Kentucky football (4-6, 1-6 SEC) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 48-6 win over Murray State (1-10, 0-7 MVFC) at Kroger Field on Saturday. 

With the win in the books, the attention now shifts to the Cats’ big test next weekend at No. 3 Texas.

With that in mind, here are two things the Cats did well against the Racers that need to continue against the Longhorns and two things they struggled with that need to change in order to have a chance to shock the world.

THINGS THAT WENT WELL

STOPPING THE RUN

Although there were some plays where Murray State gained solid yardage on the ground, the Kentucky defense overall did a great job at stopping the run against the Racers.

Coming into the game, the Racers were averaging 4.2 yards per carry, but Kentucky held them to 3.5 yards per carry.

Murray State’s Jawaun Northington, who was averaging 4.9 yards per carry, rushed for just 38 yards and averaged 3.5 yards per attempt.

25 different Wildcat defenders recorded at least one total tackle during the game. Tre’vonn Rybka led the team in tackles with five total including three solo, one sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.

The defense will need to continue to limit rushing yards allowed next weekend as Texas ranks sixth in the SEC with 4.7 yards per carry and possesses three different rushers with over 300 yards on the season.

The Longhorns have scored 18 rushing touchdowns this season, averaging to nearly two per game, so if Kentucky’s run defense is in top shape it could make a difference.

POTENTIAL WEAPON IN GILMORE

Kentucky was without star wideout Barion Brown, but freshman receiver Hardley Gilmore IV emerged in his absence and made a few big plays.

He caught a 52-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter for the first score of the game and also his first touchdown as a Wildcat.

In the second quarter, he turned on the jets for a 43-yard gain on a sweep play that was later called back by a penalty. Despite this, the play showed his speed and capabilities as a runner.

He also caught a 20-yard pass from Brock Vandagriff on the final drive of that quarter, which was a key moment in helping the Cats advance down the field and set up Ja’Mori Maclin’s touchdown catch.

This season, he has caught only four passes, but all of those passes have gone for at least 20 yards.

Gilmore has seen limited playing time this year due to the receiving corps being led by upperclassmen such as Brown, Maclin and Dane Key, but his performance showed that he is a potential weapon Kentucky could use if its offense begins to crumble against Texas.

Putting up points against the Longhorns, who rank second in the FBS in total yards allowed per game, will be difficult, and it may be necessary to take risks and look for a spark. Gilmore could definitely provide that spark with his speed and explosiveness.

THINGS THAT NEED TO CHANGE

MORE PENALTIES

Excessive penalties have been an issue for the Wildcats a couple times this season, mainly on Oct. 12 in their 20-13 home loss against Vanderbilt.

After the penalties subsided slightly in the weeks following that game, there were many committed against Murray State that had a notable impact.

The Kentucky defense committed two penalties on the first drive alone before it ended with a Jordan Lovett interception. One of those penalties was a facemask called on defensive lineman Keeshawn Silver that advanced the Racers close to midfield.

Early in the second quarter, running back Jamarion Wilcox broke away for a 73-yard run all the way to the Murray State 5-yard line, but it was negated by a holding penalty.

A few minutes later, Gilmore ran for 43 yards on a sweep only for it to be brought back by yet another holding call, one of three offensive penalties on that drive.

Kentucky committed five more penalties in the third quarter alone, something that cannot happen against a skilled team like Texas.

It has been proven in the past that small things like penalties can often mean the difference in scoring plays and even the game, so the Cats have to play in a more disciplined manner if they want a shot at a win in Austin.

VANDAGRIFF ACCURACY

Kentucky’s quarterback Vandagriff has had struggles with accuracy, something that has hindered the offense all season.

He has completed only 57.3% of his passes all season, which ranks 18th out of 20 passers in the SEC with at least 14 attempts per team’s games played.

Against a Murray State defense that has allowed a completion percentage of 65.8% all year, Vandagriff completed 12 of 19 passes, having been replaced with freshman Cutter Boley after the first half.

In the first quarter, a deep ball intended for Gilmore landed in the hands of Murray State’s KaVan Reed, but Reed could not hold onto it and it was instead tipped and caught by Gilmore for Kentucky’s first touchdown of the game.

Although the Cats got very lucky on that play, it is not often that inaccurate passes will end in favor for the team throwing them.

This was the case on the first play of the following drive, when Reed intercepted a pass by Vandagriff that was heavily underthrown, only the fifth interception by the Racers’ defense all year.

Vandagriff settled into a rhythm on the final drive of the first half, completing six of seven passes including a 19-yard touchdown throw to Maclin.

Even though he threw some good passes that helped the Cats move down the field, Vandagriff’s accuracy was not always on point, and he will need to put the ball in the right place as often as he can for the offense to perform well against opponents like Texas.