Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s cross-division showdown between No. 1 Mississippi State and Kentucky in Lexington.

When: Today
Where: Lexington, Kentucky
Game Time: 3:30 ET
TV: CBS
Current Line: Mississippi State (-14)

Game Buzz: Mississippi State enters Saturday’s showdown with Kentucky as the nation’s No. 1 ranked team for the first time ever. The Bulldogs are rested after last week’s bye, and now begin a stretch of six games in six weeks to close the season. The Wildcats were thumped 41-3 by LSU last week, but they’ll host SEC Nation and have plenty of buzz with the No. 1 Bulldogs in town. Kentucky is a heavy underdog, but it has a chance to shock the world on the CBS SEC Game of the Week.

SATURDAY DOWN SOUTH PREVIEWS

MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS

Players to watch:

  •  QB Dak Prescott
  • RB Josh Robinson
  • WR Jameon Lewis
  • WR De’Runnya Wilson
  • DE Preston Smith
  • LB Benardrick McKinney
  • LB Beniquez Brown
  • CB Jamerson Love

Keys for Mississippi State:

  •  Get the running game going. This shouldn’t be hard against a Kentucky team that’s allowing more than 230 yards on the ground in three of its four SEC contests this season. Dak Prescott and Josh Robinson are the most dynamic rushing duo in the conference and the key to Mississippi State’s offense. Getting an offensive rhythm going early on will help to settle in a team that’s playing its first game ever as No. 1 on the road.
  • Limit Kentucky’s big plays. The Wildcats are in the top half of the conference in passing plays of 10-, 20-, 30- and 40-plus yards. The receiving corps is steady and balanced, if unspectacular, so it’s not like focusing on leading receiver Ryan Timmons will completely deplete quarterback Patrick Towles’ options. Offensive coordinator Neal Brown comes from an Air Raid background, so the Wildcats will look to air it out, mixing in some Wildcat runs to keep the Bulldogs off balance.
  • Don’t turn it over. Mississippi State has turned the ball over eight times in its three SEC games. There’s no quicker way to let a game get away on the road than careless turnovers, and it’s something that will need to be cleaned up.
  • Play a relaxed game. There’s a lot of pressure that comes along with being the top team in the nation, and the Bulldogs will have to avoid the pitfalls of a trap game. If Mississippi State comes out and plays its game, they shouldn’t have any issues. Prescott has shown great poise throughout the season. For the Bulldogs’ winning ways to continue, he’ll have to eliminate the turnovers that plagued him against Auburn and keep this team on track.

Bulldogs’ glaring weakness to watch: The secondary. We already touched on how diligent the Bulldogs will have to be against the pass, but Kentucky is capable of running the ball as well, especially from the Wildcat formation. If Kentucky’s ball carriers get to the second level, the secondary will have to be just as sure in their tackling as the front seven generally is.

Most interesting part of this game: How will the offense look with wide receiver Jameon Lewis back in the lineup? The 5-foot-9 senior is Mississippi State’s most versatile offensive weapon outside of Prescott, yet his absence has hardly been noticed as the Bulldogs have put up big point totals while he’s been out. Fellow receiver De’Runnya Wilson has blossomed with Lewis out, and adding the playmaker back to the lineup should serve to supercharge an already potent attack.

Team buzz: Being No. 1 in the nation has the Bulldogs and their fans gassed up. A week off following their big win over Auburn might have slowed down some of the chatter about Mississippi State nationally, the Bulldogs can come out and make a statement with a big win. They have some turnover issues and need to work Lewis back into the offense, but this is a game to make a strong impression.

KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Players to watch:

  •  QB Patrick Towles
  • RB Jojo Kemp
  • WR Ryan Timmons
  • WR Javess Blue
  • DE Bud Dupree
  • DE Za’Darius Smith
  • LB Josh Forrest
  • S A.J. Stamps

Keys for Kentucky:

  •  Silence the Mississippi State rushing attack early. The Bulldogs love to establish the run early in the game to open up the offense, and to this point no opponent has stopped them from doing so in the first quarter of a game. If Kentucky can slow down Dak Prescott and Josh Robinson, it has a chance to limit one of the SEC’s most dangerous offenses. However, if Mississippi State begins running through Kentucky on its first few possessions, the Bulldogs will be able to control the game from start to finish.
  • Get creative on offense. The numbers don’t indicate it, but the Bulldogs have one of the best defenses in the SEC, including a front seven loaded with NFL talent. If Kentucky runs its normal offense it’ll have a hard time keeping up with a potent Mississippi State offense on the scoreboard. The Wildcats must get creative and try to work a few trick plays and deep shots down the field into the game plan. If it can hit on any of those plays, it could turn the tide of the game. And if none of those plays work, so be it. The Cats are playing the No. 1 team in the nation, so they may as well take some chances, right?
  • Play with discipline on special teams. Kentucky’s special teams cost it dearly in last week’s loss in Baton Rouge, and the Cats cannot afford to make the same special teams blunders against Mississippi State. If the Bulldogs break a big return or force a turnover on special teams, they’ll have a great chance at a win in Lexington. Kentucky must limit the MSU return game, Austin MacGinnis must convert every kick he attempts and Landon Foster must control the field position battle through the punting game. Kentucky has little margin for error in facing the best team in America, and that’s especially true on special teams.

Wildcats’ glaring weakness to watch: Last week’s glaring weakness was the special teams, but this week the Cats’ biggest weakness could be its lack of success in stopping the run. Kentucky ranks 11th in the SEC in rushing defense, and Mississippi State ranks second in the conference in rushing offense. When Mississippi State runs the ball well, it wins games. The Wildcats’ inability to slow down opposing rushers should cost them against the Bulldogs.

Most interesting part of this game: For six weeks, Kentucky was an emerging threat in the SEC East, creating quite a buzz in the Bluegrass. But last week’s 41-3 loss to LSU killed much of that buzz, and this week’s showdown looks a lot less exciting than it did two weeks ago. It will be interesting to see if Kentucky can return to its form from the first six weeks of the year, giving MSU a run for it’s money in Lexington. If not, this game could look a lot like last week’s 38-point rout.

Team buzz: Kentucky was humbled last week, but it’s still noticeably better than it has been the last few years. Do the Cats have any confidence left after last week’s embarrassing loss? The Big Blue Nation still believes in this team, and it figures to be a raucous atmosphere inside Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky has a chance to shock the world, and it will leave everything on the field in trying to do so.