As always Cats Illustrated breaks down Kentucky's next matchup based on who has the edge at every position on the field.
Here's our assessment after two games for both the Wildcats and Bulldogs.
QUARTERBACK
Through two games Kentucky senior quarterback Terry Wilson is 38/55 (69%) for 390 yards, one touchdown and one pick. He has been one of the SEC's leading rushers as well, and ran all over the Ole Miss defense last week. Wilson has been accurate on short passes but hasn't throw far beyond the line of scrimmage often. Turnovers were a problem against Auburn but not against Ole Miss.
Mississippi State's KJ Costello was a former second team All-Pac 12 selection at Stanford. He torched LSU's defense to the tune of 600 yards and five touchdowns in the Bulldogs' shocking win in Baton Rouge to open the season but last week he threw just one touchdown against three interceptions.
Advantage: MISSISSIPPI STATE
RUNNING BACK
Kentucky's running backs didn't have too much success against Auburn but last Saturday was a different story. AJ Rose and Chris Rodriguez both went over the 100 yard mark, as did Wilson, with Kavosiey Smoke leaving the game after he suffered bruised ribs. Three Kentucky backs rank among the top-100 rushers in college football to date. Travis Tisdale or JuTahn McClain could make their season debut for Kentucky.
MSU fans got some good news this week when Mike Leach said he expects Kylin Hill to play against the Wildcats. He only has 41 rushing yards on the season in part because he didn't play much against Arkansas, but Hill had 8 catches for 158 yards against the Tigers two weeks ago. He's a very good NFL prospect. Jo'quavious Marks has 52 carries on 13 attempts this season.
UK has nice depth in the backfield even without Smoke but not someone with the pro ability of Hill.
Advantage: MISSISSIPPI STATE
WIDE RECEIVER/TIGHT END
Senior receiver Josh Ali (6 catches, 186 yards) has been one of the most reliable pass-catchers in the SEC for Kentucky and he is on pace to have the Wildcats' best receiving season in quite some time. Akeem Hayes is emerging as a redshirt sophomore and it remains to be seen what impact Bryce Oliver might make. DeMarcus Harris had costly drops last week. This is still a unit with a lot to prove.
MSU's receiving corps came into the season with a lot to prove. Senior Osirus Mitchell has benefited from the new offense (12 catches, 244 yards, 2 TD), and Costello has really spread the ball around. Receivers JaVonta Payton, Tyrell Shavers, Cameron Gardner, Austin Williams, Jaden Walley, and Malik Heath all have at least five catches.
Advantage: MISSISSIPPI STATE
OFFENSIVE LINE
Through two games Kentucky's offensive line has not been perfect but it has been as good as advertised and that's saying something. They paved the way for 400 rushing yards last week. The pass protection has been good as well. This remains one of the nation's top units. It has been the best part of what the team has done to date.
Mississippi State has allowed six sacks in two games, but consider that Costello already has 119 pass attempts to his credit and that comes out to about 20 attempts per sack. That's something they can live with. But the rest of the numbers in terms of pressures and hurries are not acceptable. MSU has not done a very good job of protecting Costello in that respect.
Advantage: KENTUCKY
DEFENSIVE LINE
Mississippi State's defensive line alone has produced 5.5 sacks in two games with Marquiss Spencer leading the way. Nathan Pickering has played well when he has been in the game. According to PFF have been on the back seven, not on the defensive line. However the stats most relevant to the defensive line have been undeniably impressive. MSU held LSU to 80 rushing yards on 38 carries, and then kept Arkansas to 63 yards on 37 attempts.
Kentucky's defensive line has been led by Joshua Paschal and Quinton Bohanna. There have not been a lot of sacks or tackles for loss which is largely a byproduct of scheme but this group has helped to essentially shut down the rushing attacks for Auburn and Ole Miss. They are not rotating in and out as many players as we might have expected before the season but Stoops said Paschal and Bohanna, but Paschal especially, can handle that workload.
Advantage: EVEN
LINEBACKER
Before the season linebacker was thought to be a strength for Kentucky. It may still be that, but it has not been at the level the coaches had probably hoped for. There has not been as much edge pressure applied as there was last season. The staff is still looking for the right depth combination at inside 'backer.
Aaron Brule has been an active playmaker for MSU at linebacker. Senior Erroll Thompson is a very experienced player who has been around the ball all season with 23 tackles in two games.
Advantage: EVEN
DEFENSIVE BACK
We're only two games in so this could change but the pass defense has been the biggest disappointment for Kentucky football in 2020. Mark Stoops is clearly searching for answers, if you look at the snap counts and substitutions in Week 2 compared to Week 1. This week it sounded like he would continue to look for answers. This is a tough week to have to try and figure things out at that level of the defense.
MSU's pass defense has not exactly been a great strength this year. Feleipe Franks and Myles Brennan were a combined 47/74 (64%) for 557 yards, five touchdowns and two picks against the Bulldogs. But they have been more solid than Kentucky's group so far. Granted, they have not played the level of passing attack that Kentucky's secondary has.
Advantage: SLIGHT EDGE MISSISSIPPI STATE
SPECIAL TEAMS
Max Duffy has been a bright spot and appears to be an excellent contender for back-to-back Ray Guy honors. If he had enough punts to qualify he would lead the nation in punting again, as he's averaging more than 51 yards per kick. Matt Ruffolo missed a field goal and an extra point that proved very costly in last week's loss to Ole Miss. The return game appears undaunting.
Reed Bowman and Tucker Day have split duties as MSU's punter this season and they have performed fine. Brandon Ruiz is 3/3 on field goals and 7/7 on extra points for the Bulldogs. JaVonta Payton handles kickoffs and Jaden Walley has 21 return yards on two punts fielded this year.
Advantage: MISSISSIPPI STATE
