Cats Smash Owls 45-17

LEXINGTON, Ky -- Andre Woodson threw for 301 yards and five touchdowns, although his record-setting NCAA streak of attempted passes without an interception was snapped at 325, as the Cats slammed the Florida Atlantic University Owls 45-17. No. 14 Kentucky moves to 5-0 on the season and will face Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks Thursday night on ESPN.

Woodson's streak is over, but it took little away from what was otherwise a spectacular game from the Kentucky quarterback. Woodson connected on 26-33 passes for 301 yards and five touchdowns on the day. His sixth potential touchdown pass--a ball up for grabs at the goal line between fullback John Conner and FAU cornerback Tavious Polo--instead turned out to be the pass attempt without an interception streak ender, as Polo managed to come down with the ball. Polo leads the nation in interceptions this season with seven.

Woodson was unconcerned about it after the game. "The defender just made a great play on the ball and I just came back to the sideline knowing that I got picked," Woodson said. "I’m glad that it happened in this game and not in another game.”

Kentucky built a 28-10 lead at halftime, courtesy of four touchdown passes by Woodson, who had passed for 250 yards by intermission. Woodson connected on a 14-yard touchdown with Dicky Lyons, Jr., the first of two TD passes Lyons hauled in today, and Kentucky led 7-0 in the first quarter. The Owls responded with a 29-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.

The Cats would quickly respond with a six-play, 1:34 scoring drive capped by a Woodson to Steve Johnson 27-yard diving touchdown to extend the lead to 14-3. Florida Atlantic again responded, however, and mounted a 9-play, 84-yard drive to narrow the margin to 14-10. FAU would not get close again, however.

Kentucky closed the half with two touchdown--the 2nd touchdown strike from Woodson to Lyons on a 10-play, 80 yard drive, and then a 34-yard bomb to Keenan Burton with just 1:27 remaining in the half to push the lead to 28-10 as the half ended.

Kentucky would not be challenged in the second half. Midway through the 3rd quarter, the 28-10 margin ballooned to 35-10, with Woodson's fifth touchdown pass of the day, a 9-yard toss to fullback Connor. Lones Sieber connected on a 32-yard field goal early in the 4th quarter before FAU capitalized on a Kentucky fumble to cut the margin to 38-17. Micah Johnson returned an interception 21-yards with 4:27 remaining for the final 45-17 margin, which marks the fifth consecutive game that UK has eclipsed the 40-point mark this season.

Rafael Little also carried the ball 20 times for 117 yards, with freshman Derrick Locke carrying seven times for 53 yards. Burton was the leading Wildcat receiver with six catches for 100 yards and one score, while Lyons added eight catches for 76 yards, two touchdowns. Eight different Wildcats were recipients of Woodson passes today.

The victory sets up a nationally televised match between two ranked SEC teams next Thursday night. Kentucky (5-0, 1-0) will face South Carolina (4-1, 2-1) in Columbia on ESPN. The Gamecocks were a 38-21 victor today over Mississippi State.

Florida Atlantic University fell to 3-2 with the loss.