Hogs waste great start, can't stop UK's Bowden

Kentucky quarterback Lynn Bowden Jr. (1) rushes for a touchdown during a game against Arkansas on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, in Lexington, Ky.

The University of Arkansas wasted a 13-0 lead, and backup QB Ben Hicks failed to rally the Hogs in a 24-20 loss to Kentucky at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday night.

The Hogs (2-4, 0-3 SEC) have dropped 14 consecutive conference games, despite playing a Kentucky team that played a wide receiver at quarterback all night.

After the Hogs led 13-7 at halftime, the Wildcats ate 5:52 on the first drive of the second half, moving 45 yards on 13 plays. Kicker Matt Ruffolo made a 50-yard FG with 9:02 left in the third quarter to cut Arkansas' lead to 13-10.

Arkansas gained just 6 yards on its first possession, and failed to gain a first down when QB Nick Starkel threw behind wide-open receiver Treylon Burks on third and 4. Sam Loy punted 50 yards, and UK started its next possession at its own 37 after an 18-yard return.

Kentucky went nowhere, and freshman defensive lineman Marcus Miller stopped RB Asim Rose for a 1-yard loss on third and 1. Burks signaled for a fair catch at the UA 13.

The Hogs lost 9 yards, and Loy had to punt from his own end zone. The Wildcats took over at the UA 48.

WR Lynn Bowden, who started at QB because of injuries to Wildcats' top-two signal callers, ran for 11 yards. Rose then took a 21-yard carry to the Hogs' 13. On third and 7 from the 10, Bowden found Clevan Thomas — who beat Kamren Curl in one-on-one coverage — for a touchdown and 17-13 edge with 1:50 left in the third quarter.

The Hogs turned to backup QB Ben Hicks on their next possession. After a hold penalty backed the Hogs up 10 yards, Hicks completed a second-and-20 throw to Trey Knox for 18 yards. He then found Tyson Morris for 11 yards and a first down, and Rakeem Boyd's 9-yard run put Arkansas at the UK 47 at the end of the third quarter.

Devwah Whaley was stopped for no gain, and Hicks was sacked on third and 1 for a 3-yard loss. Loy's punt put Kentucky at its own 2, and three plays netted the Wildcats nothing. A 54-yard punt was returned by Burks for 26 yards to the UK 30 with 13:13 left in the game.

Hicks hit Burks on back-to-back passes of 11 and 15 yards, and Boyd ran in from 2 yards out to give Arkansas a 20-17 edge with 10:35 remaining.

Kentucky wasted little time regaining the lead. Kavosiey Smoke broke a 25-yard run to midfield, and Rose's 27-yard put UK at the UA 21. On second and 13, Bowden kept the ball and ran nearly untouched for a 24-yard touchdown run for a 24-20 advantage with 6:53 remaining.

On third and 3 from the Hogs' 25, Hicks sidestepped the pressure and scrambled 13 yards for a first down. He then hit Cheyenne O'Grady for 15 and 22 yards, taking the Hogs to the UK 17. After a 2-yard run and incompletion, Hicks was sacked by Calvin Taylor for a 7-yard loss. UA decided to go for it on fourth and 15, but Hicks was rushed again and his pass came up well short of the target as UK took over at its own 22 with 2:36 and UA holding two timeouts.

UK picked up 5 yards on first down, and the Hogs called a timeout. On second and 5, Bowden kept the ball and ran 51 yards for a first down to end the Hogs' chances.

Bowden finished with 24 carries for 196 yards and 2 TDs. He also was 7-of-11 passing for 78 yards and 1 TD.

Boyd finished with 15 carries for 134 yards and 2 TDs for the Hogs, but he had only 26 yards after the first quarter.

Starkel finished 7 of 19 for 41 yards. Hicks was 5 of 8 for 81 yards.

Arkansas, which had found itself down after the first possession three times previously this season, flipped the script when Boyd took the team's second snap of the game 74 yards for a touchdown 42 seconds in.

Kentucky came out with Bowden at quarterback. The Wildcats managed 25 yards on eight plays before being forced to punt.

The Hogs drove 44 yards on their next drive but had to punt from midfield. Sam Loy's kick went 35 yards, and returner Josh Ali fumbled after signaling for a fair catch. Referees ruled Kentucky recovered.

After gaining 20 yards on four plays, UK attempted a fourth-and-1 conversion from its own 35. Hogs' lineman Jonathan Marshall hit Bowden in the backfield, and De'Jon Harris recovered the fumble at the UK 32.

Arkansas moved to the UK 10 thanks to a 9-yard run by Boyd and a defensive holding penalty, but the Razorbacks had to settle for a 10-0 lead when Connor Limpert kicked a 28-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter. Boyd finished the first quarter with 6 carries for 108 yards and 1 TD, while Kentucky had 53 total yards.

The Wildcats maneuvered 46 yards, 32 of which were on the ground, but Montaric Brown stuck Bowden for no gain on third and 7 from the Hogs' 29, and Matt Ruffolo missed a 47-yard field goal.

Devwah Whaley started the Hogs' next drive with a 21-yard burst to midfield, and a defensive pass interference call moved the ball to the UK 35. Burks picked up a first down on a 10-yard pass from Starkel, and Limpert capped the drive with a 44-yard field goal for a 13-0 edge with 5:48 left in the first half.

Kentucky's nontraditional offense without a true QB finally got on track during the last drive of the half. Bowden completed a short pass to Justin Rigg, who broke several tackles for a 31-yard gain to the Hogs' 32. Bowden then ran for 14 yards on the next play.

On third and goal from the Hogs' 3, UK spread out four WRs and snapped the ball to Bowden in the shotgun. He ran up the middle for a 3-yard touchdown to cut the Hogs' lead to 13-7 with 55 seconds left in the half. Arkansas went quietly on its final possession.

UK outgained Arkansas 179-176 in the half. The Wildcats were 5-of-5 passing for 75 yards, with Bowden collecting 65 of those. The Hogs gained 135 yards on the ground, but Starkel struggled, completing 7 of 15 passes for 41 yards without a touchdown or interception.