Riding High: Cats Return Home with Perfect Record Intact
Coming off a cathartic win over Florida in The Swamp that soothed 31 years of frustration, Kentucky returns home to face in-state FCS foe Murray State on Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon ET and the game will air on the SEC Network Alternate channel.
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| Kentucky vs. Murray State | ||
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| Sat., Sept. 15 – 12:00 p.m. ET Kroger Field Lexington, Ky. Game Notes: UK  | MSU Digital Gameday Program Gameday App |
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TV: SEC Network Alternate |
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| UK | Team Stats | MSU |
| 2-0 | Record | 0-2 |
| 1-0 | Conference Record | 0-0 |
| 31.0 | Scoring/game | 11.5 |
| 440.5 | Total offense/game | 269.0 |
| 301.0 | Rushing yards/game | 71.5 |
| 139.5 | Passing yards/game | 197.5 |
| 19.3 | Kickoff returns (avg) | 19.7 |
| 10.3 | Punt returns (avg) | 11.0 |
| 44.6 | Punting (avg) | 39.9 |
| 29:39 | Time of possession/game | 23:22 |
| 61.5% | Third down conversion | 20.7% |
| 0.0% | Fourth down conversion | 33.3% |
| 18.0 | Points allowed/game | 37.5 |
| 307.5 | Total yards allowed/game | 445.0 |
| 123.0 | Rush yards allowed/game | 219.0 |
| 184.5 | Pass yards allowed/game | 226.0 |
Junior running back Benny Snell, Jr. has continued his assault on the record books this season, piling up 300 yards on 47 carries with a pair of scores. He has moved into fifth place on the school’s career rushing list and now is second with 14 career 100-yard games. He hasn’t been a one-man show either, as sophomore running back A.J. Rose and sophomore quarterback Terry Wilson each have added a 100-yard rushing game through the first two weeks.
The UK defense showed out in Gainesville, holding the Gators to 16 points, the second-lowest point total for the Gators in the series during the 31-game streak (14 in 2015). The Cats held the Gators to just six points in the second half, had two sacks and forced two turnovers.
Cat Scratches: New Challenge, Same Approach: UK Moves from Florida to Murray
Mark Stoops’ phone didn’t stop buzzing after Kentucky’s win over Florida.
All totaled, 250 people reached out to Stoops to congratulate him on victory. He responded to every last one.
“Twenty-four hours we enjoyed that victory,” Stoops said. “It was a victory that was a long time coming for our fans and for our players. It was a lot of fun and I appreciate their effort.”
Stoops continues to appreciate the effort, but the fun is at an end. A new task is at hand.
“It’s time to put it behind you and worry about the present and what we’re going to do today to put ourselves in a position to win this week and improve our football team,” Stoops said. “It was a fun 24 hours but it’s time to move on.”
The official turning of the page for Stoops came when he stepped into his office on Monday. For the players, that came at a team meeting on Monday afternoon. Stoops is thankful to know he has a group that will be receptive to his message …Read More
Scouting Murray State
• Murray State is 0-2 on the season.
• Playing football since 1924, Murray owns an all-time winning percentage of .524 and has won eight Ohio Valley Conference championships. The most recent title came in 2002.
• Quarterback Shuler Bentley was named to the 2017 OVC All-Newcomer Team.
• Kicker Gabriel Vicente was a 2017 All-OVC Second Team honoree after making 14-of-18 field goals.
• The Racers have 56 lettermen returning and 17 starters (8 offense, 5 defense, 4 specialists).
• Defensive lineman Kenney Wooten rang up 10 sacks as part of his 11 tackles for loss in 2017.
• Murray has six new coaches on its staff this season, including offensive coordiantor Nick Coleman.
• Head coach Mitch Stewart played quarterback at Valdosta State and was a member of the 2004 National Championship team and 2002 national runner-up squad.
Series vs. Murray State
• Kentucky leads the all-time series 1-0, a 37-6 victory in Lexington in 2003.
• Despite residing in the Commonwealth, the campuses are 270 miles apart.
• The Cats have a history of playing teams from the Ohio Valley Conference, mostly nearby Eastern Kentucky, and are 10-0 all-time vs. the conference. Five of those wins have come against EKU.
• In UK’s 37-6 win in 2003, Jared Lorenzen passed for 197 yards and four touchdowns, including a 60-yarder to Chris Bernard. Bernard, WR Derek Abney, WR Glenn Holt, RB Alexis Bwenge and QB Shane Boyd all scored touchdowns.
Kentucky-Murray State Connections
• Outside linebackers coach Brad White spent the 2009 season as the safeties coach at Murray State.
• Murray State has one player on its roster from Lexington in Chase Boling of Lexington Catholic. Boling played high school football with UK senior WR David Bouvier.
• Junior defensive lineman Phil Hoskins was coached at Highland Community College by MSU defensive line coach Walter Vaughn in 2016. Vaughn was the defensive coordinator at Highland during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
• MSU defensive coordinator Jake Johnson spent 12 seasons at Eastern Kentucky, coaching with then-head coach Dean Hood. Hood is currently the defensive backs/special teams coach at UK.
A UK Win Would …
• Keep UK’s perfect record against OVC teams intact at 11-0.
• Move UK to 3-0 for the second straight season and third time in last eight seasons.
• Make the Cats 8-1 in their past nine regular-season non-conference games and give them wins in 10 of the past 14 such games.
• Make UK 11-3 in its past 14 games at Kroger Field.
• Move the Cats halfway to bowl eligibility with two games still remaining in the month of September.
• Push UK’s record to 20-5 in games in September over the past five seasons.
• Make Terry Wilson the first quarterback to begin his UK career 3-0 as the starting quarterback since Mike Hartline in the first three games of the 2008 season.
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.
