Here’s everything you need to know about today’s SEC East matchup between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Missouri Tigers in Columbia.

When: Saturday, Nov. 1
Where: Columbia, Missouri
Game Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV: SEC Network
Current Line: Missouri (-6.5)

Game Buzz: Missouri hosts Kentucky in a key SEC East game with major division implications. Missouri enters the game with a 6-2 record, although both losses came at home in embarrassing fashion (a late loss to Indiana and a 34-0 blowout at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs). Kentucky, meanwhile, is one week removed from a tough test against No. 1 Mississippi State, and it’s seeking its first road win since the 2010 season opener. The winner of this game remains in contention for the SEC East crown behind Georgia; the loser is effectively eliminated from contention in the division. Kentucky is also one win shy of bowl eligibility, something Missouri earned last week in a win against Vanderbilt.

SATURDAY DOWN SOUTH PREVIEWS

Missouri Tigers

Players to watch:

  •  QB Maty Mauk
  • RB Marcus Murphy
  • RB Russell Hansbrough
  • WR Bud Sasser
  • DE Shane Ray
  • DE Markus Golden
  • DB Braylon Webb

Keys for Missouri:

  •  Keep Maty Mauk safe in the pocket. Kentucky has a pair of fast, athletic defensive ends in Bud Dupree and Za’Darius Smith, and if the Missouri offense has Mauk running for his life those ends will win that matchup. Mauk’s best chance to succeed is to sit in the pocket and make smart, safe throws, rather than aiming to make a big play out of every play. This will require the Tigers’ offensive line to step up its play, but it will also require Mauk to remain more patient in the pocket.
  • Contain Patrick Towles as a runner. Last week, Towles set career highs in passing and rushing in a loss to Mississippi State. He’s going to have plenty of opportunities to air the ball out in the Air Raid offense, but Missouri must contain him as a runner in order to force Kentucky into obvious passing situations. Towles used his legs to extend plays and pick up first downs in critical third down passing situations, and by the end of the day his threat as a runner ended up opening up the passing game. Missouri cannot let this happen if it hopes to slow down Kentucky’s emerging offense. If the Tigers can force Towles to play one-dimensionally, it will give Shane Ray and Markus Golden a chance to disrupt UK’s signal caller all afternoon.
  • Feed Marcus Murphy and Russell Hansbrough the ball early and often. Kentucky had tackling problems in last week’s game against Mississippi State, and both Dak Prescott and Josh Robinson combined to rush for more than 275 yards. Kentucky could face the same issues in trying to corral Murphy and Hansbrough, so it would be in Missouri’s best interest to get them both the ball as often as possible, be it on a carry out of the backfield, a screen, a kick return, what have you. The more Murphy and Hansbrough touch the ball in space, the more likely it is Missouri will break a big play.

Tigers’ glaring weakness to watch: Pass protection. As previously stated, half of the issue is a lack of protection and half of the issue is Mauk’s lack of patience in the pocket, but regardless of blame the issue looms large in a showdown against Kentucky and its potent defensive line. The Tigers could post another abysmal day on offense if Mauk spends the afternoon running for his life, and Missouri is going to need points to keep up with Kentucky’s offense. Protection will be key for the Tigers in this critical East Division showdown.

Most interesting part of this game: These two teams had only played twice in history before Mizzou joined the SEC in 2012, and since joining the conference the Tigers are 2-0 against Kentucky. However, these Wildcats are UK’s best product since Missouri entered the SEC, and this Missouri team might be Gary Pinkel’s worst since leaving the Big XII. There’s not much history between these two teams, but Kentucky has closed the gap between the two in this budding division rivalry, which should give Missouri an excellent test as it aims to stay in the thick of the East Division race.

Team buzz: The Tigers have hung on to a 6-2 record amid a slew of questionable performances on offense, and they’ll need to scratch and claw their way to another win against an up-and-coming Kentucky team if they hope to repeat as East champs. The loser of this game is likely out of the running for a division crown, so while the chances either team catches Georgia atop the division are slim, this game is somewhat an elimination game in the running for a division title.

Kentucky Wildcats

Players to watch: 

  •  QB Patrick Towles
  • RB Jojo Kemp
  • RB Braylon Heard
  • WR Ryan Timmons
  • WR Demarco Robinson
  • DE/LB Alvin “Bud” Dupree
  • LB Josh Forrest
  • DB A.J. Stamps
  • DB Marcus McWilson

Keys for Kentucky

  • Pressure Maty Mauk: Entering the season with high expectations, Maty Mauk has failed to live up to the hype in recent weeks. The sophomore has struggled to see production, with his only two SEC passing touchdowns coming against Vanderbilt last week. Kentucky has a talented pass rush that will pressure the young quarterback throughout Saturday’s game.
  • Incorporate Patrick Towles in running game: Patrick Towles accounted for most of the Wildcats offense last week against No. 1 Mississippi State. The redshirt sophomore recorded career highs in passing (390) and rushing (76). With Kentucky seeing inconsistent play from its tailbacks, Towles will need to see another strong performance.
  • See production from wide receiver duo: Kentucky has a pair of talented wide receivers in Ryan Timmons and Demarco Robinson. Last week, both players saw productive turnouts during the Wildcats’ loss. Kentucky will need to see a repeat performance facing a dominant Missouri pass rush that will pressure Towles until the final whistle.

Wildcats’ glaring weakness to watch: Kentucky’s rushing defense has struggled in recent weeks against SEC competition. Last Saturday’s game was no exception. Josh Robinson became the SEC’s leading rusher thanks to a 198-yard, two touchdown performance on Saturday. Heisman favorite Dak Prescott added 88 yards and a pair of his own scores, as the Bulldogs combined for 326 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 51 attempts.

Most interesting part of this game: Can Kentucky secure bowl eligibility by capturing a tough SEC road win?

Team buzz: The Wildcats are invested in head coach Mark Stoops for the long haul. Yesterday, the program extended the second-year coach’s contract through the 2019 season. With five wins, the Wildcats have already matched their win total from the past two combined seasons (two in 2012 and 2013) and are a win shy of reaching their first bowl game since 2010.