#16 Mississippi State (5-1, 2-1 SEC) is set to travel to Lexington to take on #22 Kentucky (4-2, 1-2 SEC) 6:30 p.m. Saturday on SEC Network.
We talked to Justin Rowland of Rivals' CatsIllustrated to get an inside look at the Wildcats. Here is what Rowland had to say on Kentucky vs. Mississippi State.
What is Kentucky’s injury situation headed into this week?
Rowland: The Cats have been banged up. Starting quarterback Will Levis is someone they're checking on day by day. There's been a lot of talk about the possibility of turf toe but we don't know everything he's dealing with. Levis has been wearing a boot and missed UK's game against South Carolina. With Levis out it was Kaiya Sheron who stepped in for him. Sheron played fine but OC Rich Scangarello scaled back the playbook a lot.
UK has also been without starting RT Jeremy Flax, starting MLB Jacquez Jones, and starting safety Jalen Geiger. I'd expect all of those guys will be out. On top of that, receivers Tayvion Robinson and Dane Key left the game against USC with injuries. They're listed on the depth chart but that doesn't necessarily mean a whole lot. We're all curious about their status and readiness going into this week, too.
How would you assess Kentucky’s pass defense this season?
Rowland: This is an area where they really needed to improve from last year and they had improved quite a bit before Spencer Rattler got pretty comfortable in the second half for South Carolina.
Carrington Valentine has elevated his game at cornerback and is playing fairly well this year. UK brought in several transfers but only one, Zion Childress, is seeing the field. One of the biggest differences compared to last year is true freshman Alex Afari has come in at nickel or their medium package and is an asset in run support. It's not one of the best secondaries in the SEC but it's not bad either. This week will be a huge challenge because Will Rogers was 36/39 last year.
Who are the playmakers to watch on the offensive side of the ball?
Rowland: Assuming Robinson and Key are back that would be two. Robinson, a Virginia Tech transfer, is one of the SEC's leading receivers. Key is a true freshman who plays with great maturity and hands. Receiver Barion Brown has been one of the best true freshmen in college football with his explosive ability on offense and special teams.
Running back Chris Rodriguez is one of the best players UK has ever had in the backfield and he served a four game suspension to start the season but has looked really good since he returned. In spite of poor offensive line play PFF named him the highest-graded running back in college football over the weekend. Tight end Jordan Dingle is someone to watch in the passing game. Quarterback Will Levis is obviously the biggest name. Scouts are talking about him as a possible high first round draft choice. That's more because of his physical ability, intangibles, and potential than numbers he has put up.
What are some of Kentucky’s weaknesses that teams have been able to expose?
Rowland: They've been really bad in a few areas. The offensive line has been a strength for several years but the Big Blue Wall has a lot of improving to do to get that brand back. They've given up so many sacks and tackles for loss this year, it has really kept the offense from really shining.
If the line had just been decent to this point you could see the offense looking really good. But the breakdowns have been frequent enough that opponents are often in UK's backfield. They haven't been good in pass protection, but they've really been poor blocking the run as they've tried to move to more of a wide zone scheme.
Defensively, the defensive line and the secondary have been okay but not great. The pass rush has been very poor. Some of that is because of how Kentucky plays defense, it can make pressure a little more difficult to create. On special teams they have been horrible in the snap, hold, and kick game. Placekicking has been a big adventure and Stoops can't have much confidence in that part of the team at the moment.
What are the strengths of this year’s Kentucky team?
Rowland: The great majority of college football teams would love to have Kentucky's skilled personnel on offense. We're talking about one of the best backfields in the country with Levis and Rodriguez, a deep and balanced tight end room, and the most explosiveness and depth UK has had at receiver in many years. Again, the offensive line issues have prevented that group from firing on all cylinders, though.
Defensively they have four experienced captains at the linebacker level, though Jones will be out. DeAndre Square is a very experienced and smart player in the middle of the defense. JJ Weaver and Jordan Wright are a pair of long, athletic, and experienced EDGE defenders. UK typically plays its scheme well and with discipline.
On special teams, Brown has really made the return game fun. It's been a while since we've seen an electric return game and he has provided that. They've got a couple of blocked kicks, too.
Lastly, what are your keys to the game and score prediction?
Rowland: We don't know if Levis is going to play. We know Mississippi State is on an impressive roll and they got the best of the Cats last year. The hope for Kentucky has to be that Levis can play and going on the road slows the Bulldogs down a little. But factoring everything together you have to say the Cats are something of an underdog with something to prove this weekend. I'll say Mississippi State 31, Kentucky 23.
