But in the first half alone Saturday, Kent State rushed for 215 yards, with Edelman and Jarvis combining for 203 yards, including 127 by Jarvis. Kent State finished with 453 yards on offense.
"They made some plays and took our minds out of the game," Kentucky linebacker Wesley Woodyard said of Kent State's effort in the first half.
"Coach (Rich) Brooks gave us one of those pep talks that you really don't want to do and got us focused on what we really (should) be doing. We had to tackle guys and wrap them up. That's something that we really didn't do in the first half.
"We should have made some tackles that would have prevented some long runs. We were really frustrated. We gave up some big plays that we shouldn't have given up."
Trouble with Edelman
The Wildcats had trouble containing Edelman, a scrambling signal caller who busted through the middle of Kentucky's defense on several third-down opportunities to save a pair of Kent State drives in the first half.
"Kent State gave us everything we wanted in the first half," Brooks said. "Edelman is a great player. He just ran us ragged.
"We couldn't see him half of the time and when we did, we couldn't tackle him."
Brooks said his team's defensive effort was part of an "embarrassing" performance in the opening half.
"They totally took the fight to us," Brooks said. "We could not get off the field on defense. It was not very good football."
Kentucky slowed Kent State in the second half, but Edelman still managed to make some big plays, including a nifty 19-yard pickup on third-and-long.
It proved to be Edelman's only long run of the second half.
Stopping the Cards
Kentucky's next task will be stopping Louisville, which racked up 328 rushing yards as part of an offensive showing that produced 729 yards in a 58-42 win over Middle Tennessee on Thursday.
Although quarterback Brian Brohm is the heart of the Louisville offense, running back Anthony Allen has made a name for himself two games into his career as the Cardinals' featured running back.
Allen rushed for 275 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns on Thursday, inscribing his name into the school's record book for most rushing yards in a single game.
Kentucky's defensive players are aware of Allen's abilities.
"We've got to do a good job of wrapping him up," Kentucky defensive end Jeremy Jarmon said. "He's a strong runner. We've just got to do a better job of gang tackling him."
