Saturday at noon will kick-off Kentucky football’s final home game of the 2018 season. From snapping their three-decade losing streak against Florida, to climbing inside the Top-10 rankings to Saturday’s game against the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders, head coach Mark Stoops and his senior-heavy football team have given Big Blue Nation a year to remember.
The Wildcats will honor sixteen seniors, many of which have started the entire season. Junior running back Benny Snell, who is expected to enter the NFL draft, could also play his final home game in a Kentucky uniform.
A win won’t come easy, though, as the Blue Raiders boast a 7-3 record on the season with two of their losses coming to Georgia and Vanderbilt. Kentucky fared 1-1 against those two teams, with the win coming by just seven points.
However, while Kentucky expects a challenge, the seniors also expect one more home win for their fans.
A defense, led by senior-standouts Adrian Middleton, Darius West, Derrick Baity, Josh Allen, Jordan Jones, Lonnie Johnson and Mike Edwards, should rebound after giving up more than 20 points in back-to-back weeks. The unit had not given up more than 20 points leading up to their game with Georgia.
An offense, led by Snell and Terry Wilson, has struggled throughout the season. While they’ve had their ups, there have also been many downs. For example, the Wildcats have averaged just 13.4 points of offense over their last five games.
Behind a energetic home crowd, expect Eddie Gran’s unit to exceed that average.
Kick-off is set for 12 PM EDT on Saturday at Kroger Field.