For Kentucky football fans, the hopes and fears about UK’s game at No. 3 Texas
What Kentucky football backers should hope for and what they need to fear as the Wildcats (4-6, 1-6 SEC) prepare to play at No. 3 Texas (9-1, 5-1 SEC):
Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. EST Saturday, Nov. 23, at Campbell-Williams Field at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (seating capacity 100,119) in Austin.
The game will be telecast by ABC (Channel 36 in Lexington).
Hopes
▪ Texas is looking past Kentucky to the following week’s intrastate Armageddon with Texas A&M. If both teams take care of business Saturday, the Longhorns and Aggies (8-2, 5-1 SEC) will be battling for the SEC championship.
It will be the first meeting between Texas and Texas A&M — whose fans detest each other with a Lone Star State-sized passion — since 2011, the year the Aggies left the Big 12 to join the Southeastern Conference.
Simply put, Texas at Texas A&M on Nov. 30 will be one of the most consequential college football games ever played in the state of Texas.
It doesn’t take much imagination to think the magnitude of the game one week ahead could remove some of the Longhorns’ focus on the immediate task at hand vs. UK.
▪ Kentucky should be set up to turn in a big effort.
Amid a difficult season, the Wildcats should have gained some belief in turning in a spirited effort on the road in a 28-18 loss at then-No. 7 Tennessee on Nov. 2.
Following an off week, UK was able to hold out of competition several of its key players who were nursing lingering injuries while routing FCS foe Murray State 48-6.
All of that means Kentucky should take a relatively healthy roster and at least some level of confidence to Austin.
▪ To extend its school record eight year bowl streak, Kentucky must win out vs. Texas and Louisville.
From the UK fan perspective, one would hope the Cats play with a level of vigor in Austin that suggests the bowl streak means something.
Fears
▪ Against a Texas defense that ranks No. 1 in the FBS in fewest yards allowed (249 yards a game) and No. 4 in fewest points allowed (11.9 a contest), the struggling UK offense would seem to have little chance of putting a meaningful number of points on the scoreboard.
▪ A Longhorns pass defense that has intercepted 15 passes this season is not a great matchup for a Kentucky passing attack that has thrown nine picks in its past five games.
▪ In the most recent game that Texas starting quarterback Quinn Ewers played in Austin, he completed 19 of 27 passes for 333 yards and five touchdowns and led a 49-17 strafing of Florida.
Given UK’s struggles this season in scoring points in SEC games, about half of Ewers’ Florida production would probably be enough for victory on Saturday.
