The Sports Xchange
Sep 17, 2016
Benny Snell tied a school record with four rushing touchdowns, and Stephen Johnson came off the bench to throw three scoring strikes to tight end C.J. Conrad as Kentucky posted a 62-42 victory over New Mexico State on Saturday in Lexington, Ky.
The Wildcats' 692 yards marked the second-highest total in school history, and the most for a home game.
Snell scored on runs of 5, 1, 2 and 4 yards, getting extra playing time because starter Stanley "Boom" Williams suffered from neck spasms for part of the game. Williams, who scored on a 63-yard run in the first quarter, came back strong in the second half to finish with 181 yards on 18 carries.
Kentucky (1-2), which had scored seven points in its previous six quarters, kept pouring it on despite losing starting quarterback Drew Barker to a leg injury on its first possession.
The Wildcats finished the scoring with a 65-yard punt return from Charles Walker with 3:41 left in the game. It was Kentucky's first punt return for a touchdown since Randall Cobb had one on Sept. 11, 2010.
Snell carried 17 times for 136 yards.
New Mexico State (1-2) fell to 0-20 against SEC opponents.
Aggies quarterback Tyler Rogers accounted for four touchdowns, completing 16 of 33 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 70 yards and two scores.
Johnson completed 17 of 22 throws for 310 yards, gaining 51 more on the ground.
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said this week he would take a more active role in the defensive play-calling, but it didn't help as New Mexico State rolled to 500 total yards and scored on touchdown passes of 35 and 31 yards to take an early 14-7 lead.
The Wildcats' offense kept pace with the help of Conrad, who became the first Kentucky player to have three touchdown receptions in a game since Dicky Lyons in 2007. On Conrad's first score, he took a pass near the line of scrimmage and went 72 yards down the sideline for the touchdown.
The game was tied at 35 at halftime.