Dawg Preview: Battle of the Cats in Lexington (Missouri vs. Kentucky)

Both teams are coming in off losses to be at 5-1. Kentucky Wildcats and Missouri Tigers look to rebound and get back in the win column. There are a lot of implications for both teams being one game away from clinching bowl appearances in this Missouri vs Kentucky matchup.

'Commonwealth Stadium' Photo Credit: Navin Rajagopalan via Flickr

Broadcast Info:

Date/Time: 7:30 PM

Location: Kroger Field, Lexington, KY

TV: SEC Network

On the Call: Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic

Radio/Streaming: Kentucky - 98.1 The Bull (WBUL-FM) and NewsRadio 630 WLAP (WLAP-AM)

Missouri - KTGR ESPN 100.5 FM & 1580 AM.

Missouri Season Recap:

Missouri lost a close nail-biter at home to LSU 49-39. The score was a strong indication of how this was a slugfest. The difference in the game was turnovers and QB Jayden Daniels making plays with his feet.

Missouri knew they let one get away and QB Brady Cook will look to redeem his crucial 4th quarter pick-6 (one of 2) interceptions that sealed Missouri's fate in the loss. Those Interceptions ended the SEC's consecutive streak of 366 passes without an interception. Cook was 30-47 for 395.

Kentucky Season recap:

The Kentucky game was what most would clearly say was demolished by the #1 team and back-2-back National Champions Georgia Bulldogs in an extremely lopsided loss 51-13 in Athens.

Plagued by penalties from the 1st quarter on.

The Wildcats played one of the worst games in Coach Mark Stoops's era at Kentucky.

Whether Georgia is that good or Kentucky was that bad, the Wildcat's play that starts with Devin Leary can only go up from there. Leary went for a daunting 10/26 for only 129 yards. That will not get it done in the SEC, especially if the run game does not show up.

The explosive running game against Florida the prior week was a complete non-factor. The defense allowed Brock Bowers to have his way against what was supposed to be a great defense in the Cats.

The Wildcat have to be clicking on all cylinders and match the intensity of the Tigers. Both teams know that if they want to continue to have a successful year this win is paramount in the SEC East. Georgia is the clear favorite to win the East but for something to hang their head on and continue the year strong, this is an absolute must-win for both programs.

Conclusion for Missouri vs. Kentucky

Saturday night fans will flood Kroger Field in Lexington, KY looking for a strong bounce-back win for their Wildcats. The Tigers are coming there with clear and precise intentions to ruin the Wildcat's bounce-back game. Cook will look to redeem his costly mistakes against a defense that loves getting after the ball.

The winner of this game must control the tempo, minimize the penalties, and have no turnovers. Kentucky is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers and could be the difference in the game. Look for this to be a mind game between Coach Stoops and Coach Drinkwitz; who will have their teams locked in and ready to play some SEC ground-and-pound football.

The winner can help their record and keep pace in this year's very competitive SEC East race. A loss by either could be the beginning of a spiral downfall to close out the season.

Editors Note: This is Michael Spencer's 1st post, of which we hope is many, for CollegeFootball Dawgs.