Kentucky will be tested this weekend for what feels like the third time in five weeks. When they hosted South Carolina I’m not sure many thought that it would be a test, but it definitely turned out to be one. Then only seven days later they hosted the top-rated team in the country with Georgia, and now they’ll be heading to Oxford to take on the top-rated offense in the country and sixth ranked team of Ole Miss.
An 11:00 AM local kickoff (central) time, Kentucky looks to find their first win on Ole Miss’ stomping grounds since 1978, dating back over forty-five years ago. With today’s world of sports betting, the experts have Kentucky listed as a major dog in the opening lines. The odds have the Rebels listed as a 17.5-point favorite to win.
Often the odds stay close to predicting the eventual outcome, but I feel like this game will be different. I believe they’re basing that off of Ole Miss’ 248 yards of offense averaged through their first four games, but Kentucky’s defense will be by far the best they’ve had to face this season. Whatever they’re expecting, bet the under because I think Brad White’s defense will take their offense a notch down like they did against the Georgia Bulldogs.
Head coach Lane Kiffin even mentioned something similar on Tuesday stating that his team hasn’t played any real competition yet if you read through the lines of his press conference answers. Out of respect for those programs he didn’t come out and directly say it, but he danced all the way around it.
The Kentucky football program is many years past a “cupcake” on the opponent’s schedule, with a chance of winning in nearly every game they play in on an annual bases. The Florida streak was snapped six years ago and the Tennessee streak was snapped just four years ago. All streaks eventually come to an end and this one is stapled firmly to the wall to happen someday, I just don’t know if this year will be the one or not.
I think if Kentucky’s offense finally hits stride that will give them their best chance of leaving with a win. I confidently believe Ole Miss’ offense will showcase its lowest level of a performance they’ve had all year, even if it is enough to still win. But if Kentucky was to upset the Rebels, Brock Vandagriff has got to cover some ground in the air to support to already stellar running back group. We hoped for that against the Ohio Bobcats last Saturday, and while it did some, I don’t think it was enough for fans to start making their judgment of what Brock can be this year, lurking for just another game to get to evaluate for themselves.
Just two seasons ago Kentucky nearly snapped their 5-game losing streak at Vaught Hemingway Stadium before having their game-winning play called back for “illegal motion” on the offense.
That loss taking place in the final minute of the matchup would extend the losing streak to 6 straight in Oxford, aiming the trajectory of the rest of the season into a downhill spiral. With what felt like a blow to the stomach in real time, Kentucky would go on to lose 4 of the next six games as momentum slid out the door.
Kentucky hasn’t faced the SEC West foe since then, but they do own an all-time record of 14-30-01 against the Rebels, including a 2-9 record in Oxford. Per the school’s stats, Kentucky is 11-16 against AP ranked teams since 2018 as well.
So, they’ll have a lot to overcome in order to win, but in this conference nothing comes easy. And they know all about that.
Cats Coverage will be hitting the road on Friday to make this weekend trip to Ole Miss. Tres Terrell and Janson Hoskins will provide updates online throughout the trip, so follow along!
Thanks for reading! We hope to see you again. To not miss any breaking news, follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter to see our daily content in real time.
Leave a Reply