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 key No. 1- Execute: “We’ve told our offensive guys, when you see teams that lose to I-AA teams, the thing that happens is you don’t protect the ball, you play sloppy, you get minus-yard plays, you miss blocks and assignments. Those things you cannot do in a game like this. It’s all about execution. Execute your assignment and make sure you’re not careless with the ball.”

Cat Scratches’ take: It’s fairly simple in a game like this – execute and take care of business. Talent-wise, UK should be able to rebound from its recent skid and get back on track in its quest for a fifth straight bowl bid, but the precedent for Football Championship Subdivision upsets has been set this year with Jacksonville State defeating Ole Miss, North Dakota State upsetting Kansas and South Dakota toppling Minnesota (quite a year for the Dakotas, huh?). The Football Bowl Subdivision opponents (Ole Miss, Kansas and Minnesota) had a minus-five turnover margin in those three games.

Offensive key No. 2- Re-establish the run: “We’ve definitely got to try to rush the football, which we’ve tried to do every game. We’ve never been one of those teams to just abandon the run, and this is one of those games that we’ve got to run the football to get some confidence. If Derrick Locke can go, we’ve got to try and get him some confidence with being able to take a hit and being able to protect the football. You’ve got to give him some reps to feel good about himself, but you also have to be smart and can’t wear him down either. … Locke, one thing he does, is when you get the ball out to him in space in our passing game, he’s really dangerous. We’ve been more of a perimeter running game this year, especially with some of the schemes that Coach (Mike) Summers has brought us and with Locke’s speed. People have tried to take that away since Locke has been gone. When you get him on the perimeter, that’s when he’s the most dangerous, and we haven’t had that the last few weeks.”

Cat Scratches’ take: Since starting tailback Derrick Locke has gone down with injury, the running game has gone down with him. UK is averaging just 70.3 rushing yards per game in the last three weeks, a stark contrast from the 189.8 yards the Cats were averaging with Locke in the game. Locke practiced all week and will dress for Saturday’s game. He will be a game-time decision. Sophomore Donald Russell will get the start no matter what, as freshman Raymond Sanders is a game-time decision with a strained abdominal muscle. If neither Locke nor Sanders can play, expect to see former running back Moncell Allen to get some touches along with CoShik Williams.

Defensive keys – Build on last week’s effort: “I liked our defensive effort last week. We’ve still got to get better at tackling and getting guys to the ground. We’ve still got to do a better job of doing it for 60 minutes and not letting guys open up big holes for the other team. This week, we will have to defend more in the passing game than the running game.”

Cat Scratches’ take: Last week was probably the most complete defensive effort UK has posted on defense for 60 minutes. Against a run-heavy offense, the Cats held their own, especially in the second half. UK forced MSU to punt the ball five times and allowed just one score after halftime. For the game, MSU totaled 347 yards of total offense. Kentucky, which has played against its fair share of run-oriented teams, will get a bit of a break this week against a pass-heavy team. The Buccaneers’ offense ranks 101st in the FCS with 89.9 yards per game.

Key matchup – CSU quarterback Andre Trudnowski vs. UK’s pass defense: “We’re going to have to make it very uncomfortable for their quarterback. They’re one of the top teams in the country in throwing the ball. They’re throwing for nearly 250 yards a game. We’ve got to make it really uncomfortable for him and play really good in pass coverage. He’s played good for them. He actually played with DeQuin Evans and Chris Matthews in junior college so he’s a mature guy; he’s not a young guy. This is his second year in their program. He’s more than adequate.”

Cat Scratches’ take: CSU lost its starting quarterback midway through the season with an injury but has hardly missed a beat with Trudnowski tossing the pigskin. The Buccaneers are throwing for 248.8 yard per game, and Trudnowski has 875 yards in four appearances.

Charleston Southern player to watch for – Kick returner Gerald Stevenson: “They’ve got a kick returner that has returned three kickoffs for touchdowns, so we’ve got to do a good job of kicking the ball where it needs to be kicked and a good job of covering and tackling him to the ground.”

Cat Scratches’ take: Even more impressive about Stevenson’s three kickoff returns for a touchdown: they’ve come on just 12 returns. Stevenson, who is averaging 38.2 yards per return, is also a part of the high-octane passing offense. CSU’s leading receiver has caught 43 balls for 643 yards and two scores.

UK player who must step up – Offensive lineman Stuart Hines: “A guy that hasn’t played great for us of late that was playing really, really good earlier in the year is Stuart Hines. We’ve got to get Stuart Hines back on track. He got injured a few weeks ago and hasn’t played well. He’s just struggling with inconsistency a little bit. He’s been hobbled. We’ve got him healthy enough now that he should be able to play well for us this week.”

Cat Scratches’ take: Hines, the leader on the offensive line, represents a sudden collective line issue. After ranking near the top of the nation in fewest sacks allowed for the first half of the season, opposing defenses have started to penetrate UK’s line. The Cats have surrendered 10 sacks over the last three games, and quarterback Mike Hartline was under heavy pressure throughout the MSU game.

Final injury report: Locke practiced this week and will be a game-time decision. Sanders, who did not practice this week with an abdominal strain, is also a game-time decision. Tight end Tyler Robinson is out.