Can UK football get untracked against New Mexico State?
New Mexico State at Kentucky
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Commonwealth Stadium
TV: SEC Network Alternate (Time Warner 518, Dish Network 404-02, DirecTV 611)
TV announcers: Play-by-play Taylor Zarzour; analyst Jordan Rogers; sideline Kevin Weidl.
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1, XM Channel 192, Sirius Channel 145
Records: Kentucky 0-2 (0-1 SEC), New Mexico State 1-1 (0-0 Sun Belt)
Series: First meeting
Line: Kentucky is favored by 18.5 points.
The story line
Outscored 72-7 in its last six quarters, Kentucky looks to get its season back on track against New Mexico State. The Aggies are coached by Doug Martin, the early-1980s UK quarterback, and are coming off one of their biggest wins in years, a come-from-behind 32-31 victory over archrival New Mexico.
On the spot
Mark Stoops. The embattled UK head man may not win back any disgruntled fans with a victory over NMSU — but he could lose even the most fervent Big Blue loyalists with a loss.
The big threat
In spite of being sacked five times, quarterback Tyler Rogers completed 21 of 35 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in the victory over New Mexico. He is also the Aggies’ leading rusher on the season (84 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries).
The mood
Is near despondence. Kentucky followed up a come-from-ahead loss to Southern Mississippi with a no-show, blowout loss at Florida. To have any hope at salvaging its season, UK needs to start with a victory over NMSU. Simply put, a loss to New Mexico State would be disastrous.
Mark Story: 859-231-3230, @markcstory
This story was originally published September 13, 2016 at 6:34 PM with the headline "Can UK football get untracked against New Mexico State?."