Blue Preview: Your one-click guide to Kentucky’s showdown with Missouri
Missouri at Kentucky
When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday
Where: Kroger Field (capacity 61,000).
TV: SEC Network (play-by-play, Taylor Zarzour; analysis, Matt Stinchcomb; sideline, Alyssa Lang).
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1.
Satellite Radio: XM Channel 81; Sirius Channel 81, Internet Channel 81.
Records: Kentucky (1-0, 0-0 SEC); Missouri (1-0, 0-0 SEC).
Series history: Kentucky leads 7-4 and has won five of the past six.
Last meeting: Missouri quarterback Connor Bazelak completed 21 of 30 passes for 201 yards and running back Larry Rountree ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers beat Kentucky 20-10 at Faurot Field on Oct. 24, 2020.
Line: Kentucky is favored by 4.5 points.
The story line
After seeing its five-game win streak vs. SEC East rival Missouri snapped last year in Columbia, Kentucky seeks to reassert its hold over the Tigers in a game that has major ramifications for both programs in both this season and the big picture.
The number to watch
Missouri’s third-down conversion rate. A year ago in beating Kentucky, Mizzou converted 10 of 20 third-down tries and four of five fourth-down attempts. Last Saturday, Coach Eli Drinkwitz’s Tigers were a horrid 1-of-11 on third down in their season-opening 34-24 victory over Central Michigan. If the UK defense can force a similar level of third-down futility on Missouri, the Wildcats’ odds of claiming a vital victory rise astronomically.
The big threat
Connor Bazelak. The 6-foot-3, 212-pound redshirt sophomore established himself in 2020 as one of the SEC’s best young quarterbacks. In Missouri’s victory over UK last season, Bazelak completed 21 of 30 passes for 216 yards and deftly executed a ball-control attack that saw the Tigers possess the football a whopping 43:10 to UK’s 16:50.
On the spot
The Kentucky defensive line. The Cats got pushed around up front last season by Missouri — as was reflected in Mizzou’s third- and fourth-down conversion rates cited above. For Kentucky to turn the tables Saturday night, the UK defensive front needs to deliver an emphatic rebuttal to last year’s performance.
The mood
Is jacked. New Kentucky quarterback Will Levis energized the Big Blue Nation with aerial fireworks in the season opener vs. outmanned Louisiana Monroe. That only adds to the anticipation for Missouri — arguably, the pivotal game on the 2021 UK football schedule.
This story was originally published September 6, 2021 at 10:10 AM.
