LEXINGTON — Jody Wright has worked as an assistant at Alabama. And in the NFL.

But his first season as a head coach hasn’t been one for the record books. His Murray State squad is 1-9 this fall entering today’s game at Kentucky.

“I know he’s not having the year that he wants,” UK coach Mark Stoops said. “It’s his first year there. He has work to do, but he’s been in player personnel at some of the best places in the country. He’s coached with some great coaches. He knows what he’s doing.

“He’s a good football coach, and he will build that program the right way.”

Watch Kentucky football vs Murray State live on SEC Network+ (subscribe today)

While Wright continues plugging away, one thing is certain: The Wildcats should be able to name their score today against a foe that ranks near the bottom of the FCS in numerous offensive and defensive categories.

So whether Brock Vandagriff is healthy enough to start at quarterback — or Kentucky turns to backup Gavin Wimsatt or true freshman Cutter Boley — today should not be much more than a glorified scrimmage for the hosts.

We’ll see if the game plays out as expected this afternoon, when the Wildcats welcome the Racers to Kroger Field.

• Date: Saturday, Nov. 16
• Time: 1:30 p.m.
• Location: Kroger Field; Lexington

• TV channel: N/A
• Streaming: SEC Network+ (subscribe today)
• Radio: UK Sports Network (840 AM in Louisville; 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington)

Kentucky vs. Murray State will be streamed live on SEC Network+. Richard Cross and Charles Arbuckle will call the game from the booth at Kroger Field. Streaming options for the game include ESPN+, which requires a subscription.

Kentucky 56, Murray State 0: Even so little going right for Kentucky, Murray State doesn’t have the caliber of player, offensively or defensively, to make the hosts sweat an upset in this one. The Wildcats snap a four-game losing streak in dominant fashion as they try to close the regular season with three straight wins and ensure a bowl berth is awaiting them for the ninth consecutive year.

Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of today:

• Spread: Kentucky is a 16 ½-point road underdog
• Over/under: 45 ½
• Moneyline: Kentucky, +550; Tennessee, -800

Thirteen Kentucky players sat out the team’s most recent game, a 28-18 loss at Tennessee on Nov. 2.

That baker’s dozen of injured players included:

The high is 59 degrees with partly cloudy skies and no chance of rain in the forecast.

Record: 3-6

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• Aug. 29: Missouri ∣ SCORE: Missouri 51, Murray State 0
• Sept. 7: Butler ∣ SCORE: Butler 19, Murray State 17
• Sept. 14: Mississippi Valley State ∣ SCORE: Murray State 59, Mississippi Valley State 8
• Sept. 28: at North Dakota ∣ SCORE: North Dakota 72, Murray State 35
• Oct. 5: South Dakota ∣ SCORE: South Dakota 59, Murray State 0
• Oct. 12: at Indiana State ∣ SCORE: Indiana State 31, Murray State 27
• Oct. 19: Illinois State ∣ SCORE: Illinois State 40, Murray State 32
• Oct. 26: North Dakota State ∣ SCORE: North Dakota State 59, Murray State 6
• Nov. 2: South Dakota State ∣ SCORE: South Dakota State 52, Murray State 6
• Nov. 9: Missouri State ∣ SCORE: Missouri State 59, Murray State 31
• Nov. 16: at Kentucky ∣ 1:30 p.m.
• Nov. 23: at Southern Illinois ∣ 1 p.m.

Record: 1-9

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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

Kentucky football aims to snap its four-game losing streak when it plays Murray State today at Kroger Field.

The Wildcats (3-6, 1-6 SEC) have not won since their upset victory over Ole Miss in Week 5.

Kentucky leads the all-time series against Murray State, 2-0.

Watch Kentucky vs Murray State live on Fubo (free trial)

Here’s how to watch Kentucky vs Murray State game today, including time, TV schedule and streaming information:

TV Channel: SEC Network+

Livestream: Fubo (free trial)

Kentucky vs. Murray State will be broadcast nationally on SEC Network+ in Week 12 of the 2024 college football season. Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro will call the game from the booth at Kroger Field, with Dick Gabriel reporting from the sideline. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.

• Date: Saturday, Nov. 16
• Start time: 1:30 p.m.

The Kentucky vs Murray State game starts at 1:30 p.m. at Kroger Field in Lexington.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of today

ODDS: Not available as of this morning

O/U: Not available as of this morning

• Aug. 31: Kentucky 31, Southern Miss 0
• Sept. 7: South Carolina 31, Kentucky 6
• Sept. 14: Georgia 13, Kentucky 12
• Sept. 21: Kentucky 41, Ohio 6
• Sept. 28: Kentucky 20, Ole Miss 17
• Oct. 12: Vanderbilt 20, Kentucky 13
• Oct. 19: Florida 48, Kentucky 20
• Oct. 26: Auburn 24, Kentucky 10
• Nov. 2: Tennessee 28, Kentucky 18
• Nov. 16: Murray State
• Nov. 23: at Texas
• Nov. 30: Louisville
• Record: 3-6

• Aug. 29: Missouri 51, Murray State 0
• Sept. 7: Butler 19, Murray State 17
• Sept. 14: Murray State 59, Mississippi Valley State 8
• Sept. 28: North Dakota 72, Murray State 35
• Oct. 5: South Dakota 59, Murray State 0
• Oct. 12: Indiana State 31, Murray State 27
• Oct. 19: Illinois State 40, Murray State 32
• Oct. 26: North Dakota State 59, Murray State 6
• Nov. 2: South Dakota State 52, Murray State 6
• Nov. 9: Missouri State 59, Murray State 31
• Nov. 16: at Kentucky
• Nov. 23: at Southern Illinois
• Record: 1-9

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Reach sports reporter Prince James Story at pstory@gannett.com and follow him on X at @PrinceJStory.

Kentucky’s comeback win over Duke signaled to the rest of college basketball that the Cats could be legit. For Mark Pope, it was just the next step in a sprint to San Antonio.

When asked how much confidence the win over the No. 6 Blue Devils gave his players, Pope said it was further proof of how eager they are to learn about each other and grow into a squad capable of cutting down the nets in April. That’s an especially tall task for a roster that was built in a manner of months.

“Hopefully, our confidence is growing all the time,” Pope said on Thursday. “I think mostly what it gives us is we’re just hungry to grow. You’re going to be so tired of me already talking about humility and curiosity, right, but I think that’s the biggest thing. Just go play again to find out who we are how we can get better and what we can do better and how we grow. It’s a race.

“With a team that’s constructed the way this team had to be, where every single person is new, it’s just a race from our first game on Nov. 4 to hopefully the Final Four. We know we have to get so much better and there’s limited time so it’s just a race to see how fast we can grow. I think that’s the biggest thing that this game did for us, that Bucknell did for us, that Wright State did for us; it just gave us more film and data and experience to try to figure out how we can become a great team.”

For fans, the Wright State game was a storybook start to the season, with Kentucky winning by 41 points, Pope’s jersey number. The Bucknell game showed that the Cats can still put up 100 points on a night they’re not firing on all cylinders. The Duke game was the most promising sign yet, proof that they can battle back from a nine-point halftime deficit against an elite team even when the threes aren’t falling. Just three games in, that bodes very well for the future.

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Kentucky may be in a race against time, but Pope is determined to enjoy every step of it. When asked about the three 2025 recruits that signed with Kentucky this week, Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno, and Acaden Lewis, Pope said his current players are setting the standard for what it means to play for Kentucky under his watch.

“I’m telling you, it’s a joy to coach here, and it’s hopefully it’ll continue to be a joy for BBN to watch because we have great young men in this program. I’m talking about, like, elite-level kids, like really special people, and it’s fun. Like, you know, I’ve got to sit next to Otega [Oweh] and Andrew Carr postgame after our last game, and just listen to them answer questions and them talk about what this program is and what it means to be for them to be here. And it’s beautiful, actually. Like, it is.”

The specific moment Pope is referring to is when Otega Oweh told reporters that wearing the Kentucky jersey inspires him to play even harder for fans and his teammates. Andrew Carr, who also had some big plays down the stretch vs. Duke, echoed that sentiment, adding that the team’s close bond is a major reason why they didn’t throw in the towel when the Blue Devils were surging. After Carr finished his thought, Pope looked around the room and said, “Who gets to coach guys like this? Come on, man. It’s awesome.”

“These are kids that are seeing something way bigger than just themselves, right and they care about the right things,” Pope said yesterday. “And it just guys that I want to coach, and it’s the way this should be, and it’s guys that are going to have that are in the middle of tremendous careers, are going to have great, massive professional careers, and then go on do even more important things after that. And that’s what we’re surrounded with in our locker room right now.

“So, that’s the first thing [in recruiting]. Our filters are really high in terms of bringing in great people. We want great people here, not perfect people. Like, we all screw up and make mistakes and do things like that, but people who are actually really eagerly trying to grow as human beings, right? So that’s number one.”

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