The Cats look to take down the top-five Horns.
The Kentucky Wildcats are coming off their first win since September 28th, as they knocked off the Murray State Racers in Lexington Saturday afternoon. Now all of their attention will turn to one of the biggest programs in college football: The No. 3 Texas Longhorns.
With a trip to Austin on the docket, the Cats will be looking to do the unthinkable as they try and make one final push toward bowl eligibility this season. Before the season, this game was a trendy pick for an upset, but looking at it now, it might be lucky not to be a blowout, especially with the health of the QB position up in the air.
That will once again be the leading question heading into Saturday’s game in Austin: Who will the Cats roll out as the starting quarterback? Brock Vandagriff trotted out on to the field for the first half on Saturday, but it was very clear he was not 100%. Then there is no way they trot out true freshman Cutter Boley for this one, right? Luckily, since it is an SEC matchup, we will get an injury report this week to monitor.
Once again the main bright spot for the Cats yesterday was freshman running back, Jamarion Wilcox. Showing his explosive play ability each time he touched the ball, it is becoming more and more obvious if the Cats want a chance to knock off Texas and Louisville, Wilcox will have to play a key role in the offense.
Although the Cats pulled off the win yesterday, it was more a testament to the deficiencies of the Racers squad than UK’s dominance. That will not be the case against the Longhorns.
Texas is one of the best teams in the country this season, as the Longhorns are almost a lock to make the 12-team playoff. If the Cats hope to pull off the major upset, it will have to be a similar blueprint to the win over Ole Miss: Control the ball and play stellar defense.
That is possible, but this will be a wild one in Austin.
Should be another interesting week in Lexington as a wild offseason is vastly approaching.
Kentucky Wildcats vs. Texas Longhorns
Date & Time: Saturday, November 23rd at 3:30 PM EST
Location: DKR- Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, TX
TV: ABC
Radio: UK Sports Network with Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro
Odds: According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Cats open as a three-touchdown underdog (+21) against the Longhorns.
Early Predictions: TeamRankings has Texas winning 34-13, while Dimers is going with a 34-14 margin for the Longhorns. DRatings is going with a 35-12 Horns victory.