By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
It didn’t take long for Patrick Towles to get back on track. Just seven days to be exact.
One week after turning in a poor performance in a 14-9 loss to Florida, the junior signal caller returned to form, throwing for 249 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Wildcats to a 21-13 triumph over No. 25 Missouri Saturday night.
It was a win the Wildcats (3-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) needed and they couldn’t afford to let another home conference game slip away after last week’s close call against the Gators. Kentucky has won three times in four attempts to open the season, while the loss was the first of the year for Missouri, now 3-1 on the year and certain to drop out of the Top 25 this week.
“It’s a huge confidence-builder,” Towles said. “We’re 3-1 and 2-1 (In the SEC), which is awesome. It was important for me to play well for sure after struggling (last week) and missing some throws. I’m here for a reason and I can play and coming out and playing like this was a huge confidence-builder.”
One day after the loss to Florida, Towles spent most of the day having and open and honest conversation with offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson. The long-winded chat yielded positive results in practice. In addition to the off-the-field conversation, a “tweak:” in his throwing motion also played a role in Towles’ ability to hit his targets more effectively.
“His confidence level was real high,” Dawson said. “We had a conversation for a long time and just ironed thing out honesty, basically telling him that I believed in him. He had to relax and play loose, just like the guy I see in practice every day.”
Kentucky receiver Dorian Baker celebrates after catching a touchdown pass Saturday night (photo by Tammie Brown)
Kentucky receiver Dorian Baker celebrates after catching a touchdown pass Saturday night (Photo by Tammie Brown)
Moments after securing Kentucky’s first victory over a ranked opponent for the first time since 2010, Towles pumped his fist in the air in jubilation and walked off the field feeling good about himself. For Towles, the outing helped silence the critics who questioned his ability to lead the offense last week.
“We just talked about playing,” Towles said. “Last week we were a little tight and just wanted the game too much. We just went out, played freely and let the chips fall where they may. I just tried to act like it was Friday night, playing football at Fort Thomas Highlands. It was a lot of fun.”
The backing from Dawson is all Towles needed to find his rhythm again, especially when his team needed it the most going into a non-conference encounter against Eastern Kentucky. Dawson admitted it’s not easy for a quarterback to bounce back in seven days, not to mention tune out the negativity that followed the team’s unsuccessful bid at ending a long and dreadful losing streak to Florida.
“That’s hard,” Dawson said. “To have a game like he had last week and to have a lot of critics out there, and on us. To block it out, go to work and have a great week of practice, it showed a lot. He played really good.”
Towles made passes to seven different receivers, including tight end C.J. Conrad, who made his first career catch and touchdown pass as a Wildcat. Garrett Johnson led the receiving corps with six catches for 119 yards. Three receivers had catches for 25 yards or more, a signal Towles was back to form.
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops didn’t say much to Towles after the contest, but his actions spoke louder than words.
“I’m pretty stingy with game balls, but I think he deserved one, so I gave him a game ball,” Stoops said. “I thought he played a really good game and made some really good plays with his feet and was aggressive down the stretch.”
As a new month sits on the horizon, the Wildcats closed out the first month of the season with three wins in four attempts, including a rare road victory at South Carolina in the league opener three weeks ago.
“The heartbreaking thing is, we could be 4-0,” Dawson said. “We’re sitting in decent situation and our kids have grind (it out). Our top half of the schedule was a grind and to come out 3-1 is a positive.”
The performance by Towles against the Tigers also made Dawson beam with excitement as he left Wildcat Den.
“I thought he bounced back pretty damned good,” he said.
Keith Taylor is a columnist and senior sports reporter who covers UK sports for the NKyTribune