Seven days after their historical defeat of the Florida Gators down in The Swamp, the Kentucky Wildcats will return to their home turf in search of their second consecutive 3-0 start under head coach Mark Stoops.
Last week’s 27-16 victory over the Gators was certainly an emotional feat and with the Mississippi State Bulldogs looming next weekend, Kentucky has had a lot to take in regarding what the media has been saying about this year’s Kentucky team.
To achieve greatness, however, they must first get past the Murray State Racers this Saturday.
The Racers sit at a winless 0-2 as they enter Kroger Field, with not much working in their favor for Saturday’s matchup. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Murray State just a .7% chance of victory over the Wildcats, indicating an upset being nearly impossible.
However, Cats fans certainly know from year’s past that Kentucky is known to play down to their competition.
Last fall, the Wildcats hosted the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and fell behind in the first half. It took Kentucky outscoring EKU, 17-3, to pull off the comeback victory and avoid a significant upset.
Following Kentucky’s victory at 25th ranked Florida last Saturday, though, provides insight that this team is far more mature as well as talented at nearly every position.
Add in that every player has been hand-picked by and implemented into Stoops’s system and the potential of these Cats seems more favorable now than in the last decade.
Even starting running back, Benny Snell Jr, has been put on Heisman Watch by national media outlets.
While looking past the Racers, ahead to their matchup with the Bulldogs on September 22nd, is tempting, Kentucky will need to handle their business first.
Kickoff is set for 12 PM EDT on Saturday at Kroger Field. The game will not be televised, though, so make sure to tune in to 106.5 WKDZ.