What Happened Last Time Between the Texas Longhorns and Kentucky Wildcats?

Even before their move to the SEC, the Texas Longhorns had some history with many of their new conference foes. Former conference rivals - most notably Texas A&M, Arkansas and Missouri - stand out, but they also had solid series back in the day with the likes of Alabama, LSU and Vanderbilt.

The Kentucky Wildcats are not one of those teams, however. Prior to the Longhorns' move to the SEC, they'd only faced the Wildcats once, and that came all the way back in 1951. For reference, color TV didn't even exist commercially at the time.

The two teams finally met again last season, this time as SEC rivals, but the Longhorns looked like the seasoned vets of the conference.

Texas Longhorns Dominated Kentucky Wildcats in Second-Ever Meeting

Nov 23, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden (2) stiff arms Kentucky Wildcats defensive back Jordan Lovett (25) in the first quarter at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Ricardo B. Brazziell/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

The Longhorns were on their way to an SEC Championship Game appearance and College Football Playoff berth, so the lowly Wildcats, who finished the season 4-8, appeared to be no match for them. That was exactly the case on the field, as Texas dominated Kentucky 31-14 at Darrell K Royal.

The score doesn't really convey just how much the Longhorns controlled this game. They gained 442 total yards to the Wildcats' 232, had 28 first downs to their 14 and led 24-7 going into halftime.

Unfortunately, as was the case so often, the Longhorns got in their own way. They fumbled a whopping five times during this game and were fortunate to only lose two of them, but one of those was a scoop-and-score by Kentucky linebacker Jamon Johnson late in the third quarter. The Wildcats weren't exactly clean either with four fumbles of their own, but they didn't lose a single one of those.

Despite that, the Longhorns still won comfortably, but it was definitely another sloppy performance.

Quinn Ewers completed 20 of 31 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns, both to Gunnar Helm, but he didn't have to do all too much. That's because the Longhorns' ground game was firing on all cylinders, as Quintrevion Wisner rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown while Jaydon Blue added 96 yards and a score of his own as both backs averaged over six yards per carry. Matthew Golden had seven receptions for 86 yards.

Wildcats quarterback Brock Vandagriff completed three of seven passes for 51 yards, one touchdown and one interception before leaving with an injury. Backup Cutter Boley completed 10 of 18 passes for 160 yards and an interception in relief.

Texas' defense was quite dominant, recording six sacks while holding Kentucky to 0.7 yards per carry.

Saturday's game will be at Kroger Field, marking the Longhorns' first-ever trip to Lexington, and they should expect to get the Wildcats' best shot.