Missouri Tigers (1-0) vs. Kentucky Wildcats (1-0)
September 11, 2021 7:30 pm EDT
The Line: Kentucky Wildcats -5 / Missouri Tigers +5; Over/Under: 54.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Kentucky Wildcats meet the Missouri Tigers Saturday in week 2 college football action at Kroger Field. The Missouri Tigers look for another win after beating Central Michigan in their opener. The Kentucky Wildcats look for a win after beating UL Monroe in their first game.
The Missouri Tigers look for their first 2-0 start since the 2018 CFB season. Connor Bazelak is completing 65.6 percent of his passes for 257 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. D’ionte Smith and Keke Chism have combined for 116 receiving yards on six catches while Tyler Badie has three receptions. The Missouri Tigers ground game is averaging 139 yards per contest, and Badie leads the way with 203 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Missouri is allowing 30.2 points and 403.8 yards per game. Blaze Alldredge leads the Missouri Tigers with 10 tackles, Trajan Jeffcoat has one sack and Jaylon Carlies has one interception.
The Kentucky Wildcats look for their fourth 2-0 start in the last five seasons. Will Levis is completing 69.2 percent of his passes for 367 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Josh Ali and Wan’Dale Robinson have combined for 261 receiving yards and three touchdowns while Isaiah Epps has three receptions. The Kentucky Wildcats ground game is averaging 175.8 yards per contest, and Chris Rodriguez Jr. leads the way with 125 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Kentucky is allowing 27.3 points and 385.1 yards per game. Josh Paschal leads the Kentucky Wildcats with seven tackles, J.J. Weaver has two sacks and Yusuf Corker has two pass deflections.
The Tigers are 7-20 ATS in their last 27 road games and 5-12 ATS in their last 17 conference games. The Wildcats are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 home games. The under is 21-8 in Tigers last 29 games overall. The over is 7-3 in Wildcats last 10 home games. The underdog is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 meetings.
I was high on the Missouri Tigers entering the season, as they have playmakers on offense and an underrated defense. However, Missouri was sloppy defensively against Central Michigan and the competition only improves in this contest. Kentucky has improved its football program greatly over the last three years or so, and Levis looked terrific in the season opener. Kentucky could surprise some folks if the first game is an indication of things to come. I’ll take Kentucky by a touchdown at home.
