Welcome to the A Sea of Blue Live Game Thread for the Kentucky Wildcats at Mississippi St. Bulldogs.
We have run the gauntlet, and although we did not win a single game, we came out in reasonably good shape injury-wise, and the week plus Kentucky had off really helped heal and recharge the Wildcats for the second half of the season.
Kentucky vs. Mississippi State | ||
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Thurs., Oct. 24 - 7:30 p.m. ET Starkville, Miss. Game Notes: UK | MSU | ||
Coverage | ||
TV: ESPN Live Video via WatchESPN Live Audio Live Stats Text Updates |
We all knew, coming in, that this was going to be a hard season, and it just got a lot harder last week after some very good teams ran into trouble against teams that were not figured to be all that tough. It turns out they are, and Kentucky looks to have dates with at least two more top 25 teams before we get to the end of the season.
Tonight, though, we have our most winnable SEC contest so far, and that isn't saying much considering it's on the road and the team is clearly more successful than Kentucky. With that said, we have at least a puncher's chance of pulling the upset, and that's what we'll be hoping for.
To win tonight, Kentucky must:
Find an effective offense. The Wildcats have had moments, but they've been all too fleeting and too far between.
Stop the running game. Mississippi St. is not likely to kill us with the pass, so Kentucky is going to have to take some chances one-on-one on the outside so they can stack the box. Let's hope the young secondary is up to it.
Continue the solid special teams play. Special teams have killed Georgia this year, but MSU has had good special teams play, and Kentucky must at least match that.
Force turnovers. UK is second in the SEC in fumbles forced.
Take care of the football. Kentucky hasn't done a bad job of that, but they haven't done a great job, either.
Get off to a fast start. We haven't done that all year.
Even if the next six games are easier than the first six, they are anything but easy. Kentucky needs to establish an identity and learn how threaten teams at least. The Wildcats have played from behind all year long, and it has shown in the results. We need t get the lead, even if it doesn't last, and put some pressure on teams at least.
Go, 'Cats!