Ole Miss Rebels (0-1) at Kentucky Wildcats (0-1)
- Game Time: 4 pm EST on October 3rd, 2020
- Location: Kroger Field in Lexington, KY
- TV Channel: Today’s game can be seen on the SEC Network.
- Announcers: Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb and Taylor McGregor will be on the call.
- Radio: Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro will have the UK radio network call on 630 AM, 98.1 FM in Lexington, and on the UK Sports Network.
- Online radio: TuneIn broadcast or UKAthletics.com.
- Online Stream: WatchESPN and fuboTV
- Odds: Kentucky is a 6.5-point favorite. ESPN FPI gives the Wildcats a 63% chance of winning.
- Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
- Rosters: UK | OM
- Weather Report
- Prediction: TeamRankings has the Wildcats winning 35-29, while numberFire went with a 31-28 win for the home team.
While we wait for the game, get fired up with this hype video narrated by UK great Wesley Woodyard.
I know many were disappointed with Kentucky’s loss at Auburn last week, but honestly, it was what many expected. The Wildcats took a two-score loss on the road to a top-10 team. Losing is never fun, but there were some positives to take away.
Yes, Terry Wilson showed some signs of rust. But he also made some big plays and some great throws. The offense was much more balanced than we have seen in previous years, and that should be encouraging for those that have been clamoring for Kentucky to air it out.
Also, redshirt sophomore Kavosiey Smoke had a very promising first outing, as he ran for 62 yards and a score on just seven carries. Perhaps he’ll be in line for more touches this week after AJ Rose and Christopher Rodriguez could only muster up 44 yards on 19 carries, a mere 2.3 yards per carry average.
Many were pleased when Ole Miss was added to the schedule at the end of the summer. If you are looking at the landscape of the SEC West, that is not a bad draw. But after watching their outing in week one against Florida, it is obvious that Kentucky will have their hands full on Saturday.
The Rebels had themselves an old fashioned shoot out against he Gators, eventually falling 51-35. As a team, Ole Miss put up 613 yards of total offense. Starting quarterback Matt Corral threw for 395 yards and tossed three touchdowns to only one interception. He also rushed for 50 yards on 13 carries.
“I think he did good job with his feet, getting out of trouble,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said of his quarterback on his weekly press conference. “I think he was very composed, really good at adjusting with him on the sidelines. Both quarterbacks were. His feet are a bit all over the place at times in the passing game. We got to clean that up since he was late on some balls that were really open that ended up being completed that could have been touchdowns.”
Sophomore Jerrion Ealy is one of the top returning SEC running backs this season after going for 722 yards and six scores on 104 carries (6.9 avg.) last year to go with 20 grabs for 172 yards and another score. He ran for 79 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries (4.9 avg.) vs. Florida while grabbing three passes for 44 yards.
Kentucky’s defense only gave us 324 yards to Auburn, but two costly turnovers put the Tigers in good field position and they put up a total of 28 points on the Wildcats. Despite that score, the veteran Kentucky defense still looks formidable for upcoming opponents.
“They’re very disciplined on defense, they don’t do a lot of things, but they know what they’re doing really well,” Kiffin said. And if they plan to stop Kiffin’s high octane offense, they had been figure out what to do on Saturday.
Kentucky’s offense was not quite as impressive as Ole Miss on Saturday. Despite dominating time of possession and sustaining long drives, they still only rushed for 145 yards and turned the ball over three times. It is going to be difficult to win any SEC games turning the ball over that often.
Terry Wilson was the culprit for two of the three turnovers, but his play was not all bad. He hit nearly 65% of his passes and spread the ball around to seven different targets.
Will Wilson be able to capitalize on an Ole Miss defense that gave up 51 points and 642 yards last week? He will need to if Kentucky wants to keep up on Saturday.
If Wilson struggles again, Kentucky now has a legitimate option behind him in Auburn transfer Joey Gatewood, who was just cleared by the SEC to play this season. Even if Wilson remains the starter, Gatewood could be deployed as a Wildcat QB of sorts to change up the offense for a few series each game.
REMINDER:
A health screening will be required for all staff and spectators today. The list of health screening questions will be posted at, or near stadium entrances. All will be expected to answer “no” the following questions prior to arrival at Kroger Field. pic.twitter.com/4f4oB1cC4k
— Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthletics) October 3, 2020