Football Plays Host to Defending Division Champ No. 25/23 Mizzou
After suffering its first loss of the season in a hard-fought tilt with Florida, 14-9, Kentucky will return to its four-game homestand – its longest since 2001 – with a Saturday matchup vs. two-time defending Eastern Division Champion and No. 25/23 Missouri. The game televised on the SEC Network at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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| Mizzou at Kentucky | ||
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| Sat., Sept. 26 – 7:30 p.m. ET The New CWS Lexington, Ky. Game Notes: UK  | Mizzou Digital Gameday Program Gameday App More Gameday Info |
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| Coverage | ||
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TV: SEC Network |
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| UK | 2015 Team Stats | Mizzou |
| 2-1 | Record | 3-0 |
| 1-1 | Conference Record | 0-0 |
| 25.0 | Scoring/game | 23.3 |
| 358.2 | Total offense/game | 325.0 |
| 166.7 | Rushing yards/game | 107.7 |
| 191.7 | Passing yards/game | 217.3 |
| 25.1 | Kickoff returns (avg) | 16.8 |
| 8.3 | Punt returns (avg) | 8.5 |
| 40.4 | Punting (avg) | 44.9 |
| 27:37 | Time of possession/game | 28:36 |
| 33% | Third down conversion | 35% |
| 83% | Fourth down conversion | 25% |
| 23.0 | Points allowed/game | 9.6 |
| 380.3 | Total yards allowed/game | 217.0 |
| 187.3 | Rush yards allowed/game | 105.0 |
| 193.0 | Pass yards allowed/game | 112.0 |
Kentucky fell behind after an early turnover vs. the Gators, before fighting back on the strength of a strong defensive effort and a trio of field goals from sophomore preseason All-SEC selection Austin MacGinnis. UK limited the Gators – who entered their league opener averaging 490 yards per game – to 245 total yards of offense. It marked the fewest yards allowed by UK to Florida since a 1986 win.
The Wildcats opened the year with a 40-33 win over Louisiana Lafayette in the debut of The New Commonwealth Stadium, before snapping a 22-game road losing streak with a 26-22 victory at South Carolina to start SEC play. After a five-point loss to Florida, it marked the first time for UK in 123 years that Kentucky has opened a year with three straight games decided by seven points or less.
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Series Record vs. Mizzou
Missouri leads the all-time series between the two schools, 3-2. The series is tied 1-1 in games played in Lexington. UK’s lone win over the Tigers at home was a 12-6 win in 1968. After Kentucky won the first two meetings, in 1965 and 1968, Missouri has won three straight since joining the SEC in 2012.
Last time vs. Mizzou
Missouri fought off the Wildcats to post a 20-10 win in Columbia in 2014. The Tigers took a lead in the second quarter on a TD strike from Maty Mauk to Bud Sasser, with the two later hooking up for a 26-yard TD. UK got an Austin MacGinnis field goal from 47 yards for a 14-3 halftime deficit. Mizzou’s Andrew Baggett added a pair of field goals to stretch the lead to 20-3, before Patrick Towles and Javess Blue connected for a one-yard TD with 3:52 left in the fourth quarter. Mauk starred for Mizzou, rushing 14 times for 96 yards, while completing 18-of-33 passes for 164 yards and two TDs. Marcus Murphy also rushed 13 times for 52 yards, with Russell Hansbrough toting it 15 times for 19 yards. Sasser caught six balls for 67 yards and two TDs and Kentrell Brothers and Michael Scherer each had 13 tackles to lead the defense, with Shane Ray adding two sacks. UK got a 10-rush, 62-yard performance out of tailback Mikel Horton, with Stanley Williams catching five balls for 58 yards. Towles was 19-for-37 for 158 yards and a TD. Josh Forrest led the Wildcats with 10 tackles, including two for a loss. Mizzou finished with 320 total yards, with UK owning 258 yards of offense.
Scouting Mizzou
Missouri (3-0, 0-0 SEC) has opened up the year with three consecutive wins, including a road win at Arkansas State, 27-20 in week two. The Tigers opened the year with a 34-3 win over Southeast Missouri in Columbia. Last week, Mizzou fought off a spunky UConn team in a 9-6 win. Mizzou is led by head coach Gary Pinkel, who has a 188-103-3 record overall in 25 seasons as a head coach, including 15 at Mizzou. The two-time defending SEC Eastern Division Champion Missouri has averaged 23.33 points per game, allowing just 9.67 points. Mizzou has rushed for 107.7 and passed for 217.33 yards per game, with the defense allowing only 217 yards per game. Under center, redshirt junior Maty Mauk has completed 42-of-80 passes for 474 yards, with five TDs and four interceptions. Drew Lock has contributed 178 yards on 12-of-20 passing. Ish Witter leads the team with 137 rushing yards on 42 carries, with Mauk contributing 32 yards per game on the ground with one TD. J’Mon Moore and Sean Culkin have a team-leading 11 catches, with each adding a TD. Moore has a team-high 130 yards. Tyler Hunt has two catches – one TD – for 129 yards, with Nate Brown catching nine passes for 125 yards and a club-high two TDs. Defensively, Mizzou has forced three fumbles and intercepted three passes. Kentrell Brothers has a team-high 42 tackles and two interceptions. Charles Harris has 13 tackles – eight for a loss – and three sacks, adding three QB hurries. Andrew Baggett, a senior who has 54 field goals in his career, has nailed 4-of-5 field-goal attempts in 2015. Corey Fatony has punted 18 times for a 44.94 yard average.
Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff
Tune in to the UK Sports Network for the “Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff” two hours before every football game. From Cat Walk to Cat Talk, host Christi Thomas and former UK Quarterback Freddie Maggard will focus on the X’s and O’s of the game and bring a little fun to pregame in the first 30 minutes of the show. Afterward, Host Neil Price is joined by Oscar Combs, Dick Gabriel, Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro to continue the official pregame broadcast until kickoff. The show is broadcast in Lexington on 98.1 WBUL & 630 WLAP, UK Radio Network affiliates, online at ukathletics.com, and in the UK Gameday App. For the first time, the two-hour pregame show will be live streamed every home game for fans to watch on ukathletics.com.
