Last week was a brutal 24-14 loss for a Kentucky team that had hopes of New Year’s Six bowl games. If those hopes are getting revived, the Wildcats need to best No. 16 Mississippi State and its coach, former UK offensive coordinator Mike Leach. The good news for UK is that QB Will Levis is expected to play. The bad news is that the Wildcats will definitely need Levis at or near the top of his game.
Leach has revived the Bulldogs in his third season in Starkville. Two years ago, the Wildcats embarrassed his Bulldogs 24-2 to snap a two-game SEC losing streak. Kentucky won that game despite managing just 157 yards of total offense, largely due to forcing 6 MSU turnovers. A year ago, Leach returned the favor, besting UK 31-17 (largely on a 36 for 39 passing performance) to give the Wildcats a two-game SEC losing streak. UK lost the turnover battle in that game 4-0.
Now, State is 5-1, with junior QB Will Rogers approaching the MSU career passing yardage record. Defensive coordinator Zach Arnett has been a nice counterpart to Leach with his own aggressive mentality that has thwarted opponents. State lost in Week 3 to LSU, 31-16, but otherwise has scored 39 or more points in every game.
Meanwhile, Kentucky struggled horribly without Levis. The Wildcats were lucky to pull even at 7-7 at halftime, as the first half included a missed field goal, a blocked punt, and a horrifying opening play when UK attempted a reverse, but instead fumbled the ball away, allowing South Carolina to start its first game at the UK 2.
Kentucky’s second half was flat and lifeless. Despite a 126-yard rushing performance from Chris Rodriguez, the Wildcats couldn’t get untracked. UK allowed six sacks to a South Carolina defense that had managed just 4 total sacks in the season’s first 5 games.
The good news is that even against the nation’s No. 16 team, the Wildcats—rough as they looked a week ago—are just a four-point underdog. There’s every reason to think that the presence of Levis was the spark that the Wildcat offense needed but could not find. Can UK’s defense keep up with Leach’s Air Raid? Can Levis and Rodriguez—who have been on the field together for just 24 snaps—turn UK’s momentum?
This Kentucky team is better than it showed on Saturday. It’ll take a focused effort, but UK usually finds one when most needed under Mark Stoops.
UK 31, Mississippi State 28.
Other SEC Predictions:
Ole Miss 41, Auburn 14
Georgia 51, Vanderbilt 10
Alabama 31, Tennessee 21
Arkansas 35, BYU 31
LSU 29, Florida 28
Joe Cox is contributing editor for KySportsStyle.com Magazine. He grew up in Letcher County and Bell County and has written or co-written nine books. His most recent, "A Fine Team Man: Jackie Robinson and the Lives He Changed," was released in February 2019 and can be ordered on Amazon or at many local bookstores. Joe is an attorney and lives in Logan County with his wife and children. You can reach him at jrcox004@gmail.com.
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