Defense Leads Kentucky To First-Half Lead Over Missouri

The Kentucky Wildcats and Missouri Tigers are locked in a defensive struggle in Columbia

Matt Galatzan | Nov 5, 2022

Defense Leads Kentucky To First-Half Lead Over Missouri /

The Missouri Tigers were looking to make it three straight SEC wins on Saturday when they welcomed quarterback Will Levis and the Kentucky Wildcats to Faurot Field in Columbia.

But through the first half of play, it might not be in the cards, with the Tigers trailing the Wildcats 7-3 in a defensive struggle heading into the locker room at halftime.

And a defensive struggle might be an understatement.

Through the first half of play, the Tigers have just 76 yards of total offense, including just 19 yards through the air on 7 of 9 passing (2.1 yards per attempt) from quarterback Brady Cook.

On the ground, Cody Schrader is leading the way with 13 carries for 56 yards.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, the Tigers have had the Wildcats, and the projected first-round pick Levis, to just 119 total yards - 95 of which came from Levis through the air on 6 of 11 passing.

The Tigers have also sacked Levis four times and held star running back Chris Rodriguez to 47 yards on 11 carries, 27 of which came on the final drive of the half.

The Tigers will hope to keep up the defensive pressure on Levis while trying to find a way to move the ball offensively against the talented Kentucky defense.

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Published Nov 5, 2022

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of MizzouSportsTalk.com, AllAggies.com and LonghornsCountry.com, as well as the Editor-In-Chief of InsideTheBears.com, TheGroveReport.com, RamDigest.com, AllSeahawks.com, and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com