The Youngstown State football team forced three turnovers on defense but struggled with consistency on offense in a 31-0 loss at No. 9 Kentucky on Saturday afternoon.

The Penguins held their own defensively in the early going by keeping the Wildcats scoreless through the first 16 minutes at Kroger Field in Lexington. With YSU not achieving a first down on offense until nearly 25 minutes into the game, UK benefited from frequent good field position and dominated the time of possession as it scored 21 points in the second quarter.

Youngstown State will enter its bye week with a 2-1 record, and a meeting with North Dakota State will begin Missouri Valley Football Conference play on Oct. 1. Kentucky, which was coming off a 26-16 win at Florida last week, remained unbeaten at 3-0.

Facing an SEC opponent for the first time in school history, Youngstown State caused three turnovers and forced two more fumbles that the Wildcats recovered. Troy Jakubec and Quincy Lenton each intercepted UK quarterback Will Levis, and those Penguin defensive backs also combined for another turnover as Lenton forced a fumble that Jakubec recovered.

Youngstown State also had 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 of which came from defensive end Dylan Wudke. Wudke finished with seven tackles and a sack, and Jordan Trowers led all players with 11 tackles.

Offensively for the Penguins, quarterback Demeatric Crenshaw was 7-for-21 for 120 yards and threw an interception in the end zone on YSU's best scoring chance of the game. Jaleel McLaughlin was the top receiver and rusher, catching three passes for 60 yards and running 10 times for 36 yards.

For Kentucky, Will Levis was 27-for-35 for 377 yards and two touchdowns, and two of those incompletions were on the interceptions by Jackubec and Lenton. He completed a pass to 11 different receivers. The Penguins held the Wildcats to 103 yards on the ground on 36 carries for an average of 2.9 yards per rush.

The defense had its first big play of the afternoon late in the first quarter after Kentucky took over at the YSU 27 following a blocked punt. On the second play of the drive, Jakubec jumped in front of a slant route inside the 5 yardline for the first turnover of the contest.

YSU went three-and-out, and a 15-yard punt return by Tayvion Robinson gave UK possession at the YSU 35. The Wildcats got to the 1 on the final play of the opening quarter on a 15-yard pass from Levis to Robinson, and the defense held twice to start the second quarter before Levis ran it in for the opening score.

Kentucky's next drive began with a 29-yard pass by Levis, and the UK quarterback ran for 24 yards down to the Penguins' 3 on third-and-five later in the drive. Levis' first touchdown pass of the game came on the next play, which put Kentucky ahead 14-0 with 6:10 remaining in the second quarter.

YSU's only first down of the opening half came on the second play of the ensuing possession as Crenshaw connected with Bryce Oliver for a 13-yard gain on second-and-six. The Penguins didn't gain any yards on the fresh set of downs, and they went three-and-out following Jakubec's fumble recovery at the Kentucky 47. With 1:54 on the clock, the Wildcats went 71 yards in nine plays and took a 21-0 lead on a two-yard touchdown pass from Levis to Chris Lewis with 20 seconds remaining in the half.

The Penguins crossed midfield on offense for the first time to start the second half as Crenshaw found Oliver for a 27-yard completion on the sideline, and a 15-yard roughing-the-passing penalty gave the Penguins first-and-10 on the Kentucky 33. Two incomplete passes and a rush for no gain followed, and a pass to Oliver on fourth-and-10 was broken up in the end zone to end the drive.

Kentucky's final touchdown of the game came on the next possession as Kavosiey Smoke scored on a seven-yard rush at the 8:36 mark of the third quarter, and the Wildcats led 28-0.

The Penguins' best scoring chance came on their next drive as McLaughlin ran for 64 yards on a screen pass on the opening play of the possession. Crenshaw then threw back-to-back fade routes to Oliver on the right side of the end zone on the next two plays. The first one drew defensive pass interference, and the second one was picked off by Carrington Valentine after the cornerback tipped the ball several times.

D'Marco Augustin stripped Levis on third down on UK's next possession to force the Wildcats to punt from their 31, and Randy Smith's eight-yard punt return gave YSU the ball at its 30. The Penguins crossed midfield again after a 19-yard pass to Latrell Fordham, but a 12-yard sack on third-and-10 ended any scoring hopes.

Lenton intercepted Levis at the YSU 23 on Kentucky's next drive, and the final score of the game came on a 15-yard field goal by Matt Ruffalo with 4:54 on the clock. The Penguins got to the UK 30 on their final drive but turned the ball over on downs with 1:08 remaining.

Youngstown State's eight-game MVFC slate will begin in two weeks at North Dakota State. Kickoff at the Fargodome is set for 2 p.m. Eastern, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and 570 WKBN.