Here are five things to watch for ahead of Missouri’s SEC East showdown with Kentucky.
**1. The play of Kentucky quarterback Patrick Towles**
Kentucky has not had a quarterback as effective as Towles in quite a while. Prior to this season, the Wildcats had not had a quarterback throw for over 2,000 yards in a season since 2010. Towles has already surpassed that mark with 2,077 yards this year. Not only can Towles sling the football, he also is slippery in the pocket. Towles has 204 yards rushing on the season, including four touchdowns. Against Mizzou’s subject secondary, Towles could be poised for a big game.
**2. Kentucky’s defensive lineman Alvin “Bud” Dupree’s ability to pressure Missouri sophomore quarterback Maty Mauk**
Mizzou defensive ends Shane Ray and Markus Golden aren’t the only standout defensive linemen in this game. Dupree is up for several honors in the Southeastern Conference and nationally, including nation’s best defender, nation’s top defensive end and all-conference teams. He had a career game against No. 1 Mississippi State (1.0 sacks, 1.5 TFL, 2 QBH, 10 tackles) and could have a field day against Mizzou’s struggling offense. Dupree is second on Kentucky’s all-time quarterback sacks list (since 1985) with 20.0 in his career.
**3. The “Marcus Murphy effect”**
In what is expected to be a tight game between two evenly matched teams, special teams could be the deciding factor. Murphy, a senior, is arguably the most dangerous return man in the nation, and Kentucky might decide to concede field position to not give Murphy a chance to return kicks. Vanderbilt used a similar strategy last week against Mizzou. This season alone, Murphy has returned two kickoffs and one punt for touchdowns. In his career, he holds Mizzou’s all-time record for return touchdowns with seven.
**4. Maty Mauk’s continued improvement**
By no means was Mauk impressive against Vanderbilt, as he threw for under 150 yards for the fourth consecutive week. However, at least comparatively to his play in recent games, Mauk did improve statistically and in his decision-making. The sophomore also connected with senior wide receiver Bud Sasser with an elite-level throw for a key touchdown late in the game. That was his last pass of the game. We’ll see if Mauk can use that final pass as momentum heading into this week.
**5. Ray’s record chase**
After not recording a sack against Vanderbilt, Ray remains two sacks shy of breaking Mizzou’s single-season sack record of 11.5, set by Aldon Smith (2009) and Michael Sam (2013). Currently, Ray ranks third nationally in sacks and first in the SEC. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Ray pick up a sack or two this week against a Kentucky team that has already allowed 19 on the season, the second-worst in the conference.