Kentucky vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Prediction, Game Preview

Kentucky needs a win. Any win. After the way the dream college basketball season ended, and with the football team failing over the final six games just to get the one win needed to go bowling, the fan base is overdue for something positive. With the SEC opener to follow against South Carolina, there’s no time to mess around. This week, though, Louisiana-Lafayette might provide a wee bit of a challenge with a good-looking Sun Belt team that should be in the hunt for the conference title.

Below we dive into the Kentucky vs. Louisiana-Lafayette prediction and game preview. 

Kentucky vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Prediction & Preview

Broadcast

Date: Saturday, September 5
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Network: ESPNU

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Why You Need To Care

Kentucky is in a weird place – no, not Lexington. Head coach Mark Stoops has done a great job of ramping up the talent level and making the program far more relevant, but at the same time, it’s still the SEC and the team isn’t quite where it needs to be to start thinking really big. As last year showed, every win counts and starting out hot would be a big-time tone-setter. It’s just Stoops’ third year, but there’s a ton of excitement that the Wildcats really are about to turn a corner. They’ll find out where they’re at over the next two weeks against the Gamecocks and Florida, but for now, just whacking around the Ragin’ Cajuns will be good enough.

After a fourth straight 9-4 season, Louisiana has proven staying power with a fun rushing offense and just enough defense to do what’s needed to blow through the Sun Belt time after time. Winners of eight of their last nine games last year, the Ragin’ Cajuns were the anti-Kentucky in the way they got better and better as the year went on. It helped that they stopped playing teams like Ole Miss and Boise State, but coming into this season, they’re good enough and dangerous enough that a win over UK wouldn’t really be a massive upset.

Why Louisiana-Lafayette Will Win

Run, run, and run some more. The receiving weapons are there with Jamal Robinson and Al Riles, but it’s Elijah McGuire who could be the real breakout star on a wider scale. The Sun Belt Player of the Year averaged 7.6 yards per carry and should be just as effective behind a strong line. Can Kentucky stop him? There’s a ton of work to do on the Wildcat D, at least on the line, and it could be a rough start if the pass rush doesn’t come without Bud Dupree and Za’Darius Smith around.

Why Kentucky Will Win

Patrick Towles has to get bombing. It wasn’t a massive shocker when he was named Kentucky’s starting quarterback over Drew Barker, but he has to be more of a regular playmaker as a passer. This is the game to give it a shot. The Ragin’ Cajun secondary got torched on a regular basis last season, and now it has to rebuild on the fly needing decent play from the corners right away. UK might have to work a bit to get the receiving corps up to speed, but as long as Towles gets time, he’s going to come up with a huge day.

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Player Who Matters

The Ragin’ Cajuns aren’t being forced to announce who the starting quarterback is until the last second, so it’s not doing it. Brooks Haack was the easy choice, but Jalen Nixon has been in the hunt the entire way. Haack saw time working behind Terrance Broadway last season, but the 6-2, 218-pound Nixon has the athleticism and skills to be a dangerous option. Either one can lead the attack to big things.

What’s Going To Happen?

Be very, very careful, Kentucky. Louisiana-Lafayette doesn’t have the defense to pull off the win, but the offense is going to come up with a big day even if the Wildcats are able to keep McGuire in check. Call this a survive-and-advance moment for the Wildcats – the Ragin’ Cajuns will be that good.

Kentucky vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Prediction

And the Kentucky vs. Louisiana-Lafayette prediction is …

Final Score: Kentucky 44, Louisiana-Lafayette 23