A couple of weeks into the season, a reporter pointed out to senior Matt Elam that Kentucky’s once-maligned run defense was ranked in the top 10 nationally.
“I think we’ll take more pride if it was around game eight or nine,” the nose tackle said in a matter-of-fact way.
Kentucky (5-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) is much closer to that timeline now and is rated 10th in the country and third in the league at stopping the run.
That defense is about to get its biggest test of the season on Saturday at Mississippi State, which is one of the nation’s elite rushing teams behind dual-threat quarterback Nick Fitzgerald and running back Aeris Williams.