Three Kentucky players to watch against Mississippi State

We’ve reached the third Saturday in October, and Kentucky finds itself backed into a corner. The Wildcats are on the verge of losing three straight SEC games before the bye arrives. The Week 7 tilt with Mississippi State is very significant.

Kentucky needs a win in the worst way, and we’ve taken an in-depth look at the cross-divisional matchup all week. The Cats should be able to run the ball against an iffy Mississippi State front, and the battle between MSU’s No. 2 red zone offense and UK’s No. 21 red zone defense could determine the game.

However, there are always individuals who can stand out and make a difference in the game. Heading into the big game, we have identified three players that need to play well for Kentucky to leave Saturday night victorious.

Production will be noticeable for Carrington Valentine

Playing boundary cornerback in Kentucky’s scheme, junior cornerback Carrington Valentine will see a ton of action. Offenses often look to attack the short side of the field in the passing game as it’s easier to make throws.

His presence is felt against teams that get pass-heavy. No one is more pass-heavy than Mike Leach’s Mississippi State who once again leads the country in pass-play percentage (65.4%). However, the Bulldogs don’t look to push the ball down the field often. The Air Raid scheme is a precision-based passing game that forces defenses to make tackles in space after short completions.

When in zone coverage, cornerbacks will have eyes on the quarterback and then must rally to the football with leverage, but there will be numerous isolation moments against Mississippi State where a three-yard gain could turn into a nine-yard gain if a tackle is not made. At that point, Kentucky needs its defensive players to make stops.

In last season’s 31-17 loss to Mississippi State, according to PFF data, Valentine missed a career-high three tackles logging a 50 percent tackle success rate. That is not good. Through six games as a junior, the Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller product has only missed three tackles all year.

Kentucky needs its cornerbacks to tackle in space, and Valentine will likely see the most action by alignment. Producing some ball production will also help as the cornerback has already doubled his passes defended numbers from last season.

Getting solid play on the defensive perimeter will be vital for the Cats on Saturday night.

Will Levis must continue strong play

Through five games this season, Will Levis has looked like one of the best quarterbacks in college football. Protection has been an issue, and the redshirt senior is taking too many sacks, but the numbers do not lie.

• 68.8% completion rate (No. 23 nationally)
• 10.0 yards per attempt (No. 10 nationally)
• 10.4 adjusted yards per attempt (No. 13 nationally)
• 174.92 QB rating (No. 11 nationally)
• 8 passes of 40+ yards (No. 2 nationally)
• 51.8% first down/touchdown rate (No. 1 in SEC)
• 54.4% passing success when removing sacks (higher than Will Rogers — 53.5%)
• 23.4% explosive pass rate (higher than Hendon Hooker — 22.9%)

Levis has played at a high level, but the former Penn State transfer is returning from injury this week, and we’re not sure if the lower extremity injury will limit his play. The Cats appear to have a rushing advantage with Chris Rodriguez Jr. — and his 56.1% success rate — toting the rock against a leaky run defense, but Kentucky is up against a solid pass defense.

The Cats need Levis to play well against a secondary led by Emmanuel Forbes who is playing like a first-round pick at cornerback. QB1 must continue his strong play.

Kentucky cannot win without a good game from No. 7.

Jordan Wright must be a playmaker

Throughout his career in Lexington, super senior Jordan Wright has developed into one of the top playmakers on Kentucky’s defense. The South Florida native leads the team in tackles for loss (6), and QB hurries (3) this season. Wright has logged 13 passes defended during his career with 8.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns.

In last year’s loss to Mississippi State, Kentucky lost Wright in the first half, and his presence was missed. Last week against South Carolina, Wright arguably played his worst game of the season as the Gamecocks forced him to make plays in space playing into the field as Kentucky’s Sam linebacker.

Kentucky needs better play from the veteran EDGE on Saturday night.

In the last win for the Cats over Mississippi State, Wright was outstanding in coverage, recorded a sack, gave the defense some needed length in zone coverage, and iced the blowout win with a pick-six in the fourth quarter.

Kentucky is at its best when both J.J. Weaver and Jordan Wright can be on the field together. Unfortunately, we’ve only seen that for two full games this season. Saturday night will be the third against a pass-heavy team.

After a disappointing performance last week, Kentucky needs both Weaver and Wright to play better on Saturday. The two versatile players are very important chess pieces for defense coordinator Brad White as they add value as run defenders, provide length in zone coverage, and can rush the passer.

Facing an offense that will attack the perimeter with power toss run plays and quick screens, being physical on the edge will be important. Jordan Wright will often be the player asked to play in space when Kentucky does not have a nickel defender on the field.

The Cats need Wright to play well. A couple of havoc plays from the veteran could tilt the game.