Each and every week prior to a Kentucky football game, Cat Scratches will talk with head coach Joker Phillips about his of plan of attack. Without giving away too much of the game plan, Phillips will tell us his keys to the game, a key matchup and who Kentucky has to look out for on the opposing team.Offensive keys – Limit bad turnovers against aggressive defense: “We’ve got to protect the football. It’s been the thing that has been killing us offensively and we have to stay ahead of the count on down-and-distance. We’ve got to win on first and second down so we can have manageable third downs. We’ve got to continue to stress it and we’ve got to get the guys in there that are going to protect the football. We can’t put guys in there that are just careless with the ball. For the most part our guys have been taking care of the football. We’re probably one of the lowest in the league in turnovers but the problem is where we’ve turned it over at. We’ve turned it over with short field. It’s hard for a defense to go in there with not a lot of grass behind it. They’re an attacking, aggressive defense that has done nothing but dominate the line of scrimmage of every game they’ve played. They dominated the line of scrimmage against Florida and Auburn, and those are two really physical football teams.”

Cat Scratches’ take: Phillips called turnovers the deciding factor in his team’s success this season, and to this point, he’s been exactly right. In UK’s four wins this season the Cats have a plus-eight turnover margin. In the four losses, Kentucky has a minus-seven turnover margin. It’s simple for the Cats: Win the turnover battle and you have a very good chance to win. Easier said than done against an underrated Mississippi State defense. The Bulldog defensive unit ranks 35th in the nation and, after a slow start to season, has turned into a ball-hawking defense. During Mississippi State’s current five-game winning streak, the Bulldogs have forced 10 turnovers.

Defensive keys – Stack the box against run-heavy team: “We’ve got to stop their running game. That’s what they’ve done offensively, not just with their tailback running game but with their quarterback running game. We’ve got to get this into a game where they have to throw the ball. You can’t let them have success on first and second down. You’ve got to get them into throwing situations. So many times, even on third-and-6, they run the football. You’re thinking they’re in a passing mode and they run the quarterback right down your throat to keep the clock moving and the chains moving. We’ve got to get them in some third-and-longs so they can’t run the football on third down and convert it. You have to stack the box. You have to get the safeties involved and then you can’t miss tackles when your safeties are down in the box because then there’s a chance for a big play with nobody behind them.”

Cat Scratches’ take: Mississippi State hasn’t pulled any tricks en route to six wins this season. It’s a pretty simple formula for the Bulldog offense: run the ball, chew up clock and convert third downs. MSU has done each exceptionally well this season. The Bulldogs rank first in the Southeastern Conference in time of possession (31:17), second in rushing offense (219.2 yards per game) and second in third-down conversions (47.7 percent). Phillips has mentioned how demoralizing it can be for a team to run all over you, and that’s exactly what Mississippi State will try do against a porous UK rush defense, which has given up more yards on the ground this season than any other SEC team. Look for UK safety Winston Guy to step up in run coverage this week.

Key matchup – Battle of the lines: “We’ve got to win the line of scrimmage, especially with our offensive and defensive lines on both sides of the ball. It’s going to be a dogfight because these are as aggressive of lines as I’ve ever seen. We got hit off the ball last week and that’s the first time this year we haven’t controlled the line of scrimmage. We’ve got to get back to where we are controlling the line of scrimmage.”

Cat Scratches’ take: Kentucky’s offensive line has played well for most of the season, but over the last two games, UK’s big boys up front have allowed six sacks. On the defensive side of things, Kentucky’s front four were pushed off the line of scrimmage as Georgia running back Washaun Ealey rushed for 157 yards and five touchdowns, a feat that not even all-time great Herschel Walker did at Georgia. Again, expect UK to stack the box to make up for the physical nature of Mississippi State’s offensive line.

Joker’s additional factor No. 1 – Hostile environment: “It’s going to be a different atmosphere this time. I just explained that to my team. You go down to Starkville in a night game – I’ve seen Thursday night games there and how different they are than when we’ve been there. And then you add the fact that they’re already bowl eligible and those guys are trying to go to the best bowl they can possibly go to. It will be cranking around 6 o’clock Central Time down there.” 

Cat Scratches’ take: Whether or not Mississippi State’s longtime tradition of ringing cowbells in the stands is alive after this season is a moot issue to Phillips (the first-year UK coach said he’s never even heard them as offensive coordinator in the press box); what he’s concerned about is the atmosphere at night in Starkville, Miss. And he’s right – it’s a different place at night. While Davis Wade Stadium doesn’t sit quite as many as most SEC stadiums, the place has been known to rock on Thursday night and Saturday night games. 

Joker’s additional factor No. 2 – Turner’s Mississippi State background: “He knows their personnel. How much it will help (I don’t know). I’ve never had anybody tell me anything personnel-wise that has helped me win a game. He knows all those kids. All those kids will probably be jacked up and ready to play more with him on the sidelines.”

Cat Scratches’ take: UK’s first-year defensive line coach David Turner spent the previous three seasons as MSU’s defensive line coach.

Mississippi State players to watch for – Defensive lineman Pernell McPhee, linebacker Chris White, quarterback Chris Relf and wide receiver Chad Bumphis: “The McPhee kid and Chris White are really good. Those two are dynamic players. Offensively we have to watch for their quarterback, and I really like Bumphis.”

Cat Scratches’ take: McPhee and White have been frequent unwelcomed guests in the backfield of opposing teams. The two have combined for 17 tackles for a loss. Relf has been adequate throwing the ball, but it’s on the ground where he’s killed teams as he’s run the ball 107 times for 428 yards. Bumphis leads the team with 33 receptions for 461 yards and four touchdowns.

UK players that must step up – Running back Raymond Sanders: “We’ll give both (Sanders and Donald Russell) a chance and see who has the hot hand. Last week Sanders had the hot hand. We started off with Russell. He struggled to see some things and also put the ball on the ground. When we went with Sanders, he went in and was productive, so we stayed with him a little bit longer. I think CoShik Williams has had a good week also. We’ll see what he gives us throughout the game. But Raymond Sanders has to have a good game. He’s going to have to be really good in protection, really good in seeing his block setup and also he’s going to have to catch the ball for us.”

Cat Scratches’ take: For three quarters last week, the running game appeared to struggle. And then Sanders went off in the fourth quarter. The true freshman, who appears to have taken the lead over Donald Russell for the backup tailback position, had 16 carries for 79 yards and seven receptions for 77 yards and a score. With starter and leading rusher Derrick Locke out for the third straight week with a shoulder stinger, it will be up to the shifty freshman to shoulder the load this week.

Final injury report: The aforementioned Locke is out with a shoulder stinger. Despite suffering a scary knee sprain in the second half against Georgia, Phillips saw enough of wide receiver La’Rod King this week to take him to Mississippi State and he is expected to play. Tight end Tyler Robinson is questionable with a shoulder injury and turf toe.