Kentucky-Ole Miss: Preview, Injury Report, Point Spread, How To Watch, and More

by:Drew Franklin•about 5 hours•

DrewFranklinKSR

Oct 1, 2022; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops (left) and Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin (right) talk prior tot the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images — Mark Stoops (left) and Lane Kiffin - Petre Thomas, Imagn Images

Kentucky (2-2, 0-2) is away from home for the first Saturday this college football season, seeking its first in-conference win of 2024. After a four-game home stand to open the year, the Wildcats play sixth-ranked Ole Miss (4-0, 0-0) in Oxford, Mississippi, facing a ‘Stripe Out’ crowd and early kickoff in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The start time is 11 a.m. locally in Oxford. Let’s get you ready for it here on the internet.

How To Watch/Listen

Kickoff: 12:00 p.m. ET
TV: ABC (Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath)
Watch college football games live – try Fubo for free! Click HERE NOW.
Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Jeff Piecoro, Dick Gabriel)
AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
FM: 98.1 WBUL
Online: iHeart Radio
Sirius XM: 374 (UK); 106 or 190 (Ole Miss)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Join The Discussion over at KSBoard

Consider joining the conversation on KSBoard if you want to interact with the KSR crew during the game. A live discussion can be found in the game thread, plus several other topics and conversations about the Wildcats and more.

Team Records/Results

Kentucky (2-2)

vs Southern Miss – W (31-0)
vs South Carolina – L (31-6)
vs #1 Georgia – L (13-12)
vs Ohio – W (41-6)
@ #6 Ole Miss

No. 6 Ole Miss (4-0)

vs Furman – W (76-0)
vs Middle Tennessee State – W (52-3)
@ Wake Forest – W (40-6)
vs Georgia Southern – W (52-13)
vs Kentucky

Official Injury/Availability Reports

KENTUCKY

Hardley Gilmore IV (WR) – Out
Darrion Henry-Young (DL) – Out
Courtland Ford (OL) – Out
Tavion Gadson (DL) – Out
Josaih Hayes (DL) – Out
Devin Smith (LB) – Out
Chip Trayanum (RB) — Out
Maxwell Hairston (CB) – Out

OLE MISS

Cedrick Beavers (CB) — Out
Izaiah Hartrup (WR) — Out
Devin Price (WR) — Out
Logan Diggs (RB) — Out
Cam East (OL) — Out
Jeremy James (OL) — Out
Joshua Pfeifer (WR) — Out
Hudson Wolfe (Te) — Out
Louis Moore (S) — Out
Akelo Stone (DT) — Out

Week 5 Depth Charts

KENTUCKY

OLE MISS

Uniform Combination

Kentucky will wear the all-whites in Oxford. “Icy game day gear on the road,” the tweet read.

Icy game day gear on the road ⚪️🥶 pic.twitter.com/R4yohA5ouS
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 27, 2024

Ole Miss will wear its powder blue and powder blue on white pants.

Powder, Powder, White 🥶#DripInTheSip | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/YWjK1NuYhZ
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 27, 2024

Gamble

Point Spread: Ole Miss -15.5
Over/Under: 52.5
Moneyline: -750/+525

Five Pregame Storylines

Ole Miss faces its first test: Kentucky is the first SEC opponent on Ole Miss’ schedule after the Rebels won the first four games by an average scoring margin of 49.5 points. Across the way, Kentucky already lined up against No. 1 Georgia and South Carolina, suffering losses to both.
Kentucky’s first road trip: Kentucky may be battle-tested, but the trip to Oxford is the first road trip of the season. Can the Wildcats handle their first away environment? Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was a popular show topic on KSR this week.
Ole Miss has the best offense in football: The Rebels scored a school-record 220 points in the first four games of the season while leading the nation in several categories, including yards per play (8.85) and touchdowns scored (29). Ole Miss averages 670.8 yards per game.
Kentucky vs. Ole Miss’ tempo: Mark Stoops said it’s impossible to simulate Ole Miss’ tempo, but Kentucky has been working on tempo since the summer. “They want explosives and to put that constant pressure on you, and that’s where we just got to be dialed in and locked in at all times because the moment you’re not, they’re going to hit you with a big play.”
Traditionally a close game: Lane Kiffin put Ole Miss into the national spotlight and playoff conversation, so Ole Miss is in a better spot than UK as a program. Still, the last three meetings were separated by seven total points. Last year, a potential game-winning Kentucky touchdown was called back for a pre-snap penalty. In 2020, the game went to overtime. In 2017, DK Metcalf caught the game-winning score with five seconds to go. Kentucky manages to play a close game.