Kentucky Football: Five Keys To Defeating Mississippi State

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Sep 3, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats safety Blake McClain (24) and linebacker Courtney Love (51) during the game against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at Commonwealth Stadium. Southern Mississippi defeated 44-35. Kentucky Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Creating Turnovers

The Kentucky football team has the personnel to cause havoc defensively. The secondary is flush with playmakers, the front seven has upside, and the aggressiveness of the coaching staff breeds opportunities.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs happens to be prone to turnovers, which gives Kentucky a unique chance to turn defense into offense.

Nick Fitzgerald is one of the more dynamic quarterbacks in the SEC, but he’s still figuring his game out. He takes enough chances to give Kentucky an opportunity to capitalize on his occasional inaccuracy by pulling down interceptions.

For what it’s worth, Mississippi State is 2-1 when Fitzgerald has more touchdowns than interceptions, and 0-3 when he doesn’t.

In that same breath, Mississippi State has converted at a rate of just 33.3 percent on third down. If Kentucky can step up on first and second down, then it should have a chance to consistently get the Bulldogs off of the field quickly.

Whether it’s an interception, a fumble, or merely a defensive stop, the Wildcats’ defense needs to step up.

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