With Mississippi State series pausing, Kentucky looks to vanquish Starkville demons

Saturday marks the end of an era for Kentucky football.

The ultimate tossup game is leaving the Wildcats’ schedule for at least one year. After meeting every season since 1990, Kentucky and Mississippi State will not play in 2024 as the SEC drops its two-division format and adds Oklahoma and Texas to the league.

Kentucky enters the final game with Mississippi State as its fixed opponent from the West Division with the all-time series tied at 25 wins each. The home team has won the last seven games in the series, and Kentucky has not won in Starkville since 2008.

“Traditionally, we have had a tough time down there, so we have to get that fixed and have great preparation this week and go on the road and get an SEC victory,” UK coach Mark Stoops said Monday.

Twice during his Monday news conference Stoops declined to bite on a reporter’s question about if there was anything that made Mississippi State’s Davis Wade Stadium a particularly difficult place for Kentucky to play.

Yes, the Bulldogs boast a unique environment thanks to fans bringing cowbells to the stadium (SEC rules allow the cowbells to be rung when the ball is not in play), but Kentucky has yet to win a road game at any SEC West program in the Stoops era.

“If you listen to every SEC coach, it’s probably the first thing they are going to say: Going on the road and winning in these venues is not easy,” Stoops said. “We had a great atmosphere here this past Saturday (against Tennessee). I wish we could have delivered the victory for such a great crowd. It was a great atmosphere and a tough place to play and that is what we need.

“And Starkville is the same. They have a passionate fan base, and they have a team that is always long, physical, plays very hard. And it is a hostile environment. We will have our hands full, but that is what you have to prepare for.”

Mississippi State has reached a bowl game in every year Stoops has faced the Bulldogs as UK coach, but the current Bulldogs have just one SEC win, a 7-3 victory over an Arkansas squad that is 0-5 in the league. There is still time for Mississippi State to change the perception in Zach Arnett’s first full season as head coach, but for now this looks like the worst Mississippi State team Stoops has faced in Starkville.

There has actually been relatively little drama in Kentucky’s Starkville losing streak.

Of the Stoops teams that have lost there, his first UK squad, which finished the year 2-10, actually came closest to winning at Mississippi State. Kentucky appeared to recover an onside kick in that game that would have given it a possession with a chance to take the lead, but UK safety Daron Blaylock was flagged for lining up offsides on the side of the field opposite where the ball was kicked. Kentucky eventually lost the game 28-22.

Each Mississippi State win in Starkville since has been by at least two touchdowns.

With Mississippi State no longer on Kentucky’s schedule every season, proving capable of winning in Starkville might not say much about the Wildcats’ ability to be relevant in the new-look SEC, but it looks like an essential step for salvaging something positive from this season. Kentucky appeared to have stayed engaged throughout the current three-game losing streak, but each additional loss will make that task more difficult, especially with No. 8 Alabama coming to Lexington next week.

“It is tough, they are hurting, beat up, and bruised physically and emotionally, but you get right back at it and get back to work,” Stoops said. “I hope that they take pride in that preparation, and I think, take pride in a lot of ways that carry over. Where we fell short, let’s get to work on that.”

Next game

Kentucky at Mississippi State

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

TV: SEC Network

Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1

Records: Kentucky 5-3 (2-3 SEC), Mississippi State 4-4 (1-4)

Series: Tied 25-25

Last meeting: Kentucky won 27-17 on Oct. 15, 2022, in Lexington

This story was originally published October 31, 2023 at 8:06 AM.

Jon Hale

Lexington Herald-Leader

(859) 414-6776

Jon Hale is the University of Kentucky football beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He joined the Herald-Leader in 2022 but has covered UK athletics for more than 10 years. Hale was named the 2021 Kentucky Sportswriter of the Year. Support my work with a digital subscription