The Cats look to get back in the win column against their annual FCS foe.
Following a much-needed bye week, the Kentucky Wildcats return to the field this Saturday to take on the Murray State Racers, one of the few in-state schools having a worse season than the Cats.
One thing the two teams have in common is that they have been winless since September.
The Racers are led by first-year head coach Jody Wright, who has 20+ years of coaching experience in college and the NFL. With a 1-9 record, it’s clear there is much building left to do.
This game is online streaming-only and should be a pretty easy contest for the Cats. This game should provide them with some much-needed confidence going into the final two games of the season vs. Texas and Louisville.
Let’s take a look at the matchup.
Will Cutter Boley Play?
Coming into this week, a lot of talk was centered around freshman QB Cutter Boley potentially getting his first start. However, on Thursday Mark Stoops said that he expects Brock Vandagriff to be the starter.
That said, could we still see Boley appear in several drives with an inferior opponent? This could be an opportunity for the staff to evaluate Boley, and really, for Boley to evaluate his future at Kentucky.
The former consensus 4-star recruit has appeared in just one game, being fed to the Gators at the end of the Florida game. With six pass attempts, Boley completed one, but to the other team.
With two weeks to prepare, Boley is being put in a much better position to succeed this time around.
Attendance
Basketball season is in full swing and the majority of the fanbase’s attention has turned in that direction due to the excitement Mark Pope has built, diverting their attention away from the disappointing football season. That begs the question, what will the attendance look like at Kroger Field on Saturday?
Time will tell, but the turnout will be representative of the direction the fans feel the program is heading.
Opportunity
It is clear that Kentucky football needs an overhauled roster, but first, you have to find out what you have. During the last two weeks, Mark Stoops has spent much time managing the roster ahead of the offseason.
Saturday will be an opportunity for some young talent to get some game reps, such as the Smith twins, Hardley Gilmore, Cam Dooley, and Boley.
Hopefully, the Cats will be able to put this one away early and get those young guys some valuable reps.
Kentucky Wildcats (3-6) vs Murray State Racers (1-9)
Game Time: 1:30 PM ET on November 16th
Location: Kroger Field
TV Channel: Streaming only, SEC Network+
Online Stream: ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro have the UK radio call on the UK Sports Network.
Satellite Radio: XM Channel 203, Sirius Channel 98, Internet Channel 966
Replay: ESPN+ and SEC Network (check local listings).
Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky favored by a whopping 38.5 points. ESPN gives the Wildcats a 99% chance of victory.
Predictions: Dimers has the Cats winning 45-7, while DRatings is going with a 45-3 victory for Kentucky. The Cats’ chances at a Bowl are on serious life support, but the players would have to fix the game to lose this one. I’m picking Kentucky to win 34-10.
Send us your score predictions in the comments section!