Mizzou will need an improved performance from its defense on Saturday when it takes on Kentucky. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

Mizzou Football – Gameday Info
Game No. 7 – Missouri (5-1, 1-1 SEC) at #24 Kentucky (5-1, 2-1 SEC)
Date/Time – October 14, 2023 – 6:30 pm
Location – Kroger Field — Lexington, KY
Broadcast – SEC Network
Live Stats – UK StatBroadcast

DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer

LEXINGTON, KY — After suffering its first loss of the season, last Saturday against LSU, the University of Missouri football team will look to get back on the winning track when it travels down south to take on No. 24-ranked Kentucky.

Missouri is 5-1 on the season and 1-1 in SEC play. The Tigers defeated Vanderbilt 38-21 two weeks ago. Kentucky is also 5-1, but has a 2-1 SEC record, with its league wins coming over Vanderbilt and Florida.

The Wildcats are coming off a 51-13 drubbing last week against No. 1 Georgia. Kentucky never led in the game, trailed 34-7 heading into halftime, and gave up 608 total yards before finally succumbing at the end.

It was not the performance Kentucky fans were hoping for against the two-time defending national champion Bulldogs.

Mizzou’s defeat was similarly disappointing. The Tigers led by two touchdowns early and maintained that lead through much of the game. But LSU rallied to go ahead late and was able to hold on after a couple of Mizzou mistakes cost them the ball and field position.

This weekend’s contest figures to be a tough battle for both, with both teams looking to control the line of scrimmage. Mizzou’s offense is fourth-best in the SEC, with 2,794 total yards, while Kentucky’s defense is third-best in the conference and allows just under 300 yards per game.

Missouri and Kentucky have been bitter rivals since the Tigers joined the league in 2012. Mizzou is 4-7 in the last 11 meetings, with Kentucky owning a 7-1 record in the last eight.

The winner of the Mizzou-Kentucky game has finished higher in the standings than the other every year since 2012.

Players to Watch: Mizzou, as always, will feature its high-octane St. Louis-bred trio of QB Brady Cook, RB Cody Schrader, and WR Luther Burden III. Cook is third in the SEC with 1,879 passing yards and second with 13 touchdown passes.

Schrader is second in the league with 577 rushing yards and six touchdowns, while Burden leads the SEC and the entire country, with 54 receptions for 793 yards and five touchdowns. Missouri also likes to feature senior WR Theo Wease, who has 28 catches for 334 yards and four touchdowns.

Kentucky is one of the nation’s best ground-and-pound teams, led by senior RB Ray Davis, who leads the league with 653 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. QB Devin Leary, in his first year as the Wildcats’ signal-caller, hasn’t thrown for as many yards as Cook (1,257), but he does have 12 touchdown passes this season and has 58 in his career, after transferring to Kentucky from North Carolina State.

Up Next: It’ll be Homecoming weekend in Columbia when the Tigers take the field next week. They’ll be hosting South Carolina in a game that will kick off at 2:30 p.m., and will be televised on SEC Network.

Kentucky will have a bye week next, before getting back on the field in two weeks (October 28) against Tennessee.

When Missouri Has the Ball

Missouri’s Offense vs. Kentucky’s Defense

When Kentucky Has the Ball

Missouri’s Defense vs. Kentucky’s Offense

2023 MISSOURI TIGERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

DateGametimeAtOpponentLocationTV
October 14, 2023 (Saturday)6:30 PMAway#24 KentuckyLexington, Ky.
October 21, 2023 (Saturday)2:30 PMHomeSouth CarolinaColumbia, Mo. / Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field
November 4, 2023 (Saturday)TBAAway#1 GeorgiaAthens, Ga.
November 11, 2023 (Saturday)TBAHomeTennesseeColumbia, Mo. / Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field
November 18, 2023 (Saturday)TBAHomeFloridaColumbia, Mo. / Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field
November 24, 2023 (Friday)3:00 PMAwayArkansasFayetteville, Ark.CBS