Things look a lot brighter for Kentucky football after the past two weeks.
After posting a 41-6 victory over the Ohio Bobcats in their Week 4 nonconference matchup, the Wildcats scored the biggest upset of a top-ranked team this year in their first road test of the season. Mark Stoops’ team took down then-No. 5 Ole Miss last Saturday at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in a stunning 20-17 victory.
It was Kentucky’s first win against a top 10 team on the road since 1977 when they defeated Joe Paterno and the Penn State Nittany Lions, 24-20, at Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley. It was also their first win in Oxford since 1978.
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At 3-2 entering their bye week, Kentucky’s hopes of extending their streak of eight consecutive bowl games are also looking a little brighter. Earlier this week, USA TODAY Sports released its latest bowl projections entering Week 6.
Analyst Erick Smith sees Kentucky playing in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Dec. 27.
It’s a bowl game that the Wildcats have played in just once. That was back in January 2009 when Rich Brooks’ team defeated East Carolina, 25-19. The win capped a 7-6 season, one of four straight winning seasons for Brooks as head coach from 2006-2009.
As for Kentucky and Oklahoma State, the two programs have never met on the gridiron. Meetings between Kentucky and a Big 12 program are rare. The last time the Wildcats met a team from the Big 12 was all the way back in 1983 — when it still the Big Eight Conference. In a battle of ‘Cats, Kentucky defeated the Kansas State Wildcats, 31-12, at Commonwealth Stadium.
Kentucky has a bye this week before facing the Vanderbilt Commodores on Oct. 12 at Kroger Field. Kentucky-Vandy was announced earlier this week as a 7:45 p.m. ET kickoff. The game will be televised on SEC Network.
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