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KSR Staff Predictions for Kentucky vs. Ohio

Drew Franklinby:Drew Franklin•about 10 hours•

DrewFranklinKSR

Kentucky faced two tough early-season challenges. They left each game with another tally in the loss column. The Cats have a chance to get right this Saturday at 12:45 pm EST against Ohio. The MAC already has two wins over Power Four teams this fall. Can Kentucky stifle the Bobcats, who have back-to-back 10-win seasons? The KSR crew weighs in.

Drew Franklin

Kentucky’s offense needs to make a statement on Saturday. After two weeks without a touchdown against SEC defenses, the Wildcats step down in competition level to the Group of Five, hosting the Ohio Bobcats out of the MAC. UK’s second non-conference game of the year presents an opportunity for Kentucky to start scoring some points. Ohio allowed 38 at Syracuse in Week 1, surrendering 354 passing yards and four passing TDs. If Syracuse can do it, Kentucky should be able to do it, so the Wildcats’ offense needs to score in bunches to get out of its funk and prove something.

The defense will do its part. Ohio has an outstanding running back in Northwestern transfer Anthony Tyus III, but he hasn’t run into anything like Kentucky yet. The Bobcats will struggle to move the ball, putting Brock Vandagriff in position for a breakout game. The fan in me says he’ll seize the opportunity, throwing for 300+ yards and four TDs of his own. Cats win big and move on to Ole Miss with confidence.

Score: Kentucky 38, Ohio 6

Tyler Thompson

We know Kentucky’s defense is legit after it held Georgia to just 13 points and 262 yards of total offense. The biggest question marks remain on offense. The Cats haven’t scored a touchdown since the season-opener vs. Southern Miss. Saturday should be all about fixing that, especially through the air.

Ohio ranked in the top ten nationally in scoring defense last season but the Bobcats lost a lot of that talent to the transfer portal and their defensive coordinator to Memphis. They also struggle against the pass, so Brock Vandagriff and his receivers should have ample opportunity to get the offense off the ground. If they don’t, then I’ll really get concerned.

Ohio’s got issues of its own on offense, with starting quarterback Parker Navarro getting benched after throwing three interceptions. I expect Kentucky’s defense to handle the Bobcats with relative ease, although the reserves may give up some points in the fourth quarter. Hopefully, the offense finds its footing to build momentum for next week’s trip to Oxford.

Score: Kentucky 34, Ohio 10

Zack Geoghegan

Kentucky’s defense will feast against the Ohio passing game. Parker Navarro has four interceptions to just two touchdowns. He has one go-to wide receiver in Coleman Owen (21 catches, 282 yards), which Brad White’s defense should have no problem shutting down. The lone worry would be Anthony Tyus III, who ranks Top 15 in the nation in rushing yards (367; 8th) and yards per carry (7.49; 15th). But limit him to under 80 yards and the ground and the Bobcats might not even score a touchdown.

The other side of the ball is where we all want to see improvement. We know how good the defense is, but can the offense finally score a touchdown for the first time in eight quarters? This is the perfect opportunity to pile up some points. Brock Vandagriff has to show he has some juice to his game in this one — and I believe he will.

Score: Kentucky 33, Ohio 10

Adam Luckett

We know the Kentucky defense is good. We know the Kentucky offense is a work in progress. We know Ohio is a good program that likely won’t win a MAC title but is extremely well-coached.

What does that all mean? We probably see a grinder of a football game where the home team never truly builds a big lead.

Kentucky will show some more bright spots in the passing game but Ohio will win their share of battles on defense. Moving the football on this Kentucky defense should be fairly difficult for the Bobcats, but tailback Anthony Tyus III and slot receiver Coleman Owen will have their moments.

The Wildcats keep Ohio at an arm’s length throughout the game, but I do not expect to see a complete blowout at Kroger Field. The same question marks will still be question marks after Week 4.

Score: Kentucky 28, Ohio 9

Nick Roush

This has the potential for a big let-down spot. Kentucky just went to war with the top-ranked team in the country for a physical four quarters of football. They’re going on the road next week to face another top ten team. From the outside looking in, of course the Cats could stub their toes.

Here’s the thing — Kentucky is on a two-game losing streak. Even though they looked better, they have lost more than they’ve won. Those guys in that locker room are itching to put one in the win column and that is why I don’t think there will be an energy problem when the team runs out of the tunnel at Kroger Field.

I do worry that Kentucky will struggle to play a full four quarters of football. This is a secondary that got carved up by Kyle McCord. Once the Cats get a lead on the ground, they’ll let Brock Vandagriff use this as target practice, and that will lead to a few frustrating interceptions. Kentucky wins comfortably, but there will be enough for fans to pick apart for the next week.

Score: Kentucky 31, Ohio 12

Jack Pilgrim

Screw it, I’ve seen enough. Back on the wagon, no more Debbie Downer predictions here. Good vibes only.

Kentucky has failed to score touchdowns in back-to-back SEC efforts, despite moving the ball well on the ground in both. Now it’s time for the passing attack to show what it’s made of, starting with Brock Vandagriff and his way-too-talented-for-no-production receivers in Barion Brown and Dane Key. The Cats are in need of offensive momentum and they’re going to find it against the Bobcats.

Coming in as 20-point favorites, I expect Kentucky to build upon its strong bounce-back effort on defense while finally getting things moving through the air en route to a strong cover. Never overlook the MAC, but Mark Stoops’ group comes in mentally prepared to make a statement. That comes in the form of a five-score win, our first all-around feel-good performance of the season.

Score: Kentucky 45, Ohio 10

Kentucky vs. Ohio: How To Watch, Listen

You can also keep up with the game and chat with other fans on our game thread on KSBoard, with Nick Roush, Adam Luckett, and Drew Franklin providing updates from Kroger Field and the rest of us from home.

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2024-09-20