Both coming off emotional victories, No. 15 Kentucky and Oklahoma will meet Saturday in Norman, Okla.
The Wildcats have won four consecutive games, beating a pair of top-10 teams, including last week’s overtime win over LSU.
Kentucky’s winning streak is its longest since it won the first five games of the 2023 season.
The Sooners are coming off a 27-24 win over then-No. 1 Texas after dropping two of their previous three games.
Coach Will Stein said the Wildcats can’t afford to lose focus against the Sooners.
“If you don’t (move past the LSU win), you’ll get whooped,” Stein said. “There’s no gimmes. You’re playing Oklahoma. If you can’t get up for that game then I don’t know if you even have a pulse.”
Kentucky (5-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) comes into the game averaging nearly 35 points per game, while the Sooners are holding opponents to fewer than 18 points per contest.
For Oklahoma head coach and defensive play-caller Brent Venables, it’s another chance for his defense to face an offense that has improved significantly under Stein and Notre Dame transfer quarterback Kenny Minchey.
“You better be ready,” Venables said of the Wildcats’ offense. “Four-down territory in a good part of the field, certainly that affects everything. How you’re looking at third downs, just anticipating how they’re looking at the third downs, and then knowing yourself, I think, is as important as anything.
” … Our players have to be able to also have some level of anticipation so they can play fast and be on the right side of it from the detail standpoint in those critical situations.”
Kentucky is among the nation’s best in turnover margin so far, ranked ninth at plus-seven. The Wildcats have recorded multiple takeaways in each of their last five games while turning the ball over just twice in the last four.
Oklahoma (3-2, 1-1) had its first turnover-free game of the season against Texas, taking advantage of a pair of Longhorns’ turnovers and blocking and recovering a punt for a touchdown.
The Sooners are looking for another clean game from quarterback John Mateer, who struggled for much of the season but delivered two critical completions in the closing seconds against Texas to set up the game-winning field goal.
“It can obviously build momentum,” Mateer said. “But it can also get you trapped. That’s a lot of what we’re focusing on.”
Likewise, Stein isn’t basking in Kentucky’s success during his first season as head coach.
“I just really try to show up every single day and do my job,” Stein said, “which is to be the head football coach and to create an environment of competition, of discipline, of accountability, toughness. I think when you have a good process, which I believe we do here as an organization, it sets you up to be successful.”
The game is just the fourth meeting ever between the programs and the first in Norman since the 1980 season opener.
The lone Kentucky win over the Sooners came in the Sugar Bowl following the 1950 season.
–Field Level Media
