Ole Miss Rebels (0-1) around Kentucky Wildcats (0-1)
- Playing time: 4:00 p.m. EST on October 3, 2020
- place: Kroger Field in Lexington, KY
- TV channel: Today’s game can be seen on the SEC network.
- announcer: Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb and Taylor McGregor will be calling.
- radio: Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro will be on the UK radio network at 630 p.m., 98.1 FM in Lexington and on the UK Sports Network.
- Online radio: TuneIn broadcast or UKAthletics.com.
- Online stream: WatchESPN and fuboTV
- Opportunities: Kentucky is a 6.5 point favorite. ESPN FPI gives the Wildcats a 63% chance of winning.
- Repetition: WatchESPN and SEC network (check local listings).
- Rosters: UK | TO
- Weather report
- forecast:: TeamRankings won the Wildcats 35-29 while numberFire won 31-28 for the home team.
While we wait for the game, you can look forward to this hype video narrated by British star Wesley Woodyard.
I know many were disappointed with Kentucky’s loss at Auburn last week, but in all honesty it was what many were expecting. The Wildcats lost two points on the way to becoming a top 10 team. Losing is never fun, but there were some positive things to take away.
Yes, Terry Wilson showed some signs of rust. But he also made some great games and some great throws. The offense was far more even than in years past, and that should encourage those who have asked for Kentucky to air it out.
Second year Redshirt Kavosiey Smoke also had a promising first foray running 62 yards and scoring just seven trages. Maybe he’s up for more touches this week after AJ Rose and Christopher Rodriguez managed to muster just 44 yards with 19 runs, an average of just 2.3 yards per carry.
Many were delighted when Ole Miss was added to the schedule at the end of the summer. If you look at the SEC West scenery, this isn’t a bad draw. But after seeing their outing against Florida in the first week, it’s obvious that Kentucky will have its hands full on Saturday.
The rebels themselves had an old-fashioned shooting at the Gators and eventually fell between 51 and 35. As a team, Ole Miss launched a total of 613 yards of attack. Starting quarterback Matt Corral threw for 395 yards and threw three touchdowns to just one interception. He also hurried 50 meters with 13 porters.
“I think he did a good job with his feet and got out of trouble,” said Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin at his weekly press conference about his quarterback. “I think he was very relaxed and very good at adjusting to the sidelines. Both quarterbacks were. His feet are sometimes a little bit everywhere in passing. We have to clean this up as he was late on some balls that were really open and that were completed and could have been touchdowns. “
Sophomore Jerrion Ealy is one of the best returning SEC running backs this season, having scored 722 yards and six points on 104 carry (average 6.9) last year, with 20 grabs for 172 yards and one more . He ran 79 yards and a touchdown on 16 carry (averaging 4.9) against Florida while taking three passes for 44 yards.
Kentucky’s defense gave us only 324 yards to Auburn, but two costly turnovers put the Tigers in good field position and they put a total of 28 points on the Wildcats. Despite that score, Kentucky’s seasoned defense still looks impressive to up and coming opponents.
“They’re very disciplined on defense, they don’t do a lot of things but they know what they’re doing really well,” said Kiffin. And if they’re going to stop Kiffin’s high octane crime, they’d figured out what to do on Saturday.
Kentucky’s offense on Saturday wasn’t quite as impressive as Ole Miss’s. Despite dominating possession time and long drives, they rushed only 145 meters and turned the ball three times. It will be difficult to win SEC games where the ball is flipped so many times.
Terry Wilson was the culprit for two of the three turnovers, but his game wasn’t all bad. He hit nearly 65% of his passes and spread the ball across seven different targets.
Will Wilson be able to take advantage of a defense from Ole Miss who gave up 51 points and 642 yards last week? He has to if Kentucky is to keep up on Saturday.
If Wilson struggles again, Kentucky now has a legitimate option behind him in Auburn transfer Joey Gatewood, which the SEC has just cleared for this season. Even if Wilson remains the starter, Gatewood could be used as some sort of Wildcat QB to change the offensive for a few series per game.
MEMORY:
Today, health screening is required for all staff and spectators. The list of health screening questions will be posted at or near stadium entrances. All are expected to answer “no” to the following questions before arriving at Kroger Field. pic.twitter.com/4f4oB1cC4k
– Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthletics) October 3, 2020
