Kentucky vs South Alabama: Final Thoughts and Prediction
· Yahoo Sports
The Kentucky Wildcats gets a final tune up type of game as they host South Alabama at Kroger Field on Saturday, kickoff will be at 12:45 P.M. ET. We have previewed both sides of the football for the Jaguars, as well as listed our X factors for the game. We saw how the Wildcats responded to adversity and they passed the test with flying colors, now we get to see how they handle success. This coaching staff and the team seem way too connected for them to come out sluggish to start this football game.
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After laying out Kentucky's path to victory, I just think this is a game that will be overwhelming up front for South Alabama. Kentucky has an underrated defensive line, they may not have a game wrecker to the likes of a top ten edge rusher, but they have a ton of guys that can dominate a single rep. We have seen a ton of flashes from the loaded edge room of Sam Greene, Mi'Quise Humphrey-Grace, CJ Works and Lorenzo Cowan. Defensive tackle Tavion Gadson is the closest thing to being a game wrecker, but we have also seen good things from Jaden Williams, Ahmad Breaux and Kalen Edwards.
On the offensive line, they won the matchup against a tough Texas A&M defensive line. The more reps this group plays together, the better they will get. We saw right tackle Malachi Wood bounce back after a rough outing against Alabama, and the Wildcats offensive line allowed just one pressure to the Aggies. South Alabama has a defense that is reeling and this is a really tough matchup for them.
I mentioned that the staff may limit CJ Baxter's touches in this one to maintain his health, similar to what they did in week one. Jason Patterson should lead the way in carries, but I also expect them to get an extended look at Jovantae Barnes in this one as well. South Alabama has allowed 5.5 yards per carry on the season, but teams have not ran the ball on them a ton. The Wildcats have a great chance to create explosives on the ground in this game.
The pass defense for the Jaguars have struggled as well, Ohio threw for four total touchdowns on them last week while playing two different quarterbacks. This should be a clean game from Kenny Minchey and one that he can try different things. I expect more shots down the field in this one, opening up the playbook and putting different looks on tape. Last week, the emphasis was to get DJ Miller going and we saw that play out, I believe they do the same this week with Nic Anderson.
Defensively, we need to see Kentucky stop the small chunk runs against an extremely run heavy offense. Teams have been able to get around four yards consistently against this run defense, but the Wildcats have been great at limiting explosives on the ground. Another area to watch is Kentucky getting off the field on third down, this has been something the Wildcats need to improve on defensively. I will be looking for the Wildcats to get off the field on third down because they have been dominant on early downs.
Kentucky will win this game on the line of scrimmage. This might be the worst defense on the schedule, and that should show up on Saturday. They need to keep the momentum going offensively, after a phenomenal performance in College Station. I think the Wildcats start hot and finish strong in a dominant performance.
Prediction: Kentucky 52, South Alabama 17
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky vs South Alabama: Final Thoughts and Prediction