Bowl-Eligible Kentucky Hosts Ole Miss to Open November
Coming off a final-minute, come-from-behind victory over Tennessee that made it bowl eligible for the second consecutive season, Kentucky opens the final month of the season looking to improve its standing in the race for bowl positioning.
A win over Ole Miss would give the Cats seven regular season victories for just the seventh time in the past 40 years, but make it back-to-back seasons the program has done so under the leadership of head coach Mark Stoops. UK hopes to be 7-2 through the first nine games of a season for the first time since 1984.
The game will kick off at 4 p.m. ET at Kroger Field and air on the SEC Network.
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| Kentucky vs. Ole Miss | ||
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| Sat., Nov. 4 – 4 p.m. ET Kroger Field Lexington, Ky. Game Notes: UK  | UM Digital Gameday Program Cat Walk – 1:45 Pregame Concert – The Throwbacks Clear Bag Policy Gameday App |
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TV: SEC Network |
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| UK | 2017 Team Stats | UM |
| 6-2 | 2017 Record | 3-5 |
| 3-2 | Conference Record | 1-4 |
| 25.1 | Scoring/game | 31.5 |
| 341.0 | Total offense/game | 461.0 |
| 154.2 | Rushing yards/game | 122.9 |
| 186.8 | Passing yards/game | 338.1 |
| 23.7 | Kickoff returns (avg) | 25.4 |
| 20.8 | Punt returns (avg) | 4.6 |
| 43.0 | Punting (avg) | 42.2 |
| 30:02 | Time of possession/game | 24:56 |
| 40.2% | Third down conversion | 35.0% |
| 60.0% | Fourth down conversion | 37.5% |
| 24.9 | Points allowed/game | 37.5 |
| 400.1 | Total yards allowed/game | 468.1 |
| 133.5 | Rush yards allowed/game | 261.1 |
| 266.7 | Pass yards allowed/game | 207.0 |
Cat Scratches: Bowl Eligibility Reached, Cats Have Bigger Goals in Mind
Mark Stoops remembers when five wins seemed like a glass ceiling for Kentucky football.
He remembers how the Wildcats got stuck there in both 2014 and 2015, tantalizingly close to that sixth victory and the bowl eligibility that comes with it.
A couple years later, the fact that UK had reached No. 6 was somewhat of a footnote in a victory over Tennessee that was notable for so many other reasons. But reflecting on where the program is and where it was, Stoops doesn’t want to gloss over the achievement.
“We all remember how difficult it is and it wasn’t that long ago when we were scrapping to get six wins just to go,” Stoops said. “So I don’t think you should ever just take that for granted.”
On the other hand, bowl eligibility is not the destination for this team, particularly not since the Cats have reached it so early – only three teams in UK history have reached six wins earlier. Kentucky (6-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) has bigger goals in mind, starting with getting victory No. 7 when Ole Miss (3-5, 1-4 SEC) comes to town on Saturday for a 4 p.m. matchup…Read More
Scouting Ole Miss
• The Rebels are 3-5 (1-4 SEC) and currently tied for sixth in the SEC West.
• Head coach Matt Luke took over reins of his alma mater in July of 2017.
• Luke, once a player for the Rebels, is entering his 10th season as a coach at Ole Miss. He has served as a co-offensive coordinator, offensive line coach, and tight ends coach.
• During his time in Oxford as a coach, Luke has helped the Rebels earn a bowl bid in four seasons, including a 10-3 record and Sugar Bowl victory to cap the 2015 season.
• The Rebels offense has been explosive, scoring at least 37 points four times. It averages 31.5 points per game.
• Ole Miss has the best passing offense in the SEC, averaging 338.1 yards per game.
• Junior quarterback Jordan Ta’amu has recently had to step up after Shea Patterson suffered from a season ending injury.
• Ta’amu is a junior college transfer who has proved that his run game is also effective in addition to his passing. He is considered to be a dual-threat QB similar to Patterson.
• Sophomore wide receiver A.J. Brown is also a key component of the Rebels’ offensive. Brown was added to the Biletnikoff Award watch list in early October. During the season opener against South Alabama, Brown broke the school record for receiving yards in a game (223), then he backed that with a two-touchdown day and 156 yards in the UT Martin game. Brown currently leads the Rebels and the SEC in receiving yards.
• The Rebels’ defensive leaders include senior defensive end Marquis Haynes and senior linebacker DeMarquis Gates.
• Haynes leads the team in sacks and totals 21 solo tackles for the season so far. He captured the school’s all-time sack record with his three sacks against in the Rebels’ victory over Vanderbilt.
• Gates leads the Rebels defensively with 72 total tackles and 46 solo tackles
Series vs. Ole Miss
• Ole Miss leads the all-time series 27-14-1.
• Kentucky leads the series 11-9-1 in Lexington.
• Kentucky has won two of the past three meetings dating back to 2005, including a 30-13 home win in 2011, the last time the two programs played.
• The Cats have won three of the last four meetings that took place in Lexington.
• The schools played every year from 1944 through 1971.
• Eleven of the historical meetings were played in either Jackson, Mississippi or Memphis, Tennessee.
A UK Win Would…
• Make the Cats 7-2 through the first nine games of a season for the first time since the 1984 Hall of Fame Bowl team.
• UK would reach seven wins on Nov. 4, the third-earliest in school history, and the earliest since 1977 (Oct. 29).
• Give the Cats 14 wins in their past 19 regular season games. UK would be 14-5 in a span of 19 regular season games for the first time since Nov. 13, 1976 to Oct. 21, 1978 (14-4-1).
• Mark UK’s fifth home win of the season.
• Be starting QB Stephen Johnson’s 14th win since taking over in 2016, 12th as a starter and two in a relief role.
• Make the Cats 4-2 in SEC play and give them eight league wins the past two seasons.
• UK would be 4-2 in SEC play in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1976-1977.
• UK would be 10-2 in a span of 12 home games for the first time since Sep. 16, 2006 to Oct. 20, 2007.
• UK would be 7-4 in a span of 11 SEC games for the first time since Oct. 3, 1998 to Oct. 16, 1999.
• UK would have defeated Ole Miss in consecutive meetings for the first time since 1978-1979.
• UK would have defeated Ole Miss in three consecutive home meetings for the first time ever.
• Be the Cats’ 21st win on the SEC Network since Mark Stoops took over as head coach (21-15).
Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff Show
The Countdown to Kickoff show will air starting two hours prior to kickoff. Freddie Maggard will serve as the analyst on the Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff alongside host Christi Thomas. For home games, the show will air live from in front of Nutter Field House outside gate 1 of Kroger Field with special guests and giveaways. The set of the show is conveniently located near the Coke Fan Zone in Nutter Field House and the Cat Walk presented by Chevy.
For the first time, the Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff will go on the road and broadcast live from select Kroger locations in Kentucky.
Nov. 11 (Vanderbilt) – 212 Kroger Way, Versailles
Nov. 18 (Georgia) – 3175 Beaumont Circle, Lexington
