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Kentucky Football: Will Wildcats bounce back vs. Mississippi State?

By Shelbie Warr

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - SEPTEMBER 14: Sawyer Smith #12 of the Kentucky Wildcats throws a pass against the Florida Gators at Commonwealth Stadium on September 14, 2019 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - SEPTEMBER 14: Sawyer Smith #12 of the Kentucky Wildcats throws a pass against the Florida Gators at Commonwealth Stadium on September 14, 2019 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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In a game of two teams looking to bounce back, Mississippi State and Kentucky football are gearing up for a cross-division matchup.

Mississippi State is coming off a loss to Kansas State in a game in which the Bulldogs did not look good, at all. Kentucky is coming off a blown lead against Florida’s backup quarterback after an injury to Felipe Franks.

Both of these teams need wins to get back on track and they will look for one in this cross-divisional SEC matchup between the Wildcats and the Bulldogs.

Here is how you can catch this matchup:

Date: Saturday, Sept. 21
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
Location: Starkville, Mississippi
Venue: Davis Wade Stadium
TV: SEC Network
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Bovada

Line: Mississippi State -6
Over/Under: 48

Keys to Victory

First of all, quarterback play as always is important. It is unsure if Tommy Stevens will start for the Bulldogs due to a shoulder issue. Garrett Shrader is the backup for the Bulldogs. No pressure for the true freshman right?

On the other side, you have Sawyer Smith for the Kentucky Wildcats. He did overall pretty well against Florida, despite his defense giving up the lead to Kyle Trask, Florida’s backup quarterback.

For Kentucky, it’ll be all about stopping the run and for the Bulldogs, it’ll be about establishing it. If Kylin Hill can have a big game, this is Mississippi State’s game to lose. Otherwise Kentucky has a chance depending on what Sawyer Smith and his offense can put together.

Mississippi State also is up there in takeaways. Kentucky has to take care of the football or things are going to get dicey for the Wildcats.

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Prediction

The Kentucky defense steps up in a big way and is able to stop Kylin Hill as they fight to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Florida. I’m putting all my eggs in Smith’s basket, as it were. I’m putting my belief in the Wildcats to take down the Bulldogs, though it’ll be a close one.

Final Score: Kentucky 27, Mississippi State 24

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