Kentucky vs. Texas: Preview, Injury Report, Point Spread, How To Watch, and More
Kentucky must win its final two games of the regular season to keep its streak of eight consecutive bowl games alive another year. The Wildcats have just four wins with only two games left to reach the six-win plateau for bowl eligibility. The first of those two games is today at No. 3 Texas, so, not exactly the best opportunity to earn a victory. However, anyone who’s watched Kentucky this season knows that the toughest games on UK’s schedule are when the Cats play their best. Just ask Ole Miss.
Will Kentucky continue its trend of hanging with, or even beating, playoff contenders? We’ll find out soon. First, let’s run over the things to know about the second-to-last game and the final road trip on Kentucky’s 2024 slate.
Top 10
- 1Trending
Connor Stalions x Bryce Underwood
Photo ignites social media
- 2
Saban warns A&M
Jordan-Hare 'is haunted'
- 3
Vince Young calls shot
Horns legend predicts Kentucky game score
- 4Hot
Kiffin trolls Napier
Ole Miss HC texts Kirk Herbstreit to fire shot
- 5
College GameDay picks
Lee Corso dons Indiana helmet
How To Watch/Listen to Kentucky at Texas
- Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
- TV: ABC (Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George)
- 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: 106 or 190 (UK) or 81 (Texas)
- 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 Schedules/Results
Kentucky (4-6, 1-6)
- vs. Southern Miss – W (31-0)
- vs. South Carolina – L (31-6)
- vs. #1 Georgia – L (13-12)
- vs. Ohio – W (41-6)
- @ Ole Miss – W (20-17)
- vs. Vanderbilt – L (20-13)
- @ Florida – L (48-20)
- vs. Auburn – L (24-10)
- @ #7 Tennessee – L (28-18)
- vs. Murray State – W (48-6)
- @ #3 Texas
- vs. Louisville
#3 Texas (9-1, 5-1)
- vs. Colorado State – W (52-0)
- @ #10 Michigan – W (31-12)
- vs. UTSA – W (56-7)
- vs. UL Monroe – W (51-3)
- vs. Mississippi State – W (35-13)
- @ #18 Oklahoma – W (34-3)
- vs. #5 Georgia – W (30-15)
- @ #25 Vanderbilt – W (27-24)
- vs. Florida – W (49-17)
- @ Arkansas – W (20-10)
- vs. Kentucky
- @ #15 Texas A&M
Final Official Injury/Availability Reports
KENTUCKY
- Jantzen Dunn | DB | Out
- Darrion Henry-Young | DL | Out
- Gerald Mincey | OL | Out
- Daveren Rayner | LB | Out
- Terhyon Nichols | CB | Out
- DJ Waller Jr. | DB | Out
- D’Eryk Jackson | LB | Out
- Tavion Gadson | DL | Out
TEXAS
- Dexter Williams Jr. | DB | Out
- CJ Baxter | RB | Out
- Christian Clark | RB | Out
- Velton Gardner | RB | Out
Depth Charts
Five Pregame Storylines
- Kentucky’s first trip to Texas in 73 years: Kentucky’s trip to Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium is the second in school history. The Wildcats played the 11th-ranked Longhorns in 1951 when it was the old Memorial Stadium, losing a close-fought battle, 7-6, in Austin. Coached by Bear Bryant, the 1951 Kentucky team finished the year with a Cotton Bowl victory and a No. 15 ranking.
- “SEC Nation” in Austin: The SEC Network makes its first-ever trip to Austin for “SEC Nation” on Saturday morning. Laura Rutledge, Paul Finebaum, Roman Harper, Tim Tebow, and Jordan Rodgers will go live from Hook ‘Em Hangout in Winship Circle in Austin, adding to the enthusiasm around the final home game of the season.
- Brock Vandagriff is UK’s quarterback: Mark Stoops quickly named Brock Vandagriff the starting quarterback early in the week after freshman Cutter Boley turned a few heads in the second half of last Saturday’s win over Murray State. Kentucky also used Gavin Wimsatt at quarterback in the past, but Stoops made it clear that Vandagriff puts Kentucky in the best spot to win at Austin, so he will keep his job.
- A bad offense vs. a great defense: Kentucky’s offense is still looking for its breakthrough game near the end of a disappointing season. Against Texas, the Wildcats face one of the top defenses in the country. The Longhorns rank first nationally in yards per play (3.95) and passing yards allowed (136.7), along with several other impressive SEC-leading statistics, like points allowed (11.9) and total defense (249.0).
- Must-win game for both teams: As we mentioned up top, Kentucky’s bowl eligibility ends with a loss in either this game or the next. Kentucky can’t lose another one and still go bowling. For Texas’s much higher purposes, the Longhorns need to win out to secure a place in the SEC Championship game. Being the first year in the SEC, Texas really wants to reach Atlanta, and Kentucky is one of two teams that can still spoil it.
Uniform Combination
Kentucky is rocking all-white uniforms in a sea of burnt orange.
Gamble
Point Spread: Texas -20
Over/Under: 47
Moneyline: Texas -1450, Kentucky +850
Final Coaches Comments of the Week
Mark Stoops on Thursday
Pregame Link Dump
- Kentucky Football Fans are in an Exhausting Cycle with Mark Stoops
- Covering Cats: Kentucky has played well as big underdog
- Texas might be the best top-10 defense Kentucky has faced this season
- Kentucky seems ready to finally have offensive continuity
- Brock Vandagriff Remains QB1 for Kentucky
- ‘It’s about what we do’: Kentucky must play own game against No. 3 Texas
- Sark says Kentucky is the Biggest Game of the Season for Texas
- Covering Cats: Kentucky has played well as big underdog
- Bio Blast: Texas Longhorns
- 11 Personnel E283: A lot is going on with Kentucky football
- KSR Football Podcast: Murray State takeaways and messing with Texas
KSR’s Staff Predictions
Read the explanations behind the predictions.
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