Here’s everything you need to know about today’s season opener between Kentucky and UT Martin in Lexington.

When: Today
Where: Lexington, Kentucky
Game Time: Noon ET
TV: SEC Network
Current Line: Kentucky (-31.5)

Game Buzz: The Wildcats will begin Year 2 of the Mark Stoops era and Year 1 of the Patrick Towles era at quarterback when they take the field today against UT Martin. It is Kentucky’s first home opener since the 2007 season, and the first live Saturday regular season football game televised on the SEC Network.

Saturday Down South previews

KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Players to watch:

  • QB Patrick Towles
  • RB Braylon Heard
  • RB Jojo Kemp
  • WR Javess Blue
  • WR Ryan Timmons
  • DE Za’Darius Smith
  • DE/LB Bud Dupree
  • LB Khalid Henderson

Keys for Kentucky:

  • Get Patrick Towles comfortable. Towles is making his first career start, and setting him up with some easy throws early in the game should settle his nerves and allow him to take greater command of the offense as the game progresses.
  • Figure out a rotation on the defensive line. The Cats are deep at defensive end and are working a few new defensive tackles into the lineup, including 375-pound freshman Matt Elam. UK’s front four could be the strength of its defense, and finding the right rotation up front could keep the big lineman healthy and active all season.
  • Get multiple running backs touches. Kentucky is deep at tailback, beginning with starter Braylon Heard, and offensive coordinator Neal Brown has a golden opportunity to work a few different backs into the offense to see where certain players fit best in certain situations. UK will need to maximize its backfield for its offense to reach its full potential.

Wildcats’ glaring weakness to watch: The secondary. The Cats have plenty of experience in the back-end of their defense but have struggled against the pass in recent years. Kentucky allowed 230 pass yards per game last season as well as 22 passing touchdowns in just 12 games. UT Martin will likely play two quarterbacks today, and the Cats secondary may get burned a time or two in trying to adjust between those quarterbacks’ differing styles.

Most interesting part of the game: Kentucky’s true freshmen. Stoops listed a large handful of true freshmen freshmen on this week’s depth chart, and today will be their collective collegaite debut. They’ll have some margin for error against an FCS opponent in UT Martin, but Big Blue fans will be watching to see how the star freshmen adjust to the college game.

Team Buzz: Stoops and his fellow coaches have raved about the improvements this team has shown from last season, and today is their first chance to deliver on the hype. The Cats are heavy favorites, but the story of this game will be how the team looks, no whether UK wins.

UT MARTIN SKYHAWKS

Players to watch:

  • QB Dylan Favre
  • QB Jarod Neal
  • RB Abou Toure
  • DE Tyler Sweeden
  • LB Tony Bell

Keys for UT Martin:

  • Let Tony Bell loose. Bell is far and away the most capable player on the Skyhawks defense, and UT Martin would be smart to line him up all over the field to give him space to attack the UK offense. If Bell can get himself into the Cats backfield regularly, he could disrupt their offensive rhythm.
  • Balance the quarterbacks. UT Martin will probably play both Dylan Favre and Jarod Neal at quarterback today, and as the old saying goes, a team with two quarterbacks really has none. However, the Skyhawks will be heavy underdogs whether they play one quarterback or two, so presenting two distinctly different styles with these two quarterbacks could leave the UK defense unsettled throughout the afternoon.

Skyhawks’ glaring weakness to watch: Offensive and defensive lines. UT Martin is gravely undersized on both lines, and runs the risk of being man-handled up front by a much larger, more physical Kentucky team. The Skyhawks will have to compensate for this mismatch, which could create additional weaknesses across the field for UK to attack.

Most interesting part of the game: The quarterbacks. Any team planning to rotate quarterbacks is bound to pique a few fans’ interest. When one of the quarterbacks is a Favre, well, that interest doubles. How the Skyhawks manage their quarterbacks will be a fascinating wrinkle in this game, especially if Favre can show flashes of his uncle on the field.

Team Buzz: UT Martin will be in the mix among the best teams in the FCS’ Ohio Valley Conference, and today’s game against an SEC opponent could be a statement game for this team. Even if the Skyhawks lose, if they’re able to keep the score close and make a few exciting plays (an interception, a kick return touchdown, a 75-yard bomb, etc.) it could put the rest of the OVC on notice.