[SIZE=4][B][/B][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][B]KENTUCKY at MISS. STATE[/B][/SIZE]
[B]UK[/B]
Overall: 4-4, SEC: 1-4
[B]MSU[/B]
Overall: 6-2, SEC: 2-2
6 p.m. CT, Starkville, Miss., Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field (55,082)
LIVE TV: ESPNU [Clay Matvick, play-by-play; Herm Edwards, analyst; Jessica Mendoza, sidelines)
[B]THE COACHES[/B]
Joker Phillips is in his first season at Kentucky and overall. The Wildcats’ offensive coordinator is Randy Sanders and the defensive coordinator is Steve Brown.
Dan Mullen is in his second season at MSU and overall with a record of 11-9 (.550).
Les Koenning serves as the offensive coordinator and the co-defensive coordinators are Manny Diaz and Chris Wilson.
[B]WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN KENTUCKY HAS THE BALL[/B]
Mike Hartline has had back-to-back career games. He posted his second straight
300-yard game with a career-high 353 yards and four touchdowns vs. Georgia.
Hartline currently ranks second in the SEC in passing yards per game (268.0) and is
third in total offense (266.1 yards per game). Chris Matthews has an SEC-high seven
TD catches this season. Matthews had 12 catches for 177 yards against South
Carolina, both career highs. It was his second 100-yard receiving performance of the
year and his career. Randall Cobb currently leads the Wildcats in pass receiving with
47 for 511 yards and five touchdowns, is second in rushing with 195 yards and three
TDs.
State ranks 14th nationally in scoring (17.0 points per game allowed) and 23rd in
tackles for loss (7.13 per game). Chris White posted a team-season-high 14 tackles in
last week’s win over UAB. White now has 71 total tackles on the year, the third highest total in the SEC. Corey Broomfield is tied for the national lead among active players with three career pick-sixes and the total has set the Mississippi State school record and tied for second-most in the SEC. The Bulldogs are ranked 33rd nationally in turnovers with a plus-4 margin.
[B]WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN MISSISSIPPI STATE HAS THE BALL[/B]
UK ranks third in the SEC in pass defense, limiting the opponent to just 176.8 yards
per game in the air. Danny Trevathan is having an impressive season as he paces the
defense with a league-leading 81 tackles. He has posted double-figure tackles in five
games this season, including four in a row. The last Wildcat to record double-figure
tackles in four-straight games was Jeff Snedegar in 1997. Trevathan also ranks eighth
in the league in the tackles for loss category with nine TFL. Winston Guy is second on the team in tackles with 54 stops.
The Bulldogs currently rank 15th nationally and second in the SEC with a 219.3
ypg average on the ground. Vick Ballard had scored at least one touchdown each of
the first six games, and he remains tied for the SEC lead with both a total of 72 points and 12 touchdown scored. Chris Relf has improved his career completion percentage to 53% after beginning the season at 48%. He’s passed for five touchdowns and has not thrown an interception during the Bulldogs’ five-game winning streak. LaDarius Perkins ran for 131 yards (his first 100-yard effort) on 18 carries last week vs UAB.
[B]SPECIAL TEAMS[/B]
Cobb is a capable punt returner and ranks fourth in the SEC in punt return average
with 9.8 yards per runback. He has two punt return touchdowns in his career, including a 50-yard scoring return this season. For the season Ryan Tydlacka ranks fourth in the SEC at 45.1 yards per punt. Derrick Locke is UK’s all-time leader in kickoff return average at 27.3 per return, including two 100-yard returns.
Heath Hutchins may not be leading the nation in punting yards, but the senior has
punted 32 times and allowed only 17 return yards. After dropping 11 punts inside the
20 a year ago, Hutchins has already pinned opponents deep in their own territory 14
times this season. He’s also forced 14 fair catches with three fumbled and turned back over to State.
[B]SERIES/GAME NOTES[/B]
Record: UK, 21-16
Kentucky and Mississippi State meet for the 38th time in school history… Kentucky
leads the all-time series 21-16 … The Bulldogs have won two of the last three, including last year’s matchup in Lexington, 31-24 … MSU is 9-7 against UK in Starkville … The road team has won the last four games in the series, with Kentucky beating Mississippi State in Starkville in 2006 and 2008 and MSU claiming wins in 2007 and 2009 in Lexington.
[I]Source: Southeastern Conference [/I]
