The Kentucky Wildcats are set to battle the No. 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs in a showdown where one winning streak will reach four games. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:00 p.m. ET and ESPN2 has the TV rights.
Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Kentucky Wildcats Betting Preview
Kentucky is projected to play the role of underdog and is currently getting 9.5 points in this Saturday SEC game. The Bulldogs are also receiving -370 moneyline odds while the Wildcats are +290. Should one side can get out in front early on it will result in a solid live betting opportunity. Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 54 points.
The early action has leaned toward the Wildcats, as the opening line was 10.5. The game’s over/under hasn’t moved after it was initially posted at 54.
The Bulldogs have gained 1.0 unit this season and are 3-0 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 1-1. The surprising Wildcats have gained 5.3 units so far. The team is 1-2 ATS and also has an O/U record of 1-1.
The Bulldogs are 3-0 straight up (SU) and they haven’t faced any SEC competition yet. The Wildcats are 3-0 SU overall and 1-0 SU in conference play.
The Bulldogs are hoping to remain unbeaten after a 56-10 win over Louisiana last week. The defense did its part in the win, limiting the Ragin’ Cajuns to just 245 passing yards and 65 yards on the ground. Trey Ragas had a productive day for the Ragin’ Cajuns in that one with 49 rushing yards on seven attempts, along with 46 yards on three catches. On the offensive side of the ball, Nick Fitzgerald completed 14-of-21 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns. Fitzgerald (107 yards on 15 rush attempts, four TDs) also led the ground attack in the win and was complemented by Aeris Williams (101 yards on 11 carries, one TD). Keith Mixon (four receptions, 80 yards, one TD) and Stephen Guidry (three catches, 57 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties.
Kentucky just earned a lopsided 48-10 win over Murray State. The team’s defense let the Racers run for 122 yards on 21 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Malik Honeycutt was a bright spot in the loss, posting 76 yards on four catches for Murray State. As a group, the Wildcats collectively completed 24-of-31 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns. Terry Wilson went 19-for-25 for 163 yards while Gunnar Hoak was four-of-five for 77 yards and one touchdown. Benny Snell (75 rushing yards on 15 attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Wilson (80 yards on 13 carries, one TD) led the ground game in the win as Lynn Bowden (eight receptions, 89 yards) and Dorian Baker (four catches, 25 yards) led the pass-catching attack.
Mississippi State has run the ball on 59.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Kentucky has an overall rush percentage of 63.2 percent. The Bulldogs have rushed for 312 yards/game and have 12 scores via handoffs this year. The Wildcats are logging 282 rushing yards per game and have nine total rush TDs.
It appears that the Bulldogs may have an edge in all aspects of the ground game, as their running backs has produced 7.6 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 2.5 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Wildcats have registered 6.7 yards per carry and allowed 4.1 YPC to opponents.
The Bulldogs offense has tallied 276 yards/game in the air overall and has nine passing scores so far. The Wildcats have recorded 187 pass yards per outing and have five total pass TDs.
Defensively, Mississippi State has allowed 85 rush yards and 174 pass yards per game. The Kentucky defense has allowed 183.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 122.7 yards per game on the ground. The Bulldogs are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 3.63 to opponents, while the Wildcats have given up a 4.22 ANY/A.
Offensively, Fitzgerald has put up 243 passing yards this year, and has completed 14-of-21 attempts with two scores through the air and has yet to throw an interception. Fitzgerald’s got a sparkling 11.61 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 8.32 over the last two games.
Terry Wilson has completed 30-of-43 passes for 241 yards, zero TDs and two INTs for Kentucky. His ANY/A stands at a very poor 3.22 for the season and 7.21 over his last two games.
These two schools met last year with the final outcome being a 45-7 win for Mississippi State.
Free Pick: Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kentucky Wildcats
SU Winner – Kentucky, ATS Winner – Kentucky, O/U – Under
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Team Betting Notes
The Mississippi State D has twice as many sacks as Kentucky this year (10 versus five).
Kentucky has lost three fumbles this season while the Mississippi State offense has not lost any.
The Bulldogs offense has recorded three pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Wildcats have put up two such plays.
The Mississippi State defense has allowed one pass play of 40 or more yards, while Kentucky has given up zero such plays.
Both defenses have produced nine rushing plays of 20 or more yards. The Mississippi State offense has recorded 31 running plays of 10+ yards while Kentucky has accounted for 26 such plays.
The Bulldogs defense has allowed zero rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Wildcats have given up three such runs.
Kentucky was favored by -41 points in its last game. The team did not cover the spread in the 48-10 victory over Murray State.
Mississippi State was favored by 35 points in its previous game and the Over/Under going into it was 63. The over cashed and Mississippi State covered in the 56-10 victory over Louisiana.
Mississippi State has averaged 8.3 yards per carry over its last two matchups.
Kentucky has averaged 6.5 yards per carry over its last two.
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