the game to enforce what you're trying to do the physicality of the game every team across the country preaches physicality in the day he's been the leader for Southern Miss family outside the world he's ambushed look like he's got out of it for a moment still on his feet finally brought down by Denzel if we're doesn't get him by the ankles paint might have had quite a bit of running room down that job line now that wasn't the best tackling that Kentucky will have all year long but just got to give this young man credit George pain I mean watch here defender that's a defensive lineman falling off level breaks another arm tackle and almost cut loose there pain really putting in work here that goes wide four-man pressure Mullins has passed there's a flag on the play it's caught by Thompson a penalty marker on the play [Applause] it hurts pass interference defense number 21 the penalties declined result in two plays the first down yeah that's on the top corner for this team Chris Westry he's going to come to the right of your screen Mullins turn the ball with pressure and I don't think it was in a bad spot there but he continued to grab and pull jerseys and when an official sees the separation on that Jersey it's like they've got an automatic trigger to that flag in their back pocket of Ito Smith tackled by a jury of Middleton after a gain of the yard is shacking did nine o'clock we'll continue to run and you're anticipating that this Kentucky defense is thinking about the run they understand the situation they're in right now one thing that I would be cautious of if I were on the field we've seen today Mullins with a few design quarterback runs it's really caught this team off-guard now's the time when Dawson calls those types of plays to tight ends on the ground ito Smith tackled by Walker he's at the 15 yard line the ball is spotted right at that first down marker so they're Miss moves the change now you're starting to wonder with the way that they are methodically milking this clock does Kentucky even get another possession and it seems like what's coming from the Golden Eagles sideline is they're going to run this down as much as they can and they understand what's going on Shannon Dawson we saw a smile out of him earlier but I'm sure he's feeling some sense of satisfaction right now once more to spin dives across the 15 for a short game is closing in on 170 yards clock continues to run we come up on three minutes to play second a9 if Kentucky gets a stop here then do you call a timeout on third down I think you've got to try [Applause] Jones in motion Mullins will take it himself up the middle and as to the 12 yard line third down coming up and Kentucky has used its checking the timeout to stop the clock with 233 and if they convert here the games all but over one timeout left for Kentucky third and seven do you stick with the ground game of course she did force them to use that timeout Kito smithy spinning inside 210 we are shy of the first down so fourth down coming up Kentucky has used its final timeout and now a field goal attempt for Southern Miss Sean field attempting a field goal from 25 he's already hit from 45 or 49 kick is up and good 34 unanswered by Southern Miss and they've got a two score lead as the Golden Eagles are two and a half minutes away from snapping a 13 game losing streak against the SEC I'll tell you what there's probably a few Kentucky fans out there thinking where was this offense last year I'm sure there are you know but I think a lot of it has to do with the talent they have on that side of the ball you know Smith and Mullins could be playing on Sundays when it's all said and done and you've got a mullets JD Harmon breaks a tackle looking for some space she's got the 30 shy grams 35 out of bounds too shy of the 40 Lamont in the first half Kentucky made it work with the big plays and they need a big play here to have any shots and they had success in their quick passing game getting it out to the edges let's see if they go back to that safeties back three-man rush barfoo steps up he's big and down he goes the ball comes out Southern Miss says they have it and they do Dylan Bradley recovered the fumble and that could be the end game for the Wildcats Papa xavier thick pen got the sack he started it all with a block putt to the first quarter his defense he came out with different intensity in the second half it's almost like they inserted who players in these jerseys and the big fella they're amazing talent as this Southern Miss team looks like they may pull off the upset here and if so this would be the fourth SEC team to lose today it's been a roller coaster ride for Southern Miss 12 wins and Larry fedoras final season then they go winless it took todd mock in a few years to get that program going they went nine last year bring in a new coach Jay Hopson delivers southern misses first win against the SEC since 2000 the Golden Eagles around 35 to 10 they close the game with 34 unanswered and a double-digit win on the road against Kentucky [Music]