Kentucky football game Saturday: Kentucky vs. New Mexico St. odds and prediction for Week 12 game

Kentucky football ended its three-game losing streak by taking down Vanderbilt in the Cats final Southeastern Conference game and this week plays its final home game hosting New Mexico State on Saturday at Noon on the SEC Network.

Kentucky (finished the SEC going 5-3 and finished in sole possession of second place in the SEC East. Where they finish overall is yet to be determined but games played in the final week of the season. They can move up or down very easily and not play another conference game.

The Wildcats (7-3, 5-3) have been bowl eligible since Week 6 so one would think they have nothing to play for. WRONG.

There are 22 seniors set to participate in Senior Day. A few went through it last year before getting another year of eligibility from Covid and they are sitting this one out.

Kentucky football seniors hope to go out with a bang and big win on Senior Day

Winning on Senior Day means everything to these players plus they need a strong tuneup for the final game against instate rival and surging Lousiville Cardinals.

New Mexico State (1-9) is coming off a 59-3 beating from Alabama, and the Aggies’ only win was in week 4 when they beat South Carolina State 43-35.

They don’t run the ball well at all only averaging 90 .3 yards a game but they do move the ball up and down the field by throwing a lot of dink and dunk passes. Sounds like UK offenses of days gone by.

NMSU, is coached by former Kentucky quarterback Doug Martin. The Aggies have thrown the ball 449 times this season for 2,635 yards while keeping it on the ground 308 times racking up 903 yards. Kentucky’s defense would like to keep them from going over the 1,000 mark.

To do that Kentucky needs pressure in the backfield and while they have 25 sacks which defensive coordinator Brad White said he will take he doesn’t like the fact there are lingering issues.

"“Here’s the bottom line. Are we better in that category right now? Yes. We’ve not as good in the turnover category, which is not good, Things ebb and flow within every year. Pleased with the fact that we’ve been able to generate some pressure on the quarterback. But there are times, in crucial moments, where maybe we need to get there faster. But yes, on a whole, it’s been improved since last year.”"

Kentucky’s offense was pretty efficient in beating Vanderbilt 34-17 last weekend but the defense in the second half disappeared once again. It wasn’t ugly, but the hope for seeing backup quarterback Beau Allen and others went awry when the offense bogged down and the Commodores got a few scores in the second half.

Which Kentucky offense and defense take the field Saturday at Noon at Kroger Field is anyone guess.

                       Just the straight-up stats:

Kentucky                Stats                                 New Mexico St.
29.2                Avg. Points Scored                  21.1
28.8                Avg. Points Allowed               40.2

186.3              Ave. Rushing Yards                 90.3
116.9              Ave  Rushing Yards Allowed 182.1

209.2              Ave. Passing Yards                 263.5
224.2              Ave  Passing Yards Allowed 290.9

395.5              Avg. Total Yards                        353.8
341.1              Avg. Total Yards Allowed        473.0
17                     Giveaways                                14
6                       Takeaways                                16

Kentucky vs New Mexico State Odds Week 12

The Week 12 betting odds on WynnBET currently have Kentucky as the favorite by 36 points. The under/over currently sits at 60. As for the Moneyline Kentucky is listed at minus -110 while New Mexico State is plus +110. They have Kentucky’s points at 48, while the Aggies are 12.

Looking at the straight-up facts

• Kentucky is 6-4 against the spread this season.
• New Mexico State is 6-4 against the spread this season.
• In head-to-head games, Kentucky leads 1-0
• In Lexington in 2016 Kentucky won 62-42
• Kentucky’s this year has hit the over in five out of 10 contests
• The Aggies have yet to cover the spread this year when coming in as at least a 36 point underdog.

Kentucky vs New Mexico State Predictions Week 12

Both teams have given the ball away 17 times this season so this could be ugly.

I again am not convinced this team can put it together on both sides of the ball and 36 is a lot of points to cover.   I don’t think Kentucky covers the spread but does get the win. Maybe a lot of young players get to see the field which would affect the final score.

Final score – Kentucky 41, New Mexico State 17

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