No. 12 Kentucky Visits Missouri in SEC Action
Kentucky is back on the road this week as it travels to Missouri looking to move to 7-1 on the season. With a win the Cats would secure a fifth Southeastern Conference win and ensure their first winning season in league play in 41 years. Kickoff is 4 p.m. ET and the game will air on the SEC Network.
Junior running back Benny Snell Jr. has continued his assault on the record books this season, piling up 868 yards with nine scores. He owns the school record with 41 career touchdowns and has moved into third place on the school’s career rushing list while ranking second with 16 career 100-yard games. He is coming off a 169-yard effort vs. Vanderbilt.
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| Kentucky at Missouri | ||
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| Sat., Oct. 27 – 4 p.m. ET Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field Columbia, Mo. Game Notes: UK  | VU Digital Gameday Program Gameday App |
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| Coverage | ||
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TV: SEC Network |
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| UK | Team Stats | MU |
| 6-1 | Record | 4-3 |
| 4-1 | Conference Record | 0-3 |
| 27.1 | Scoring/game | 38.6 |
| 358.9 | Total offense/game | 501.1 |
| 231.6 | Rushing yards/game | 200.1 |
| 127.3 | Passing yards/game | 300.0 |
| 19.2 | Kickoff returns (avg) | 20.2 |
| 5.8 | Punt returns (avg) | 1.6 |
| 46.2 | Punting (avg) | 41.6 |
| 31:00 | Time of possession/game | 30:06 |
| 43.5% | Third down conversion | 43.1% |
| 83.3% | Fourth down conversion | 60.0% |
| 12.9 | Points allowed/game | 30.9 |
| 301.9 | Total yards allowed/game | 419.0 |
| 112.0 | Rush yards allowed/game | 131.6 |
| 189.9 | Pass yards allowed/game | 287.4 |
The UK defense, led by senior pass rusher extraordinaire Josh Allen (8.0 sacks, 12.5 TFL), ranks among the nation’s best units and has allowed just 12.9 points per game, including four games of yielding 10 points or less.
Cat Scratches: Strength vs. Strength: UK Defense Looking Forward to Mizzou Matchup
Only a brief look at the stats will tell you something has to give.
On one side of the football will be the Missouri offense, averaging 501.1 yards and 38.6 points per game. Both totals land the Tigers in the top 20 nationally.
On the other side will be the Kentucky defense, holding opponents to 301.9 yards and 12.9 points per game. That places the Wildcats as the No. 12 ranked unit in terms of total defense and No. 2 in scoring defense.
That means two elite groups will be going head to head in Columbia, Missouri, on Saturday at 4 p.m.
“I definitely think there’s some pride there and that’s why this week is so important,” defensive coordinator Matt House said. “This is the most explosive offense we’ve faced and we’re going to find out a lot about ourselves Saturday.”
In other words, the defense for these No. 12/14 Wildcats (6-1, 4-1 SEC) is eager to take on the challenge the Tigers (4-3, 0-3 SEC) will present.
“This is going to be a good matchup for our defense,” star senior linebacker Josh Allen said. “I feel like it’s going to help solidify our defense in college rankings and SEC rankings. It’s a good matchup for both sides. We’re the number two scoring defense in all of college and they’re up there in offense, so it’s going to be a good matchup.”
Missouri has long been known for its potent offense and the pace with which the Tigers play. UK has faced some tempo this season against the likes of South Carolina, but Missouri will be a different animal altogether…Read More
Cats Ranked in National Polls; First Time Since 2007
• Kentucky entered the national polls on Sept. 23 after defeating Mississippi State. It is the first time the Cats have been ranked since the 2007 season.
• The Cats now are No. 12 in the Associated Press poll and No. 14 in the coaches’ poll.
• UK has been ranked five consecutive weeks for the first time since the 2007 team appeared in the polls for six consecutive weeks from Sept. 16 to Oct. 21.
Scouting Missouri
• Missouri is now 4-3 on the season overall and 0-3 in SEC play.
• The Tigers are coming off a 65-33 victory at home over Memphis and have scored 40 or more points four times this season.
• Mizzou is averaging 46.3 points per game at home.
• The Tigers’ losses have come to No. 1 Alabama, No. 7 Georgia and at South Carolina.
• Quarterback Drew Lock is one of the nation’s best passers, averaging 282.7 yards per game with 16 touchdowns on the season.
• With an explosive offense, they are averaging 38.6 points and 501.1 yards per game.
• Despite being a heavy passing offense, Mizzou has allowed just eight sacks all season.
• Kicker Tucker McCann has made 15 field goals already this season.
• LInebacker Cale Garrett ranks as one of the SEC’s top 10 tacklers with 61 stops.
Series vs. Missouri
• Kentucky leads the all-time series 5-3.
• The series is tied 2-2 in Columbia.
• UK has won the past three meetings, including two by eight points or less.
• UK won a shootout in Lexington last season, holding on for a 40-34 victory.
• Since Missouri joined the SEC in 2012 the two SEC East rivals have each won three games.
• Benny Snell Jr. has rushed for 309 yards and four touchdowns in two games vs. the Tigers.
• Snell posted 192 yards in Columbia in 2016, the second-highest rushing total in his brilliant career.
Kentucky-Missouri Connections
• Kentucky does not have a player from Missouri on its roster.
• Missouri does not have a player from the Commonwealth on its roster.
• Missouri senior 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 helped lead 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 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).
• UK co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Darin Hinshaw spent three years (2010-12) on Mizzou offensive coordinator Derek Dooley’s staff while he was head coach at Tennessee.
A UK Win Would…
• Kentucky would be 7-1, the best eight-game start to a season since 1977 (7-1)
• Kentucky would be 5-1 in SEC play, the best six-game SEC start to a season since 1977 (6-0)
• Kentucky would tie the school record for most SEC wins over a three-season span, since the 1976-78 teams also won 13 league games
• Kentucky would be 16-6 over its last 22 regular-season games, best 22-game regular-season stretch since Nov. 13, 1976 to Nov. 11, 1978 (16-5-1)
• Mark Stoops would move in sole possession of sixth place on Kentucky’s career wins list (33)
• Give UK four straight wins over Missouri, including second straight in Columbia
Don Franklin Auto Countdown to Kickoff Show
All-Southeastern Conference defensive end Jeremy Jarmon and former quarterback Dusty Bonner will be alongside host Christi Thomas for the Don Franklin Auto Countdown To Kickoff, the two-hour pregame show that airs prior to each UK football game in 2018.
A live video broadcast of Countdown to Kickoff will air on UKAthletics.com, the UK Athletics mobile app and the Kentucky Football Facebook page.
For home games, Countdown to Kickoff will broadcast live 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.
When the Wildcats are on the road, the show will broadcast from Kroger at the Tates Creek Centre in Lexington.
