SEC Football Game Recap: Kentucky defense halts Mississippi State

While it may be overshadowed by the craziness that was Week 7 in SEC Football; Kentucky got a huge, season-saving win against Mississippi State on Saturday.

The Wildcats were three and a half point underdogs and came in limping having dropped their last couple of games.

With Will Levis out, Kentucky has simply looked like a different team. Against South Carolina, they struggled to stay competitive as they only scored seven points through the first 55 minutes of the game.

But this week they got him back and despite Levis getting banged up in the third quarter, the defense was able to step up and Kentucky won 24-14.

SEC Football Game Recap: Kentucky defense halts Mississippi State

The Game:

The first half was filled with penalties; 16 for 124 yards to be exact. Because of this, each team only put up 3 points, and bettors who placed the over (50.5) on the game already lost.

The headline though, as you may have guessed, was the defenses. Specifically Kentucky’s.

Bulldog quarterback Will Rogers came into the game 2nd in the nation in touchdown passes. But he was quiet throughout the game and ended with only 203 yards passing, a touchdown, and a pick.

Mississippi State also only had 22 total yards rushing, which halted the offense for most of the contest.

Kentucky on the other hand, gained 239 total yards on the ground. Running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. accounted for most of that with 30 carries for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Their efficient run game helped Will Levis ease back into things after dealing with a foot injury last week.

Levis ended up throwing the go-ahead touchdown with 230 yards passing on the game and a 74% completion percentage.

Although a late pick six by Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes gave the Bulldogs a chance to come back, it was too little too late.

Aftermath:

Both teams now have two losses in SEC Football play. Mississippi State is fourth in the West behind Ole Miss, Alabama, and LSU. Kentucky is third in the East trailing Georgia and Tennessee.

Kentucky (22) and Mississippi State (16) both came into the game ranked. The Bulldogs might just be able to keep that status, especially after multiple ranked teams also lost this week.

For Kentucky, they’ll move up a few spots and will be one of the highest ranked two-loss teams in the country. They could get some preferential treatment in the rankings considering they lost one of their games without their starting quarterback (similar to Texas).

But what’s most important for the Wildcats is the health of Will Levis. He did hurt his shoulder and was seen in a sling at one point.

Without him, Kentucky is just a different team.

Next Week:

Mississippi State faces Alabama coming of a loss to the Tennessee Volunteers.

Kentucky has a bye which gives them an opportunity to get healthy, but after that they go the road to play Tennessee.