A last-second field goal to beat Mississippi State carries Kentucky into this game in second place in the SEC East and two games from its first bowl game since 2010.

Mark Stoops took over the defensive play-calling duties and since then, the Wildcats have turned a corner and seek just their second three-game winning streak in the SEC since 1999.

Last year’s 21-13 win over No. 25 Missouri was Kentucky’s first against a ranked team since 2010. It was Maty Mauk’s final game for Missouri before he was suspended and later kicked off the team.

The most notable absence this week will be Missouri’s leading tackler, Michael Scherer, who is out with torn knee ligaments.

When Missouri has the ball

Drew Lock vs. Kentucky pass defense: Lock bounced back from a disastrous game against Florida to go 20-for-40 against Middle Tennessee State for 281 yards. But he’s still only thrown two touchdowns in his last three games. In his first three games this season, he had nine touchdowns.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Like many other aspects of the team, Kentucky’s pass defense has improved in recent weeks, except in the Alabama game. Last week, it yielded 81 yards, and against Vanderbilt and South Carolina, it held those teams to under 200 yards.

EDGE: Kentucky

Damarea Crockett/Ish Witter vs. run defense: While Crockett and Witter aren’t the most well-known backs in the league, they’ve combined for 1,006 yards and 10 touchdowns, although Crockett scored four by himself last week. Witter also had a big game and absorbed a big hit where he was tested for concussion symptoms. Overall, the Tigers are sixth in the SEC in rushing offense. Kentucky, meanwhile, had its worst game of the season last week when Mississippi State ran up 281 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns and averaged more than 7 yards per carry. Since the Wildcats had allowed more than 200 yards to their first three opponents, they had showed signs of improvement.

EDGE: Missouri

J’Mon Moore/Emanuel Hall/Dimetrios Mason vs. pass defense: These could be the best matchups on the field. Moore is fourth in the SEC in receiving yards per game but tied for the league lead with six touchdowns. Hall and Mason are each in the top 22 in the league in receiving. They will face the likes of Chris Westry and Derrick Baity, who are among the more well-regarded cornerbacks in the league. While Kentucky has given up big yards to teams like Southern Miss and New Mexico State, those teams have also proven themselves against other opponents. And despite four games of giving up at least 250 yards passing, Kentucky is still eighth in the SEC in that category.

EDGE: Missouri

When Kentucky has the ball

Stephen Johnson vs. Missouri pass defense: Johnson has steadily improved since taking over for the injured Drew Barker. Last week, he was 17-for-33 for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns. And while he may leave something to be desired by critics, Kentucky is also 4-1 when he’s taken the majority of snaps at quarterback, including three SEC victories.

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

The Wildcats likely won’t test Missouri like the Blue Raiders did last week, but Missouri still has plenty to bounce back from after several subpar games to start the season. Overall, though, Missouri is third-worst in the SEC defending the pass.

EDGE: Kentucky

Stanley Boom Williams/Benny Snell Jr./Jojo Kemp vs. run defense: Williams and Snell have combined for 1,108 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns. Snell is the reigning Freshman of the Week in the SEC after he had 128 rushing yards against Mississippi State to up his per carry average to 5.9 yards. The Tigers, meanwhile, are third-worst in the league in run defense and have had a particularly rough go of it lately. They’ve given up at least 7 yards per carry in the last three games, including 8 yards per carry against LSU. The Tigers have given up an average of 335 yards the last three weeks against LSU, Florida and Middle Tennessee State.

EDGE: Kentucky

Jeff Badet/Garrett Johnson/C.J. Conrad vs pass defense: There isn’t much that separates Kentucky’s receivers. They’ve all had one excellent game this season but fairly pedestrian numbers otherwise. Badet had by far his best game of the season last week with 7 catches for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns. He previously had no more than 3 catches or more than 89 yards in any game this season. Johnson, meanwhile, hasn’t caught a touchdown since the first game of the season and hasn’t had more than 38 receiving yards in any games since posting 6 catches for 143 yards and 2 TDs against Southern Miss in the opener. Missouri’s again near the bottom of the SEC at 240 yards allowed per game, and it had one of its worst performances of the season against Middle Tennessee State. But the Tigers do have 10 interceptions compared to nine TDs allowed.

EDGE: Kentucky

Special teams

Kicker Austin MacGinnis enters with loads of confidence coming off a 51-yard field goal as time expired to beat Mississippi State. He made a total of four field goals and two extra points. And he’s made field goals of at least 45 yards in three straight games. MacGinnis is 9-for-11 overall, while Missouri’s Tucker McCann is 5-for-7. Badet is fourth in the SEC in kickoff returns, while Missouri’s Chris Black is second in the league in punt returns. Corey Fatony is third in the league in punting at nearly 44 yards per punt.

EDGE: Push