Know Your Enemy: Previewing Kentucky Ahead Of Mississippi State's Meeting With the Wildcats
Mississippi State (4-3) is set to take on a hot Kentucky Wildcats team (6-1) back in Starkville after recording a dominant 45-6 win over Vanderbilt last weekend.
Going up against the Wildcats, whose only loss of the season came against No. 1-ranked Georgia when they fell 30-13 on the road on Oct. 16, will be no easy task and this could prove to be the most difficult game remaining on MSU's schedule.
We caught up with John Clay of the Lexington Herald-Leader to find out more about where Kentucky's strengths and weaknesses lie and how this one could shake out on Saturday.
1. What is your evaluation of where this team is at quarterback, with Will Levis, who played "The Lion" role at Penn State?
JC: After attracting national attention for eating brown bananas whole and pouring mayo in his coffee, Levis is ready to start turning heads for his play on the field. The Penn State transfer has progressed with the season and completed 32 of 42 passes in the 30-13 loss at Georgia last time out. Levis didn't hit any home runs against the Bulldogs -- who does? -- but did engineer touchdown drives of 13 and 22 plays. New offensive coordinator Liam Coen wants Levis to build off that performance.
2. Kentucky sits at 6-1, but the Wildcats have had some close calls against teams they were expected to beat by a large margin and at least looking at the SEC rankings by category, the team ranks quite low in several categories. Just how good is this team and how does it compare in relation to the rest of the SEC?
JC: Kentucky had not beaten Florida in Lexington since 1986. Down went the Gators. Kentucky had not beaten LSU by two scores since 1999. Down went the Tigers. Those two victories have shaped the Cats' season to this point. They did slip past FCS member Chattanooga at home after trailing 16-14 in the fourth quarter and squeezed out a 16-10 win at South Carolina, but Mark Stoops has a mature team with a healthy dose of super seniors. Given its final five opponents, a 11-1 finish is not out of the question.
3. Headed into the matchup, what is this team’s biggest strength and biggest weakness?
JC: Defense remains the Big Blue backbone. UK is third in the SEC and 22nd nationally in total defense. Defensive lineman Josh Paschal is having a standout year. Linebackers DeAndre Square and Jaquez Jones, an Ole Miss transfer, are smart guys who make plays. Coen was hired off the Los Angeles Rams' staff to bring a passing game to an offense that was overly dependent on the run. So far, the air attack has been a work in progress. Wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson is a standout and the hope is senior Josh Ali will be back Saturday after missing the last two games.
4. What is the biggest challenge Kentucky presents to MSU?
JC: Stoops and defensive coordinator Brad White schemed up a defense last year that ruined Mike Leach's return to Lexington, where he was an assistant coach from 1997-98. The Cats intercepted six passes on the way to a 24-2 victory. Kentucky has made just three interceptions so far this season, and Mississippi State's Air Raid is improved in year two under Leach. Still, based on the last meeting, Kentucky's defense has confidence it can limit the Bulldogs again.
5. Final score and prediction for this game?
JC: Call it the "Curse of the Cowbells," but Stoops has never won in Starkville. He's 0-4 in Davis Wade Stadium as the Kentucky coach. He has altered the routine for this trip, having the team stay in Starkville the night before the game instead of somewhere outside of town, as has been its custom. More importantly, coming off a bye week where the Cats healed up some bumps and bruises, I like Kentucky's chances. Make it UK 24, Mississippi State 20.
