Kentucky Three Keys: Mississippi State

The Wildcats sit atop the SEC East at 3-0, but do we really know how good they are yet. The win over Florida was obviously historic, but an argument can be made that the Gators are still rebuilding under a new coaching staff. Beating Mississippi State on Saturday would shut up those doubters for a week or two at least.

By Steve Wright

Here are the three keys:

Stop Nick Fitzgerald

Any clash with the Bulldogs begins and ends with the ability to contain all everything quarterback Fitzgerald. After a down year in 2017, Fitzgerald has been bringing it in 2018, running an offense that is humming at a midseason pace even though we are still in September.

His line last week was just ridiculous. Against Louisiana – admittedly an overmatch opponent – Fitzgerald threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns while adding 107 yards and four more scores on the ground. It is that dual-threat ability that makes his so hard to contain as Fitzgerald is a legitimate threat to beat you with either his arm or his legs.

The Wildcats first option in this game has to be to take away one of Fitzgerald’s options, making the quarterback a one dimensional player and making him beat them in that way.

Keep the chains moving

Kentucky needs to make sure that their plays are always for positive yards against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are third in the nation in tackles for a loss, with their defensive line tearing holes in run and pass protection schemes, before making solid tackles on ball carriers. That is how they have averaged allowing just 85 yards rushing in their 2018 games so far.

Kentucky will need Benny Snell to carry the load and they will need him to find enough holes and be elusive enough to turn potential yardage losses into positive plays. Snell is averaging six yards per carry, and while he won’t have to rush for that on every play, he will need to avoid drive killing plays that go for negative yardage.

This is also a game where quarterback Terry Wilson will have to be effective with his legs. The key here is knowing when to run and when to sit in the pocket and pass. Wilson’s decision making will be massive in the Wildcats attempt to upset the Bulldogs.

Win the takeaway battle

A problem Kentucky has in this game is that Mississippi State just doesn’t turn over the ball. Part of looking like they are in SEC West title contending form is that the Bulldogs have turned the ball over just twice all season. Fitzgerald is controlling how the offense works, allowing the game to come to him rather than trying to force the ball into situations that will cost his team.

Kentucky, on the other hand, is a little too turnover prone. They kept Florida in the game with a couple of turnovers and were just wretched in that department against Central Michigan when they gave it away four times. To have any chance of a win here, Kentucky must be at least +2 in the turnover column.