Blue Preview: Your guide to Kentucky’s football game vs. Tennessee Martin
UT Martin at Kentucky
When: 3:30 p.m., Saturday
Where: Kroger Field (capacity 61,000)
TV: SEC Network (play-by-play, Dave Neal; analysis, DJ Shockley)
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Satellite radio: XM Channel 190, Sirius Channel 133, Internet Channel 961
Records: Kentucky (5-5, 3-5 SEC); Tennessee Martin (7-4, 6-2 OVC)
Series history: Kentucky leads 1-0
Last meeting: Kentucky defeated Tennessee Martin 59-14 on Aug. 30, 2014.
Line: There is none
The story line
All that stands between Kentucky and bowl-eligibility for a fourth consecutive season is a victory over Ohio Valley Conference foe Tennessee Martin. Under head coach Jason Simpson, the Skyhawks are 0-9 against SEC teams, including a 45-0 loss to Florida on Sept. 7.
The big threat
UTM redshirt freshman quarterback John Bachus III has been named OVC Offensive Player of the Week twice and Newcomer of the Week four times this season. He received the latter honor for his play this past Saturday after he threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns in the Skyhawks’ 28-17 win over Tennessee State. A 6-foot-2, 210-pound product of Pulaski, Tenn., Bachus was UTM’s most effective offensive performer in the loss at Florida, completing 12 of 19 passes for 101 yards with one interception and running nine times for a team-high 48 yards.
On the spot
Mark Stoops. Barring something bizarre, the only way Kentucky should find itself in jeopardy of defeat against an FCS opponent — even a good one, like UTM — is if the Wildcats do not “show up” ready to play. With a chance to clinch a postseason opportunity on the line, it falls on the UK head coach to make sure that doesn’t happen.
The mood
Has improved a little. After another dispiriting defeat to Tennessee two weeks ago, Kentucky recovered a measure of goodwill from its fan base with an emphatic 38-14 defeat of Vanderbilt last week. Other than assuring a bowl chance, UK can’t move the needle with the BBN by beating an FCS foe (though losing would be catastrophic). This is a week when the Cats just need to take care of their business before getting down to the matter of retaining the Governor’s Cup.
This story was originally published November 18, 2019 at 12:01 AM.
