21 stats that explain Kentucky’s dominance of Mississippi State

The Kentucky Wildcats are 4-0 after a 28-7 win over the 14th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs.

This was one of the most memorable nights in the history of Commonwealth Stadium/Kroger Field, as the Cats thoroughly dismantled a top-15 team like we’ve not seen anywhere this year.

Kentucky is for real, and this was a real beatdown. Here are 21 stats that only begin to tell the story of this domination.

0: Kentucky tied Mississippi State in turnover margin, the second time Kentucky has done so this season, and both were wins over top-25 teams.

1: The number of interceptions Tyrell Ajian has in his career, which came tonight with Kentucky up just 14-7 late in the game.

2.0: The yards per carry average of Mississippi State runners.

3: The number of times Mississippi State crossed midfield (Kentucky had one turnover that allowed the Bulldogs to being in Kentucky territory.

4: Snell accounted for four touchdowns in a game that had just five scores.

5: The number of September losses Kentucky has over the last five seasons.

6: The number of tackles Josh Allen made, which included a sack, two tackles for loss and a number of QB hurries.

13: The number of second-half points Kentucky has allowed this season, including zero to Mississippi State.

14: The number of rushing yards by Kylin Hill, who ran for 211 yards at Kansas State in Week 2.

20: The number of rushing yards by nick Fitzgerald, his lowest mark in a full game since a 51-3 loss to Alabama in November of 2016.

21: This was the largest margin of victory (21 points) over a ranked opponent since a 21-0 win over Ole Miss in 1993.

23: CJ Conrad caught a 23-yard pass to put Kentucky in the red zone. It was his longest reception since a win at Vanderbilt last season.

28: The number of consecutive points scored by Kentucky against the 14th-ranked Bulldogs.

39: Snell also set the UK career touchdown record with 39 TDs, surpassing Randall Cobb’s previous mark of 37.

41: The number of years since Kentucky was last 2-0 in the SEC.

47: The number of rushing yards backup AJ Rose ran for, almost as much as Mississippi State ran for as a team.

56: The number of rushing yards Mississippi State was held to against Kentucky after averaging 300 per game.

59: The point differential from last year’s 45-7 Mississippi State win to Kentucky’s 28-7 win this year. A 38-point loss in 2017 became a 21-point win in 2018.

99: Kentucky outgained Mississippi State by 99 yards in a game where the Wildcats had just 300 yards of total offense.

139: Number of penalty yards Mississippi State committed, so they gave aways almost as many yards as they gained as a team.

165: Rushing yards by Benny Snell, about ²⁄₃ of what Kentucky ran for as a team (229) and more than half of the total offense (301).