LEXINGTON — Freshman quarterback Randall Cobb was popular when he entered and even more popular when he left.

Cobb, the first true freshman to play quarterback at Kentucky since Dusty Bonner in 1997, threw for one TD and ran for two others Saturday as the Wildcats dominated Norfolk State 38-3 in their home opener.

"I went in there to give us some life," said Cobb, who relieved starter Mike Hartline toward the end of the first quarter.

He certainly did that.

After a loud ovation from the Commonwealth Stadium crowd, Cobb immediately rewarded that confidence without even throwing a pass. Instead, he used his speed.

First, he sprinted 16 yards untouched on a draw play to put Kentucky near the red zone. Then, two plays later, he called his own number again, dodging several defenders and hurdling another for an 18-yard score — the first of Kentucky's four rushing TDs.

Cobb scored again on Kentucky's next possession, pushing away several defenders on the sneak from a yard out. He also displayed the strength of his left arm on the drive, firing a 27-yard strike to his former high school teammate, Kyrus Lanxter, putting the Wildcats (2-0) in position.

"When we made that substitution, he gave us a real spark running the ball with some speed and athletic ability," coach Rich Brooks.

But as popular as that move was, the reverse was true in the second half when Hartline returned to the lineup to a spattering of boos. Brooks alternated the quarterbacks the rest of the game and scolded the fans afterward for their reaction.

"There is no place for that in our stadium," Brooks said. "That just makes me sick to my stomach."

Cobb agreed and heaped praise on Hartline, whom he predicts will be the starter again next week.

"That was tough for me," Cobb said. "I think it hurt me more than him."

Despite being outplayed by the freshman, Hartline did lead scoring drives culminating in a field goal and touchdown, both starting from prime field position.

"I just tried to be myself," Hartline said.

While Brooks said he won't decide on the starter for Saturday's game against Middle Tennessee until later in the week, Cobb thrived in his audition.

Kentucky, which had kept rival Louisville's offense off the scoreboard a week earlier, was looking to add some offensive power to the defensive excitement it displayed against the Cardinals.

In came Cobb, who led his high school to two straight state titles in Tennessee. His energy seemed to rub off on the rest of the team, particularly the running game.

As Cobb helped revive Kentucky's passing attack, Derrick Locke did the same from the backfield. Locke broke a 19-yard run, helping to set up Cobb's first TD pass — a 13-yard fade to Dicky Lyons Jr.

Locke topped his previous effort in the fourth quarter when he spun around one defender and sprinted past the rest for 68 yards — the Wildcats' longest play of the season.

"Our running game looks good on paper at the end, but it wasn't good when it needed to be early in the game," Brooks said. "We have some work to do still, but awe have a lot of backs that got in there today."

Six, to be exact.

Kentucky, which generated only 63 yards on the ground last week against Louisville, had nearly five times that total against an overmatched opponent with 298. Locke led the way with five carries for 96 yards. Moncell Allen added 71 yards and a score.

Norfolk State, playing just its second game ever against a Football Bowl Subdivision foe, got its lone points of the game shortly before halftime on a 24-yard Justin Castellat field goal, set up by a Cobb fumble.

It was one of few mistakes on the afternoon for the freshman, who completed 6 of 11 passes for 87 yards and one interception.

Once again, defense dominated for Kentucky. It is the first time since 1958 the Wildcats haven't allowed a touchdown in either of their first two games.

"I'm loving it," defensive end Jeremy Jarmon said. "We know our responsibilities. We don't always have to do something extra to get something positive."