Kentucky Looks for Third Straight Win Over Missouri
Kentucky begins six consecutive games against Southeastern Conference foes with Missouri coming to town Saturday night for a East Division battle. The Cats will look to make it three consecutive wins over the Tigers, including a 35-21 win in Columbia a year ago.
Shaking off the disappointment of the Florida loss, the Cats scratched their way to a win over a game Eastern Michigan team last weekend, holding the Eagles to just 13 yards rushing and forcing three turnovers. It was the 11th win in the past 15 regular season games.
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| Kentucky vs. Missouri | ||
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| Sat., Oct. 7 – 7:30 p.m. ET Kroger Field Lexington, Ky. Game Notes: UK  | MU Digital Gameday Program Cat Walk – 5:15 Pregame Concert Kroger Field Clear Bag Policy |
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| Coverage | ||
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TV: SEC Network |
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| UK | 2017 Team Stats | MU |
| 4-1 | 2017 Record | 1-3 |
| 1-1 | Conference Record | 0-2 |
| 25.0 | Scoring/game | 25.0 |
| 322.2 | Total offense/game | 445.2 |
| 128.4 | Rushing yards/game | 166.5 |
| 193.8 | Passing yards/game | 278.8 |
| 24.1 | Kickoff returns (avg) | 22.0 |
| 20.8 | Punt returns (avg) | 0.7 |
| 43.1 | Punting (avg) | 46.7 |
| 31:28 | Time of possession/game | 21:31 |
| 37.7% | Third down conversion | 38.0% |
| 50.0% | Fourth down conversion | 20.0% |
| 18.8 | Points allowed/game | 40.0 |
| 349.4 | Total yards allowed/game | 452.5 |
| 74.0 | Rush yards allowed/game | 194.8 |
| 275.4 | Pass yards allowed/game | 257.8 |
The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Kroger Field and air on the SEC Network.
‘We’re Close’: UK Working for Offensive Breakout
Mark Stoops understands the way fans felt leaving Kroger Field.
The result of the game was a 24-20 win over Eastern Michigan, but Kentucky sputtered offensively for much of the 60 minutes. That left a bit of an uninspired feeling last Saturday evening even though UK had moved to 4-1 (1-1 Southeastern Conference).
“You feel frustrated because offense is what everybody looks at,” Stoops said.
UK managed a season-low 228 yards on offense in the game, but found a way to win anyway. The Wildcats found a way because they had the better of the action in other facets.
“There’s three phases last time I checked and I thought again after watching the film that we played very good on defense and very good on special teams,” Stoops said.
That’s been the case for much of the season for UK’s defense and special teams. Kentucky ranks third nationally in rushing defense, trailing only perennial powerhouses Michigan and Alabama, in allowing 74.0 yards per game while forcing 11 turnovers, tied for 14th in the country…Read More
Scouting Mizzou
• Missouri is coming off of a 2016 season that saw the Tigers go 4-8 overall, including 2-6 in the SEC. The Tigers are currently 1-3. Their only win of the season so far has been a 72-43 victory over Missouri State in the season opener.
• Head coach Barry Odom is in his second season with the Tigers. They closed the season out strong with wins in two of their final three games.
• Missouri’s offense is showing promise with junior Drew Lock at Quarterback. In the season opener against Missouri State, Lock threw for 521 yards and seven touchdowns. He displayed one the greatest single game performances of any Mizzou quarterback in program history. Senior tight end Jason Reese is also a key component of the Tigers’ offense. His best game of his Tiger career was against South Carolina this season where he racked up 88 yards and a touchdown that put the Tigers up 10-0 in the first half.
• The Tigers’ defense is progressing. Some key playmakers include junior linebacker, Terez Hall and senior defensive end, Marcell Frazier. Hall collected a game-high-tying and career-high eight tackles, including five solo stops against Auburn. Frazier tallied his first full sack of the season and four tackles against Purdue.
Series Record vs. Mizzou
• Kentucky leads the all-time series 4-3, including 2-1 in Lexington.
• The Cats have won the last two meetings, a 21-13 victory at Kroger Field in 2015 and a convincing 35-21 win in Columbia last season.
• Last season the Cats raced out to a 35-7 lead before a pair of late Missouri touchdowns sliced the final margin of victory.
• Before Missouri joined the SEC for the 2012 season the two teams had met just twice, 1965 and 1968, both Kentucky wins.
• The Cats rushed for 377 yards against the Tigers in 2016, including 192 by Benny Snell and 182 by Stanley “Boom” Williams.
UK-Mizzou Connections
• Kentucky does not have a player from Missouri on its roster.
• Missouri does not have a player from the Commonwealth on its roster.
• Junior Kendall Blanton is the son of former Wildcat great Jerry Blanton. Jerry was a defensive lineman at Kentucky from 1974-77 and was the first freshman to become a varsity starter at UK. He started all four seasons in his collegiate career and led the Wildcats to a SEC Championship title and Peach Bowl win in 1976. He still ranks as the eighth all-time leading tackler with 389. He went on to play seven seasons in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs.
• UK head coach Mark Stoops and Missouri offensive coordinator Josh Heupel spent the 2005 season together at Arizona. Heupel the tight ends coach, while Stoops was the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.
• UK defensive coordinator Matt House coached in Missouri when he was the NFL’s St. Louis Rams from 2009-11.
• UK offensive coordinator Eddie Gran spent a season at Southeast Missouri State in 1989, his third year of coaching.
• Defensive line coach Derrick LeBlanc spent two seasons at Missouri State (2006-07).
A UK Win Would…
• Give the Cats their third consecutive victory over Missouri.
• Pull the Cats within one game of bowl eligibility.
• Give the Cats 12 wins in their past 16 regular season games.
• Give UK a 5-1 start to the season, its best start since 5-1 in 2014.
• Improve UK’s record at Kroger Field to 156-130-4 overall, including 19-14 under Mark Stoops.
• Be starting QB Stephen Johnson’s 12th win since taking over in 2016, 10th as a starter and two in a relief role.
• Be the Cats’ 19th win on the SEC Network since Mark Stoops took over as head coach (19-14).
• Make UK 2-1 in night games this season.
• Give UK eight wins in its past 10 games at Kroger Field.
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.
Oct. 21 (Mississippi State) – 300 Brighton Park Boulevard, Frankfort
Nov. 11 (Vanderbilt) – 212 Kroger Way, Versailles
Nov. 18 (Georgia) – 3175 Beaumont Circle, Lexington
