Kentucky vs. Ole Miss: Numbers You Need to Know

540486160_1281845910653991_6798863196875693142_n — Kentucky quarterback Zach Calzada - Photo by Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio

It’s almost Football Time in the Bluegrass. Before Kentucky tries to upset Ole Miss at Kroger Field, take a closer look at some of the numbers that could decide the final outcome of this afternoon’s game.

2 — Forced fumbles by Steven “Sack ‘Em” Soles in week one. Penn State’s Dani Dennis-Sutton is the only other FBS player with multiple forced fumbles.

4 — Punts by Aidan Laros were downed inside the 20 against Toledo. He had a 54-yarder and the special teams unit had better than a 45-yard net punt average.

5 — Straight games the underdog has covered the spread in this series, with four outright upsets. The only underdog that covered and lost was the 2022 Wildcats.

6 — Career blocked kicks by Zxavian Harris. The Ole Miss defensive tackle is one away from tying the SEC record. He had 1.5 TFLs and his first career interception in the win over Georgia State.

7 — Straight SEC losses for the Wildcats at Kroger Field, dating back to the victory over Florida in September of 2023.

8 — Players from last year’s Ole Miss team were taken in the NFL Draft, a school record, and five were from the defense. They rank last in the SEC in returning production.

10 — Total points have decided the last four games between Kentucky and Ole Miss. All four of those games were decided in the final seconds of action.

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11.0 — Yards per passing attempt by Austin Simmons in week one. That is tied for the sixth-best mark in college football. The first-time starter completed 64.5% of his passes for 341 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.

13 — Tackles by Alex Afari in the opener against Toledo set a new career-high and also took the top spot in the SEC. He recorded a tackle for loss in his eighth straight game, something that hasn’t been done since Josh Paschal was in Lexington.

24 — Wins by the Wildcats in their last 27 week two games. That includes two victories over Florida and Mark Stoops’ first SEC victory on the road at South Carolina in 2015.

65 — New players for Ole Miss this offseason, which is 15 more than the Kentucky Wildcats.

79 — Yard run by Dante Dowdell was the longest of his career. He finished his Kentucky debut with 129 yards, a new career-high, and the most by an SEC running back in week one.

91.8 — Kentucky’s pass rushing grade by PFF in week one. It was the best in college football.