KSR Staff Predictions: Kentucky vs. Murray State

by:KSR•about 9 hours

Kentucky cheerleaders at a night game at Kroger Field - Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio

Kentucky has not won a game since September. It’s been 55 days since the Wildcats won at Kroger Field. They’ll get a chance to snap out of that funk when the Murray State Racers make the trip from Western Kentucky for a 1:30 pm EST kickoff. The KSR crew shares their thoughts on how the penultimate regular season home game game will unfold.

Drew Franklin

I got in trouble in high school at a language arts festival at Murray State. My best friend and I left campus during some downtime for a pizza place called Matt B’s — it was a short walk, right around the corner, if I’m not mistaken — and when we got back to the language arts festival, we were told we were no longer allowed to participate because we left the area. I don’t remember anything else about the language arts festival or what I was doing there in the first place. But I remember that walk with my best friend and the pizza place. There’s a lesson in there.

Anyway, Murray State is really terrible at football this year. Kentucky, as frustrating as it has been, should pummel the Racers from out west in front of Kentucky’s smallest home crowd of the year. The photos from this one won’t make the Kroger Field Christmas card.

The fans who will attend will leave merry and bright, though, because Kentucky will score over 50 points in the first home victory since September 21. Not because I believe in the offense but because Murray allowed 50+ to six teams already. North Dakota State gave them 72 points. With that in mind, the Cats have a fun Saturday in Lexington before the challenging final two weeks of the season.

Score: Kentucky 59, Murray State 0

Nick Roush

Mark Stoops will tell you this game isn’t about Murray State, it’s about Kentucky. While that may be the case, we must at least acknowledge what the Racers are bringing to Kroger Field. They’ve been doling out 50 Burgers all year long.

The question I must answer is will we get to enjoy one of those 50 Burgers in Lexington? I sure hope so.

Jamarion Wilcox will have at least one long touchdown run. Hardley Gilmore will have a big-play touchdown to help us feel great about the youth movement happening within the program to close out the season. However, there’s one thing that typically accompanies youth movements, mistakes. We’ll get at least one Cutter Boley pick that keeps a TD off the board and a defensive mistake that gives the Racers a score. This one will never be in doubt, but we may have to sweat the 50 Burger Watch.

Score: Kentucky 52, Murray State 10

Zack Geoghegan

Kentucky desperately needs a get-right game. The Murray State Racers couldn’t be a better tune-up for Mark Stoops‘ team ahead of the final two regular-season games, which will come against ranked opponents. Brock Vandagriff is healthy and expected to start. That’s good news for the program as a whole. Did I want to see the lion’s share of snaps go to true freshman Cutter Boley out of the gate? Sure, but if Vandagriff is to return for another season in Lexington, going with QB1 feels like the right move in this situation.

I still expect us to see Boley under center for plenty of possessions for the Wildcats. Kentucky should easily build up a sizable lead at halftime against a Murray State defense that bleeds points against even the worst offenses. Boley still needs reps if the coaching staff views him as the program’s long-term quarterback. This is the time to feed him some. The Bluegrass native will lead Kentucky on a handful of touchdown drives in the second half, resulting in a 38-point win for the ‘Cats.

Score: Kentucky 45, Murray State 7

Tyler Thompson

I won’t pretend to know much about Murray State football other than they have one of the worst defenses in the history of college football according to Nick Roush. That should be exactly what Kentucky’s offense, one of the worst we’ve seen under Mark Stoops, needs to find its footing after four straight losses. That said, even the biggest of blowouts will not move the needle when it comes to the mood of the fanbase.

Technically, Kentucky could still go to a bowl game; you’d be hard-pressed to find a fan who believes the Cats will. Because of that, the vibes will be weird at Kroger Field on Saturday. At best, Kentucky can give its young players, namely Cutter Boley, valuable reps, which will be especially crucial without the month of additional practices they’d get with a bowl. I’d love to see Boley connect with some of the young receivers like Hardley Gilmore, and for Jamarion Wilcox to make his case as the go-to running back next season. This could be a wild offseason, so trying to keep the young talent on the roster from jumping ship is yet another task for the staff to balance.

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Even if it won’t matter much, here’s hoping for an easy, fun game for those who attend and watch from home before things get ugly again.

Score: Kentucky 48, Murray State 3

Jack Pilgrim

On one end, it’s Kentucky football coming off a bye week under Mark Stoops. On the other, it’s Murray State — one of the worst teams in college football by a mile, especially on defense. Brock Vandagriff is healthy and will start, needing to start building toward 2025 as the likely go-to gunslinger next go-round. He’s gonna use the poor competition as a feel-good opportunity en route to his best performance as a Wildcat, building some much-needed confidence before the trip to Texas. Then we’ll hopefully have some fun with Cutter Boley slinging the rock in the second half.

There’s not a ton to learn from this one beyond a mandatory blowout. Can’t afford another sloppy performance after a season full of them. Gotta leave Kroger Field on Saturday feeling good before the Longhorns.

I think they make it happen — with no touchdowns scored for the Racers.

Score: Kentucky 63, Murray State 9

Adam Luckett

Murray State is having a very rough year and is dealing with some injuries. Kentucky is having a very rough year and is dealing with some injuries. Have a feeling that we could see a run-heavy operation from both sides with this game ending quickly in the second half.

The Racers might be the worst team in the FCS. This should be a get-right spot of Kentucky. The expectation is for the home team to build a multi-possession lead early and then let some of the young players get live game reps.

This will not be the prettiest football game, but Kentucky will accomplish the mission before entering game prep mode for the final SEC game of the season on Sunday. The Wildcats get more than a few explosive plays and finally end this long losing streak.

Score: Kentucky 41, Murray State 7

Kentucky vs. Murray State: How To Watch, Listen

Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. ET
TV: SEC Network+ (Richard Cross, Charles Arbuckle)
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: 102 or 111
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

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