LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Harry Truman was in the White House, Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole were dominating the pop charts, and Paul "Bear" Bryant was walking the sideline as Kentucky's head coach the last time the Wildcats occupied the lofty position they hold now after a 42-21 thrashing of LSU on Saturday night at Kroger Field.

Kentucky is 6-0 for the first time since 1950.

The No. 16 Cats set up a clash of unbeatens with soon-to-be No. 1 Georgia next week in Athens by dispatching the visiting Tigers with shocking ease. UK rushed for 311 yards and quarterback Will Levis accounted for five touchdowns -- three through the air and two on the ground -- to highlight the victory.

After winning each of their last four games by seven or fewer points, the Cats finally got to enjoy a blowout.

"We just had a good, quiet confidence about us," UK head coach Mark Stoops said. "... Coaches are putting out great game plans, and we've really had good, hard, disciplined practices, and felt like we were getting better and better.

"Same message as last week when I sat here (after a 20-13 win over No. 10 Florida): Enjoy it for a few hours and back to work tomorrow. We are excited about the opportunity that we have from us next week."

Kentucky jumped out to a 14-0 lead at halftime and scored on its opening drive of the third quarter to make it 21-0 at a frenzied, sold-out Kroger Field. The Cats led 35-7 early in the fourth quarter as the LSU defense had no answers for the physical UK offensive attack.

Junior running back Chris Rodriguez added to his SEC-leading rushing total with 147 yards on just 16 carries, averaging an eye-popping 9.2 yards per carry. In doing so, he became only the 10th member of UK's 2,000-yard rushing club. The Georgia native scored on an 18-yard touchdown run and also caught a 3-yard touchdown pass.

His backfield mate, junior Kavosiey Smoke, added a career-high 104 yards rushing on 12 carries.

"I knew they had a rushing game, but 330 yards... we got to be able to stop them," said embattled LSU head coach Ed Orgeron.

Levis gave the Cats the type of balance that has often eluded them this season, completing 14 of 17 passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns. The transfer from Penn State also rushed 11 times for 75 yards and two scores.

"I really thought he played exceptionally well," Stoops said. "You could tell early on, just to me, his comfort level was there. You know, he looked really poised, really confident, and just going through his progression, making some really nice throws.

"Then the way he lays it on the line, and he runs so physical, that just gives everybody a great boost, as well. He's a tough kid and just getting better and better."

Kentucky finished with 475 yards in total offense, its best outing since recording 519 in the second week of the season against Missouri. The Cats also played turnover-free football after ranking dead last nationally earlier this season in turnover margin.

LSU (3-3, 1-2 SEC) posted 408 total yards, but most of those came after the game was long decided. Quarterback Max Johnson had 261 yards passing and one touchdown, while running back Tyrion Davis-Price rushed for 147 yards and two scores.

The UK defense held an opponent scoreless in the first half for the second time in the last three games. The Cats also blanked South Carolina in the first half of a 16-10 win on Sept. 25.

Now it's on to a much bigger challenge.

“It's awesome," Levis said of a pending matchup with top-ranked Georgia. "That's why I came here. It's why you come to the (Southeastern Conference). It's stuff that you dream of when you make decisions like that. It's one of the environments you think of when you think of SEC football, Sanford Stadium in Athens. Really excited to go down there and play the best team in the country."

*****

In this Rapid Recap feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory ...

GAMEBALL:

Will Levis, Kentucky - The Cats' new quarterback had been under fan and media scrutiny the last four weeks as the UK offense struggled to execute consistently. He turned in his best performance since the season opener by making throws when they were available and using his legs to give the Cats another weapon.

BY THE NUMBERS:

1st - Time Kentucky has defeated LSU and Florida in the same season since 1977.

2nd - Largest margin of victory by the Cats over the Tigers. The largest was a 31-5 win at Commonwealth Stadium in 1999.

4-0 - In SEC play for only the fourth time in school history (1949, 1950, 1977).

7.3 - Yards per carry by Kentucky rushers.

42 - The most points UK has scored in a regulation game against LSU in program history.

QUOTABLE:

"That's good. They got a new t-shirt. We want more." -- UK head coach Mark Stoops on the players receiving T-shirts for reaching bowl eligibility in their first six games of the season.

UP NEXT:

Kentucky travels to Athens, Ga., next week for a matchup with what is expected to be the nation's new No. 1 ranked team. Second-ranked Georgia (6-0, 4-0 SEC) won 34-10 on Saturday at No. 18 Auburn, while No. 1 Alabama lost 41-38 at Texas A&M. Kickoff for the Cats and Bulldogs is slated for 3:30 ET on a national broadcast by CBS.