Davis-Wade Stadium has been house of horrors for Kentucky football

Since the SEC split into two divisions back in 1992, Kentucky and Mississippi State have met every season as cross-divisional opponents. Outside of a seven-year stretch under Dan Mullen where the Bulldogs ripped off consecutive wins from 2009-15, this has been a series that has often alternated winners.

Winning in Starkville never was a super difficult feat for Kentucky football to accomplish. The Wildcats won games at Davis-Wade Stadium in 1993, 2002, 2006, and 2008. Overall, this has been one of the most evenly played series (25-25) in the SEC. Unfortunately, the Wildcats are on quite the losing streak in games hosted by Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs have won six consecutive games in Starkville against the Wildcats. Mark Stoops is 0-5 against Mississippi State. Zach Arnett will be the fourth separate head coach that Stoops has faced in this yearly series. Quite often, the games at Davis-Wade have been one-sided.

• 2010: Mississippi State 24, Kentucky 17
• 2013: Mississippi State 28, Kentucky 22
• 2015: Mississippi State 42, Kentucky 16
• 2017: Mississippi State 45, Kentucky 7
• 2019: Mississippi State 28, Kentucky 13
• 2021: Mississippi State 31, Kentucky 17

The last time Kentucky made the trip to see the Bulldogs, Will Rogers had a career day (36 of 39 for 344 yards) as the Wildcats were blitzed 31-7 after taking an early 10-0 lead. Before that, the last two meetings in Starkville were not even close with Mississippi State quickly building a double-digit lead under Mullen in 2017 and Joe Moorhead in 2019.

Davis-Wade Stadium has been a house of horrors for UK football for over a decade. However, there will be a change in 2023. For the first time since the win in 2008, Kentucky will be a road favorite over Mississippi State. Last time here, the game closed as a pick ’em. Will that help the Wildcats buck this trend? We will have to wait and find out.

After three consecutive losses, Kentucky needs to bounce back. Stoops and his team will have to do that in a venue that has not been kind to them over the years.