Mississippi State Football: Bulldogs blindsided by Kentucky

3. Mississippi State’s defense is in trouble

It’s abundantly clear at this point that the Kentucky offense is much more potent than many had given Mark Stoops‘ credit for. Against the Bulldogs, he rode the duo of Benny Snell and Asim Rose to 229 yards rushing on the ground and four rushing touchdowns.

Snell’s 6.6 yards per carry wore away at the Bulldog defense, which was only able to get stops in the second half when the Wildcats tried to throw the football. That doesn’t bode well considering the conference the Bulldogs’ play in and their upcoming slate of opponents.

After the Kentucky game, Mississippi State plays Florida and Auburn before a bye week with games against LSU and Texas A&M after that. All of those offenses have proven proficient on the ground so far. Texas A&M, a team Mississippi State was expected to beat relatively easily coming into the season, entered their Week 4 game against Alabama eighth in the nation in rushing offense before outrushing the Crimson Tide.

This isn’t the right conference to be in if you can’t stop the run. The loss alone is concerning, but how easily Kentucky were able to move the ball on the ground has massive ramifications that spell trouble for Mississippi State in the weeks to come.