RELENTLESS: Kentucky battles for 27-17 win over Mississippi State

LEXINGTON, Ky. — This year's edition of Kentucky's annual SEC East vs. West matchup against Mississippi State was anything but typical. The No. 22 Wildcats eventually came out on top, beating the No. 16 Bulldogs 27-17 inside of Kroger Field. Both teams' records now stand at 5-2.

Kentucky's offense was slow-moving in the first half, but when Will Levis returned from a hard-hitting shoulder injury in the third quarter, it seemed to ignite his team. Chris Rodriguez hit a new level in the second half, and the Cats never looked back.

Levis finished the night completing 17 of his 23 passes for 230 yards in the air, with Rodriguez adding 196 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Barion Brown led the way for UK's receivers, pulling down seven carries for 62 yards.

On the defensive side, super senior DeAndre Square recorded a team-high 11 tackles to go along with a late-game interception.

Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach and his famous air-raid attack was limited to 225 yards of total offense - 203 in the air and 22 on the ground. The Wildcats earned 478 yards of total offense, and they had 11 more first-downs than the Bulldogs (24 to 13).

It was never a given. In fact, at the beginning, it looked as if Kentucky was doing all it could to let this one slip away. Back-to-back penalties on the opening drive of the game halted UK's early defensive efforts, but Brad White's unit settled down and forced a Mississippi State punt. The Cats were flagged for five penalties and committed a turnover in the first six minutes of action, but the defense stepped up again, thanks in part to a sack on third down by cornerback Carrington Valentine.

When Mississippi State punted to the Cats, true freshman Barion Brown took it to the house for a touchdown. However, that was quickly erased due to another penalty on UK - this time, a block in the back. After 15 minutes of play, the Cats had been called for 8 penalties, sacrificing 60 yards in the process. The game was scoreless to end the first quarter.

Kentucky's defense was stout in the second quarter. The group allowed just three points in the first half, which came from Mississippi State's 48-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Ruffolo missed a 51-yard field goal late in the half, but redeemed himself with a successful 28-yarder to tie things up at 3-3 heading into halftime.

Big Blue Nation held its breath when Levis was tackled after completing a 33-yard pass to Brown early in the third quarter. Levis landed hard on his left shoulder, and he was quickly taken directly to the locker room. Backup QB Kaiya Sheron checked into the game in his absence. Sheron got Kentucky into the red zone, but the Cats were forced to settle for another field goal. Ruffolo's 37-yarder put Kentucky on top, 6-3 with 11:34 remaining in the third period.

Mississippi State scored on their next possession, making the score 10-6 Bulldogs. While they were kicking the point-after, Levis emerged from the locker room and returned to the sideline.

After chipping away at Mississippi State's defense all night, Rodriguez broke free for a 47-yard run to get his team to the 8-yard line. He carried the rock for the next three possessions but was repeatedly stopped short of the goal line. Kentucky went for it on fourth and three, and the Cats scored off a 3-yard strike from Levis to senior wide receiver Rahsaan Lewis. After a successful point after, Kentucky regained the lead, 13-10.

Mere minutes later, Rodriguez punched one in himself to extend UK's lead to 20-10.

With time continuing to tick off the clock, Levis attempted a short pass on fourth-and-two, but he was picked off by a Mississippi State defender who returned it 59 yards for a touchdown. It didn't take long for the Cats to quickly respond with a touchdown of their own, largely due to a 50-yard haul by redshirt freshman receiver Dekel Crowdus and a gritty push to the end zone by Rodriguez.

Kentucky has next weekend off thanks to a bye week, then the Cats will travel to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers on Oct. 29th.

BBN Tonight

For more on tonight's game and the team as a whole, watch BBN Tonight weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on your official station for Big Blue Nation, LEX 18 News. Full episodes are also available on BBNTonight.com