The University of Kentucky rode a huge first half to win the Mint City Bowl over Colorado State.
Kentucky came into the game determined to show they were quite possibly the best DIAA team in the nation but negating CSU's kicking game and winning the field position contest. They did that, while CSU made some uncharacteristic mistakes that hurt them.
The Rams were burned early as they started working their pattern. A loose pass that bounced up off the deck was scooped up by Kentucky center Gavin James who raced in to score somewhat against the run of play. Flyhalf Jack Phillips converted.
Kentucky put CSU under more pressure after that. They handled CSU flyhalf Sam Masterson's deep kicks, for the most part, with wing Joe Keough, fullback John Hall, and flyhalf Phillips countering or, in the case of Phillips, returning those kicks.
It was Phillips who found touch perfectly on a penalty, and the Wildcats ran a four-man lineout with flanker Wyatt Kelley in the halfback position. With just four on four in the maul CSU didn't have a lot of options defensively and Kelley came in to rip the ball out and spin infield to twist over the line. Kentucky up 12-0.
The kicking game produced the next try, too. A deep one was dropped near the CSU tryline and from that scrum, Kentucky No. 8 Everett Marret picked up and then sent a nice, flat pass to inside center Pedro Ubeda, who would not be stopped from such short range.
Phillips converted and it was 19-0 for Kentucky; CSU was left shaking their heads.
Insult to injury then as the Rams opted to run out of their 22 and while the Rams had an overlap, Kentucky wing Matt Verdes intercepted the pass and was in untouched. Phillips converted and it was 26-0 at halftime.
Determined to get points and find some confidence, CSU powered into the Wildcats' 22 and when there didn't seem a lot on, Masterson popped a nicely-taken drop goal to get his side something on the board.
From there CSU scored a try while Kentucky added a penalty, and then another.
No. 8 Daniel Trump, who had a very strong game for Colorado State, thundered through for a try and that made it 32-15. Colorado State had outscored Kentucky in the second half, but the hole was far, far too big to dig out of.
The Rams got good work from the loose forward trio of Trump, Jayce Neusa, and Rami El Nasser. Dimitri Fabiani-Wyatt played hard, ripped his jersey, got another one, and kept playing. Hooker Ryan Palmer was effective, too.
But Kentucky was more accurate early and had the ability to punish those CSU mistakes. The second row pairing of William Meckauskas and William Kasyjanski did the job in the lineout and worked hard in the scrums—where Kentucky had the upper hand. Kasyjanski blocked a kick that was an important play. Phillips was MVP of the game as his running of the attack, his defense, and especially his kicking made a big difference. Tighthead prop Jarren Monnier made several impressive carries and led the scrum effort, while captain and openside flanker Aidan Gill was a workhorse.
Overall, while the first half was 26-0, Kentucky's best moments may well have been how carefully they managed the second half and ensure they didn't buckle when CSU started to come back.
The Bowl Game format was welcomed by both teams, who embraced the opportunity to play a team with which they were unfamiliar.
"This has been a wonderful way to cap off my first season as Kentucky's Head Coach," said Kentucky's Sam Enari. "Throughout the season we went out looking for games against strong opponents outside of our DIAA conference, something that many other DIAA teams did not do, and we varied our style of play to suit each opponent. Those experiences came through in the Mint City Bowl."
The game plan for Colorado State included making CSU play short over over the top with fast pressure on the more interior channels. They wanted to force decisions in a short time.
They kicked at Masterson, making him work. And while Masterson did execute a couple of 50-22s, he also was forced into a couple of errant kicks or, as often, having to make a decision in little time.
