The Bobcats travel south to take on the Wildcats on the Kentucky bluegrass.
Ohio (2-1) travels to Lexington, Kentucky to take on the Wildcats (1-2, 0-1 SEC) for the first time since September 6, 2014. Mark Stoops was in only his second year as Kentucky’s head coach, and Ohio head coach Tim Albin was the Bobcats offensive coordinator.
The last time these teams met was a defensive struggle, ultimately won by the Wildcats 20-3. Figure the rematch to be a defensive struggle again provided each puts their best foot forward.
We take a look at each team after the game notes.
Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday, September 21, 2024 at 12:45 p.m. Eastern
- Location: Kroger Field at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky
- TV network options: SEC Network. A valid cable subscription is required.
- Radio options: For Ohio, tune in to WTXQ-FM (Athens). Marty Bannister (play-by-play) and Rob Cornelius (color) will provide commentary. For Kentucky, Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jeff Piecoro (color) will provide commentary on the UK Sports Network.
- Gambling considerations: Per DraftKings, Kentucky is 20 point favorites, over/under 42.
- All-time series: Kentucky leads the series 4-2.
Getting to know the Wildcats
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Kentucky enters the last dress rehearsal before beginning conference play in earnest looking to establish the kind of consistency it takes to win a conference championship after a volatile start. In Week 1, the ‘Cats were pulverizing Southern Miss 31-0 when the heavens opened up and halted the rout via third-quarter lightning storm.
Kentucky came out next week at home looking for some more of the same results against a good South Carolina Gamecocks squad only to be decimated 31-6 in a performance head coach Mark Stoops described during a second-half sideline report as “embarrassing.” There was blame to go around to all units but the offense and particularly the pass protection struggled mightily to give pass plays any real chance.
To their credit, the Wildcats rebounded fiercely, coming within a whisker of beating the nation’s top ranked team last week, the Georgia Bulldogs, ultimately losing 13-12.
The Wildcats boast what is capable of being a great defense in 2024. If holding Georgia to 13 points isn’t enough evidence of that, Kentucky ranks 10th nationally in yards allowed per game with 215.
Kentucky is led by four experienced, highly-talented players to anchor this crew starting with defensive tackle Deone Walker, number zero. You don’t really need the number though to identify this man on the line who checks in about six-foot-six and 340 lbs. Early NFL draft boards have Walker as a potential first rounder.
At the second level of the base 3-4 defense, Kentucky features a very dynamic linebacker group led by J.J. Weaver and D’Eryk Jackson. At six-foot-five and 255 lbs, Weaver has appeared in 51 career games for the ‘Cats, tearing up SEC competition with 174 tackles, 34 tackles-for-loss, 18.5 sacks and 5 forced fumbles.
Jackson checks in with 39 career appearances with 191 tackles and four interceptions.
Strong safety Zion Childress is notable on the back end, tied with Jackson for a team-leading 15 tackles while contributing a sack, pass defensed, and a forced fumble this year.
Offensively, the ‘Cats need to iron out some things before hitting the conference schedule.
Like Ohio, Kentucky likes to establish run game dominance, but heading into last week were down to two scholarship running backs. Senior Demie Sumo-Karngbaye leads the effort with 227 yards rushing and an average of 4.8 yards a rush. Overall, the Wildcats are averaging about 152 yards a contest on the ground.
Contributing to the ground game are wide receivers on jet sweeps and the like and quarterback Brock Vandagriff showed athleticism to run as seen in the Southern Miss game.
Where the Cats need to solidify heading into conference play is in the passing game where Vandagriff comes into week four with 313 yards, completing 52 percent of his passes. Obviously some of these stats are skewed by playing a great Georgia defense, but ranking 103rd and 96th nationally in sacks allowed and tackles-for-loss respectively is concerning.
Kentucky will also be tested in run and pass blocking by a Bobcat defensive line that is talented, athletic, and deep in their own right. Ohio moves lineman around post snap and can cause assignment confusion.
Rounding out Kentucky is a wideout group that is talented and capable of big plays. If the Wildcats can shore up the pass protection or establish a strong running game, opening up the pass, the receivers are fully capable of making explosive plays. One leader in the group is six-foot-three, 210-pounder Dane Key, who has career numbers including 87 catches for 1,274 yards and 12 receiving scores.
Another impact wideout is Ja’Mori Maclin, who lit up opponents for 1,004 yards receiving and 11 touchdown catches last year.
About the Ohio Bobcats
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After three games, there is a lot to like about what the ‘Cats have accomplished.
Defensively so far this year, the Bobcats show a lot of the hallmarks of a good Ohio group: physicality while flowing to the ball with consistent tackling.
During the last two weeks, Ohio held its opponents to only 26 total points, including 20 points to a South Alabama team in week two that went on to score 87 points against the Northwestern State Demons (FCS) in a game where the fourth quarter clock was only six minutes due to competitive disparity.
Head coach Tim Albin has spoken more than once about the value defensively of making teams one-dimensional by limiting the running game and the ‘Cats have generally done that, ranking 38th in the FBS in rushing defense, surrendering about 105 per contest.
A feather in the Bobcats’ cap this week is a defensive line that is deep and maturing into an impact group. This is a plus especially when MAC teams play SEC squads where starting linemen fatigue can expose depth problems in terms of drop off in quality of play by the reserves.
We could easily talk about six or seven defensive lineman here but one who stood out last week was Nevada transfer Marcel Walker-Burgess, who recorded a forced fumble and a tip drill interception.
The ‘Cats are still finding their footing in the linebacker room with two of the top three starters injured in the first half of the first game. The group looks to be rebounding, as Blake Leake has settled in and is on the cusp of the top ten in the MAC with 22 tackles. Starting MIKE linebacker Shay Taylor returned last week for his first reps since Week 1 vs. Syracuse and may be ready for an increased role. Finally, the Bobcats have used some depth at the JACK defensive end to shore up the linebacker group where redshirt freshman Kadin Schmitz was impactful last week with five tackles and a team-leading 1.5 sacks.
The secondary has been bitten hard by the injury bug, with at least three significant players injured in the season opener— including captain Jeremiah Wood.
Nevertheless, the group has persevered and is still playing physically and effectively. Safety Austin Brawley has played all three weeks and is a leader on the back end of the defense, ranking top 10 in the MAC with 23 tackles.
Another stabilizing force in the secondary has been redshirt freshman DJ Walker, who has flashed some impressive ability out of the nickel spot where he recorded six tackles, two for loss, and a pass defensed last week.
Safety Dustin Johnson also turned in a notable performance last week in relief of injured Adonis Williams Jr., who may return this week.
Offensively, the Bobcats have done well for most of the 12 quarters this season. They established they can run the football and even pushed 27th-ranked Syracuse around at times in the running game in week one.
Quarterback Parker Navarro returns as the starter— at least for now— sitting out the second half of last week’s contest after a disastrous second quarter which saw three interceptions. Navarro is not defined by one tough quarter and has shown he is capable of orchestrating a competent offense this season.
At perhaps their most productive, the ‘Cats have found a way in several drives this year to either lean on the run entirely or weave a blend of run with short and intermediate throws which has befuddled defenses.
On the whole, the stats show offensive balance with 190 yards passing on average to 203 yards rushing.
The running attack includes Navarro, who has 107 yards and two red zone scores in 10 quarters this year. Ohio also features two of the MAC’s better running backs in duo Anthony “Tre” Tyus III and Ricky Hunt. Tyus III has been fun to watch as a big runner who is a great blend of strength, speed, agility, toughness and vision. The former Northwestern Wildcat leads Ohio with 367 yards rushing, 7.5 yards a tote and four touchdowns on the ground while contributing a 19-yard touchdown reception last week.
The ‘Cats also have some leaders emerging in the wideout and tight end groups led by captain wideout Coleman Owen, who leads pass catchers this year with 21 grabs for 282 yards.
Success on the offensive front this week might be measured more by the field position and ball security rather than the scoreboard given Kentucky’s formidable defense. This game could shapes up like Ohio’s 10-7 win over Iowa State last year if Ohio is able to move the ball enough to give the defense a chance to work.
Final Thoughts
On any given Saturday, these games can get away on the scoreboard from the road team given the overall level of talent on the Wildcats roster.
However, if both teams put their best foot forward, limiting self-inflicted wounds, protecting the ball, controlling field position, and capitalizing on scoring opportunities, Ohio could easily cover the spread of 20 points and the game could be well under the 42 points over/under.
Ohio has little room for error and will not have the luxury of winning like last week while having four turnovers and multiple personal fouls.
The Bobcats though have an avenue to compete here if they can marshal performances similar to what they have shown so far in all three phases (offense, defense, special teams): make kicks and punts, cover well, slow the run, dominate a few drives on the ground and mix the offense.
If Ohio can slow the run, the Wildcats need to shore up pass blocking on offense to limit the negative plays to give new 2024 starter quarterback Brock Vandagriff time to execute the pass to talented wideouts.
Let’s hope we see the best of both teams and let the chips fall where they may.