No. 3 Texas retains give attention to defeating Kentucky

No. 3 Texas will celebrate its senior class while it looks to keep its collective focus on a chance at a berth in the Southeastern Conference championship during a matchup against Kentucky on Saturday afternoon in Austin, Texas.

It’s the first time the teams have met as members of the SEC, the first time the Longhorns and Wildcats have squared off on the gridiron since 1951 and only the second matchup in the programs’ histories. Texas beat Kentucky 7-6 in Austin in the only other meeting.

The Longhorns (9-1, 5-1 SEC) held onto the third spot in the latest CFP rankings that were revealed on Tuesday night. They head home after a 20-10 win at rival Arkansas last week that kept them tied atop the SEC standings and in the running for a bye in the CFP playoffs.

Texas’ defense was the story against the dangerous Razorbacks, surrendering just 231 yards (74 of those in the first half). That stinginess allowed quarterback Quinn Ewers to take what the Arkansas defense allowed as he passed for 176 yards and touchdowns early and late to Matthew Golden.

Texas also got 83 yards on 13 carries from Jaydon Blue and flexed its muscle down the stretch. Up 10 points with 9:05 to play, the Longhorns forced a fumble and then held on to the ball over the final 6:55 to secure the victory, their third straight after their lone loss, at home to Georgia on Oct. 19.

It will take more of the same defensive intensity to beat Kentucky.

“To watch (the defense) play the way they’re playing right now has been great,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “They’re stopping the run, they’re minimizing the explosive plays. They’re getting after the quarterback. They’re just doing a lot of really cool things.

“I’m very proud of them, very proud of our coaching staff of what they’re doing, and they’re doing it at a high level.”

Expect more points this time than 73 years ago, although the Wildcats (4-6, 1-6) would love for this to be a defensive battle. Kentucky needs to beat the Longhorns and then in-state rival Louisville at home on Nov. 30 to become bowl-eligible for the ninth straight season.

That would be a tall task, especially the first leg of that sequence is against the stocked and hungry Longhorns.

“There’s no weaknesses on (Texas),” Wildcats coach Mark Stoops said Monday. “(As far as) the eye test, (the Longhorns are) as strong as anybody in the country. Tell me one group (where there is a weakness). Really deep, really big. You put that together — pretty solid team.”

The Wildcats head to Austin after a 48-6 home win over Murray State that snapped a four-game losing streak, all in SEC play. Jamarion Wilcox rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries while Brock Vandagriff passed for 183 yards and two touchdowns for the Wildcats, who racked up 582 yards of offense, 269 of those on the ground.

In the four losses prior to the win over Murray State, Kentucky was outscored 120-61. The Wildcats rank last in the SEC and 109th in the country in scoring (21.9 points per game) and 14th in the SEC and 107th in the FBS in total offense (340.5 yards per game).

“I would certainly love to have some continuity like we’ve had great defensive continuity, offensively,” Stoops said. “We have been competitive against some of the best teams in the country — we just have to be more consistent.”

–Field Level Media