Big Blue Preview: Kentucky vs. Missouri
Info to Know
| Kentucky vs. Missouri | When: Sat., Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m. ET | Where: Kroger Field, Lexington, Ky. | TV: SEC Network | Radio: UK Sports Network |
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Preview
The No. 24/23 University of Kentucky football team will play host to RV/No. 25 Missouri in front of alumni, friends and community members for its annual Homecoming game Saturday. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network. Both teams enter the game 5-1, while Kentucky is 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference and Missouri is 1-1 in the league. The Wildcats hold a twogame winning streak over the Tigers, inside of a 9-4 all-time edge over the border foe.
Kentucky remains ranked in both major polls for the second straight week, despite its first loss of the season at No. 1/1 Georgia last Saturday. There, running back Ray Davis scored the 12th touchdown of his Kentucky career, two more than his previous single-season record. Meanwhile, defensive back Maxwell Hairston had his fourth interception of the season, one of six players in the nation to have as many.
Kentucky Defense Hoping to Bounce Back Against Missouri
After playing solid defense through five games, Kentucky gave up a season high 51 points in Saturday’s loss at Georgia. Now, the Cats must find a way to learn from their mistakes and move forward.
Defensive coordinator Brad White put it simply when discussing Saturday’s game at Georgia.
“Not the performance that we wanted. I think everybody in that defensive unit, coaches, players, everybody involved, are embarrassed by how we performed,” White said. “But that is last Saturday and now it’s our job to step up and respond and that’s what we’ve got to do. I think no one played particularly well on Saturday. To a man, myself included, I don’t think anyone would say that (we played well).”
White knows that the defense must work together in order for the Cats to perform at its highest level…Read More
Kentucky-Missouri Series
• Kentucky leads the all-time series against Missouri, 9-4.
• The Wildcats lead the series in Lexington, 5-1.
• UK has won the last two straight meetings, and seven of the last eight meetings.
• The last time UK lost to Mizzou was in 2020 in Columbia, 20-10.
• The lone time UK lost to Mizzou in Lexington was in 2013, 48-17.
Kentucky-Missouri Connections
• Kentucky has one player from the state of Missouri on its roster in kicker Michael Bernard (Clayton).
• Missouri has no players from the state of Kentucky on its roster.
Kentucky vs. The Ranked
• Kentucky has played 267 ranked teams in the Associated Press poll in its history, while the Wildcats are 51-211-5 in those games.
• UK is 1-1 against ranked teams this season, defeating then-No. 22/23 Florida at home on Sept. 30 and falling to then-No. 1/1 Georgia in Athens on Oct. 7.
• The Wildcats went 2-3 against ranked teams last season in 2022, defeating then-No. 12/19 Florida on the road and then-No. 16/17 Mississippi State at home.
• The Cats fell to then-No. 14/11 Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, in a heartbreaking, 22-19, loss and it lost to then-No. 3/3 Tennessee on the road, 44-6. The Cats played top-ranked Georgia tough before falling, 16-6.
• Since 2015, the Wildcats are 12-16 against ranked teams.
• Kentucky has won six of its last 11 ranked meetings, including No. 23 NC State in 2020, No. 10 Florida and No. 17 Iowa in 2021, and No. 12 Florida, No. 16 Mississippi State in 2022 and No. 22 Florida in 2023.
A UK Win Would …
• Help UK improve to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Southeastern Conference.
• Make UK bowl-eligible for a school-record eighth straight season.
• Help UK improve to 2-1 vs. ranked teams this season.
• Help UK to a 13-16 record against ranked teams since 2015.
• Help UK win 18 of their past 22 games at Kroger Field.
• Help UK to an 18-4 record in their last 22 home night games, including 2-0 in 2023.
• Help UK improve to a 10-4 all-time record against Mizzou.
• Help UK improve to a 6-1 record against Mizzou in Lexington.
• Help UK to three straight wins against Mizzou.
• Extend head coach Mark Stoops’ all-time school records for wins to 72, SEC wins to 35 and home wins to 51.
By the Numbers
1
Win for Missouri, in six tries, against Kentucky in Lexington (in 2013)
7
Average margin of victory, in the last three games, in the Kentucky-Missouri series
13
Wins for Kentucky against ranked teams since 2015
56
Wins, against 21 losses, for Kentucky in Homecoming games
3,150
Career rushing yards for UK running back Ray Davis, the fourth most among active FBS players
