Blue Preview: Your guide to Kentucky’s football game vs. Mississippi State
No. 14 Mississippi State at Kentucky
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Kroger Field
TV: ESPN2 (play-by-play, Beth Mowins; analysis, Anthony Becht; sideline, Rocky Boiman)
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1, XM Channel 192, Sirius Channel 113
Records: Kentucky (3-0, 1-0 SEC); Mississippi State (3-0, 0-0 SEC)
Series: Mississippi State leads 23-22 and has won eight of the last nine meetings
Last meeting: Mississippi State blitzed Kentucky 45-7 on Oct. 21, 2017, at Davis-Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss.
Favorite: Mississippi State is favored by 11 points.
The story line
Undefeated Kentucky gets a chance to show the nation it is the real deal against No. 14 Mississippi State — which entered the season considered the best team in the SEC not named Alabama or Georgia. The Wildcats will be out for redemption after being dominated in a humbling defeat a season ago in Starkville. UK star running Benny Snell will also have a point to prove after the Bulldogs held him to 18 yards on seven carries in 2017.
The big threat
Nick Fitzgerald. Dual-threat quarterbacks are traditionally the bane of Kentucky defenses and Mississippi State’s senior QB has been no exception. In two prior starts vs. UK, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound senior from Richmond Hill, Ga., has gashed Kentucky with his legs, running for 107 yards and two touchdowns two seasons ago and gaining 115 yards with two TDs on only 12 carries last year. Fitzgerald is not a high-percentage passer (52.1 completion percentage this season), so new coach Joe Moorhead’s Bulldogs could be vulnerable if forced into a pass-first mode.
On the spot
The Kentucky run defense. Mississippi State comes to Lexington as the top rushing team in the SEC (302 yards a game, 1 yard a contest better than UK) and 10th in the nation. In addition to Nick Fitzgerald, the Buldogs boast capable runners in Kylin Hill (293 yards) and Aeris Williams (116), plus a veteran, physical offensive line. UK’s defensive line has appeared deeper, more physical and more capable of disruption in 2018 than any time in the Mark Stoops coaching era. MSU will be an acute test of how real that improvement is.
The mood
Is curious. How good is Kentucky? There was little buzz around UK football in the lead-in to the 2018 season, but the Cats turbo-charged their season two Saturdays ago with a streak-busting victory at Florida. If Kentucky can spring the upset of Mississippi State, it will propel the Wildcats into the Top 25 and could open the door to a genuinely special season.
Mark Story: (859) 231-3230; Twitter: @markcstory
This story was originally published September 17, 2018 at 11:39 AM.