Oct. 29, 2010
| Gameday Information | |
|---|---|
| Game Notes |
UK Notes  | UK Depth Chart MSU Notes & Depth Charts |
| Date & Time | Saturday, Oct. 30 7:00 p.m |
| Coverage | TV: ESPNU Radio: BBSN Live Stats Online Audio 
|
| Location | Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, Miss. Gameday Information |
| Mississippi State Bulldogs at a Glance | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach |
Dan Mullen |
| Record at School | 11-9 (2nd season) |
| Record | 6-2, 2-2 SEC |
| Ranking | No. 23 AP/Coaches |
| Series Record | Kentucky leads 21-16 |
| Last Meeting | Mississippi State beat Kentucky 31-24 last season in Lexington, Ky. |
| 2010 Team Stats | UK | MSU |
|---|---|---|
| Rushing Offense | 147.6 | 220.9 |
| Passing Offense | 280.9 | 169.6 |
| Total Offense | 428.5 | 390.5 |
| Scoring Offense | 34.8 | 28.6 |
| Rushing Defense | 176.0 | 118.5 |
| Passing Defense | 176.8 | 217.0 |
| Total Defense | 352.9 | 335.5 |
| Scoring Defense | 31.6 | 17.0 |
| Turnover Margin | +0.13 | +0.50 |
| 2010 Stat Leaders | |
|---|---|
| Rushing | UK: Derrick Locke (108 rushes, 574 yds, 7 TDs) MSU: Vick Ballard (79 rushes, 529 yds, 12 TDs) |
| Passing | UK: Mike Hartline (184-273, 2144 yds, 17 TDs, 4 INTs) MSU: Chris Relf (62-112, 802 yds, 5 TDs, 3 INTs) |
| Receiving | UK: Chris Matthews (37 catches, 565 yds, 7 TDs) MSU: Chad Bumphis (33 catches, 461 yds, 4 TDs) |
| Tackles | UK: Danny Trevathan (81 total, 9.0 for loss) MSU: Chris White (71 total, 12.0 for loss) |
| Sacks | UK: Taylor Wyndham (2.5) MSU: Chris White (5.0) |
| Interceptions | UK: Winston Guy Jr. (2) MSU: Corey Broomfield, Maurice Langston (2) |
Cat Scratches Preview: Joker Phillips’ keys to the game
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.
Wildcats Take on Nationally Ranked Bulldogs in Starkville
After a three-game homestand that saw Kentucky claim its first victory over a ranked foe since 2007 with a 31-28 victory of South Carolina, the Wildcats hit the road to Starkville, Miss., to take on the hot-streaking and No. 23 Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday.
Kentucky is coming off a 44-31 loss to SEC East foe Georgia at Commonwealth Stadium. Senior quarterback Mike Hartline charted another career day statistically, recording a career-best 353 yards and a career-high-tying four touchdowns. True freshman Raymond Sanders, who saw plenty of action with starting tailback Derrick Locke sidelined with injury for the second-straight game, also put up careerhigh numbers, rushing 16 times for 79 yards, while snagging seven receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown. Linebacker Danny Trevathan led UK on defense with 11 tackles, his fourth consecutive game with double-figure tackles. The last UK player to do that was Jeff Snedegar in 1997.
Mississippi State is riding a five-game winning streak, including wins over SEC rivals Georgia and Florida. The Bulldogs rank second in the SEC in rushing offense and third in the league in scoring defense.
