Time for your Kentucky at Missouri Preview and SEC Predictions here at Last Word on College Football. The Wildcats are coming off a huge win last Saturday night and hope to continue their recent surge this weekend.
A Program Changing Win?
Mark Stoops’s club picked up one of the biggest wins in recent memory over Mississippi State and they did it in a way unfamiliar to Cat fans.
Leading the Bulldogs 37-31 Kentucky was trying to put the game away, however Stephen Johnson fumbled near the goal line. A touchdown pass from Nick Fitzgerald to Fred Ross gave MSU at 38-37 lead with 1:09 to go.
True Blue Fans everywhere went “not again” as Kentucky football history is littered with last minute heartbreaks. This would not be the case as Johnson led the Cats down the field and Austin MacGinnins kicked a 51 yard field goal to win the game.
Pretty confident you'll get chills watching this.
(Audio courtesy: @tomleachKY @UKRadioNetwork pic.twitter.com/LUNi8NCDlX
— Clayton Abernathy (@ClayKY1) October 23, 2016
Stoops has talked repeatedly about changing the landscape of Kentucky football and thinks Saturday’s win might be what does it.
Mark Stoops: Kentucky ‘over the hump’ from being fragile team https://t.co/XsdLaJlJBD #BBN pic.twitter.com/6lAivJc7LC
— SEC Country Kentucky (@SECCountryUK) October 24, 2016
A Big Road Test
Kentucky at Missouri- (NOON, SEC Network)- Kentucky will try to continue its momentum when they travel to Columbia on Saturday. The Tigers are struggling under first year coach Barry Odom and are the only winless team in the league.
Missouri has really flourished on offense under new coordinator Josh Heupel. The former Oklahoma offensive coordinator has brought a Big 12 style of play to Columbia. Quarterback Drew Lock ranks second in the league with nearly 2,000 yards passing and 16 touchdowns. The biggest problem for the Tigers is they appear to be playing the Big 12 style of defense too.
Over the last three games the formerly stout Tiger defense has been torched for 133 points including 51 last week to Middle Tennessee. Missouri will be without two of its key players on defense with linebacker Michael Scherer and tackle Terry Beckner lost for the season to torn ACL’s.
The Tigers give up over 200 yards a game rushing which would seem to play to Kentucky’s strength. Boom Williams and Benny Snell have rushed for almost 1,100 yards combined in 2016 and the Cats have topped 200 yards in three of the last four games.
The key to a Wildcat victory will be ball control behind Williams and Snell and limit turnovers. Kentucky ranks last in the SEC in turnover margin. Quite simply the Kentucky offense must keep the Missouri offense off the field.
Kentucky is going for three conference wins in a row for the first time since 1999. A win on Saturday will almost certainly assure the Wildcats its first bowl game since 2010. A game with winless Austin Peay would give the Cats their sixth win.
LWOS Bowl Projections Week 8 – https://t.co/BhRp7dtg2u pic.twitter.com/7DfYvN3ZSd
— 🏈LastWordOnCFB🏈 (@LastWordOnCFB) October 27, 2016
This has the makings of a shootout and the Cats will go one step closer to making a bowl.
Kentucky 42-35
SEC Prediction Time
Last week was another good one for the Old Krystal Ball going 5-1 with the only loss being Missouri. That makes the season record a pretty good 57-10. There are five other games in the SEC this weekend and we will start in Jacksonville.
Florida vs. Georgia- (3:30 CBS- Game Played in Jacksonville)
No longer billed as “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” this is still a huge game in the SEC East.
The Gators are coming off a second bye week in three weeks after blowing out Missouri two weeks ago. The bye week came at a good time for the Bulldogs who have lost three of four all in the conference. Behind Luke Del Rio and the stout Gator defense Will Muschamp’s club will shut down Jacob Eason and company.
Florida 24-14
Samford at Mississippi State- (3:30 SEC Network)
With the loss to Kentucky the Bulldogs are in real danger of missing a bowl game for the first time under Dan Mullen.
Former Kentucky assistant coach Chris Hatcher is the head coach at Samford. They currently sit 6-1 on the season and are ranked 19th in the latest FBS Rankings. Mississippi State already lost to South Alabama this year and could struggle in this one. This may be close for a half before MSU pulls away.
Mississippi State- 38-17
Auburn at Ole Miss- (7:15 SEC Network)
There may be no hotter team in the SEC than the Tigers. Gus Malzahn’s team set a conference record with 543 yards rushing in a 56-3 win over Arkansas.
That does not bode well for a Rebels squad who gave up 284 yards to Leonard Fournette last week. Hugh Freeze’s club ranks 113th in the nation against the run out of 128 teams in college football. This should be a high scoring game but the Tigers will outgun the reeling Rebels.
Auburn 45-31
Tennessee at South Carolina- (7:15 ESPN2)
No team in the country needed the bye week more than the Volunteers who have been decimated by injuries.
The Gamecocks went with true freshmen Jake Bentley last week and he responded with 201 yards passing and two touchdowns in a win over Massachusetts. However Tennessee represents a big step up in competition. The Vols have won the last three in this series by a combined eight points. Butch Jones‘ team will get back on track with a hard earned road win.
Tennessee 28-17
New Mexico State at Texas A&M- (7:30 ESPNU)
Kevin Sumlin’s club led Alabama for a half last week before the Crimson Tide turned it on winning 33-14.
The Aggies from New Mexico have give up 50 points three times this year including 62 to Kentucky. After Saturday it will be four times.
Texas A&M 56-24
Alabama, Arkansas, LSU and Texas A&M have the week off. Thanks for reading, see you next time.
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