Kentucky vs. Southern Miss: By the Numbers, Presented by Country Boy

We’re inching closer to kickoff between Kentucky and Southern Miss. Before the Wildcats start the season against the Golden Eagles on the SEC Network, take a closer look at stats and facts about each program.

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Noteworthy Numbers for Kentucky vs. Southern Miss

3 — Losses to Kentucky for Southern Miss offensive coordinator Chip Long. He was a GA for Louisville when Stevie Got Loose and he served in a quality control role last fall for Jeff Brohm. Long also was an analyst for Tennessee when Jarrett Guarantano kept throwing the football to the UK defense at Neyland Stadium. Long most recently called plays for Georgia Tech in 2022.

4 — Players on the current roster are in the final year of eligibility and started their careers at Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles have 51 newcomers, tied for the 25th-most in FBS.

4 — Kickoff return touchdowns by Barion Brown, a UK record. Derek Abney had eight total in his career, returning a pair of kickoffs and a school-record six punts for touchdowns over four seasons. Brown has returned kickoffs in each of the two season-opening games he’s played in at UK.

6 — Sun Belt wins for Southern Miss over their first two seasons in the conference. The Golden Eagles were picked to finish sixth in the Sun Belt West this fall.

14 — Former SEC players are on the Southern Miss roster.

15 — Turnovers lost by Southern Miss in 2023, tied for the second-fewest in the Sun Belt.

16 — Straight regular season non-conference wins for Kentucky, which is the second longest streak in the nation, trailing only Georgia. The Cats are 12-3-1 ATS in this stretch.

34 — Unanswered points Southern Miss scored to upset Kentucky in 2016. It was their first win over an SEC foe since they beat Alabama 21-0 at Legion Field in 2000.

37 — Kentucky has surpassed 37 points in three straight season openers. They also held opponents to less than 300 yards in each of those contests. The Cats have covered in four straight home openers as double-digit favorites.

43 — Transfer quarterbacks are expected to start for 68 Power Four programs, including Kentucky’s Brock Vandagriff.

43.2 — Percent of the time Kentucky’s opponents converted on the third down in 2023. The Wildcats’ third down defense ranked 12th in the SEC and No. 107 in the FBS.

52 — Completion percentage for Tate Rodemaker, the Golden Eagles’ projected starter, in two games last season when he replaced the injured Jordan Travis. Rodemaker was sent to the sideline in the season finale against Florida, forcing the Seminoles to start Brock Glenn in the ACC Championship.

78 — Tackles by Dylan Lawrence. Southern Miss’ leading tackler is back for one more season.

143 — Career starts on the Kentucky offensive line. It’s the second most in the SEC and ranks ninth in the FBS.