Missouri Set to Host Kentucky

The Kentucky Wildcats (5-3, 2-3 SEC) hit the road to take on the Missouri Tigers (4-4, 2-3 SEC) at noon on Saturday.

Bounce Back for Wildcats

After a strong start to the season, Kentucky has dropped three of their past four games. Although, last week was the nail in the coffin.

They traveled to Knoxville and got embarrassed by the Volunteers 44-6 in blowout fashion. Quarterback Will Levis had an out of the ordinary game having just 98 yards and three interceptions.

Levis is one of the premiere quarterback prospects for the upcoming NFL Draft. He will look to rebound this week against a Tiger’s defense that is one of the best in the league. Along with Levis, the Wildcats will also look to lean on the run game and control the clock.

"We're gonna work. We're gonna punch the clock this week." 🗣 @UKCoachStoops pic.twitter.com/9BTXwDd4c3

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) October 31, 2022

Running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. was one of the lone bright spots in last week’s beat down against Tennessee. He accounted for the Wildcats’ lone touchdown while also gathering 64 yards on the ground.

That is not his first-time smelling success this year, though.

Rodriguez Jr. has gone for 197 yards and two scores against a top-20 Mississippi State team and 126 yards against South Carolina.

The Wildcats will look to lean on these two for the bulk of their offensive production.

Tigers on the Hunt

Since their loss to Florida on Oct. 8, Missouri has bounced back with two wins.

After squeaking out a victory against Vanderbilt, they were able to travel to Columbia and knock off No. 25 South Carolina by two scores.

Defense has been a focal point for success for this Tigers team. The Tigers had four sacks and 11 tackles-for-loss while holding the Gamecocks to only 203 yards of total offense. Additionally, they rank among the best in the league at pass defense while only allowing 195.3 yards per game through the air.

Defensive back Jaylon Carlies has been a major reason to Missouri’s success on defense. Carlies has produced turnovers in each of the past two games, and he recorded 13 tackles and a sack against Georgia.

Defensive lineman Isaiah McGuire is the reigning SEC defensive lineman of the week after his performance in week nine. McGuire had two sacks and three tackles-for-loss against the Gamecocks.

Back home at Faurot this week!#MIZ 🐯🏈 pic.twitter.com/E8UOZm9ojk

— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) November 1, 2022

The Tigers will look to bring their energy and defense into another tough SEC showdown.

Kentucky has won six of the past seven meetings between the two, although Missouri looks to switch the script come Saturday at noon.