Now we get to see just how well the University of Kentucky football team handles success, something that's not an everyday occurrence in the Commonwealth. After last Saturday's victory over arch-rival Louisville, UK Football has a nice little buzz about it. However, the Arkansas Razorbacks are eager to knock these good vibes out.

In an interesting twist, the ranked team in this match-up is not Arkansas. On Monday, UK found itself ranked 21st in country, the first time the football team has been ranked since 1984. The Hogs, on the other hand, found themselves outside of the Top-25 following their 38-34 loss to Nick Saban's Alabama rebuilding project -- a fact that undoubtedly fuels the Razorback fire as the Cats come to town.

On the surface, this match-up will probably be billed as Darren McFadden, the do-anything-and-everything running back for Arkansas against André Woodson... and this isn't necessarily wrong. If either team wants to succeed, their stars are going to have to play big. However, from a UK fan's perspective, the match-up I'm focusing on is the how UK defense does against McFadden, the deserved Heisman favorite.

Can Wesley Woodyard and company do anything to slow McFadden down; a task that so many different defenses have failed at (including LSU)? The short answer is if UK plays defense like they did the first half against Kent State two weeks ago, no, they will not be effective against McFadden (and I haven't even mentioned Felix Jones yet).

Hopefully, the UK defense understands the magnitude of the Arkansas running attack and just how damn effective it can be. You see, not only do the Razorbacks have the All-World McFadden; they also have Felix Jones, a fast, bruising back who will be making a claim for All-SEC in 08-09. When you add in the Razorback “Wildhog” formation where both backs are on the field with McFadden at QB, allowing him to pass, run, or hand-off, it’s easy to see why the UK defensive coaching staff is going to have its hands full.

As it stands, I’m expecting Woodyard to have somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 tackles... but that still won’t be enough to “stop” this tandem. Hopefully it’s just enough to contain them to the point where they don’t run all over the Cats.

When you consider the fact that the Razorback running game might be their best defense against UK’s offensive attack, it makes stopping the run even more important, especially if Arkansas’ secondary is still having trouble defending the pass.

By now, the UK offense is no longer a big secret. Coaches and teams alike know what the Cats are capable of doing when they have the ball and they are going to do their best to keep it out of Woodson’s hands. Armed with a bevy of receivers and a running game that often gets overlooked, UK is in a position to give as good as it gets when it comes to scoring the football.

While everybody is rightfully focusing on UK quarterback when it comes to giving praise, the UK running attack, led by Rafael Little, is awfully potent as well. If the Razorbacks get caught thinking the Cats are one-dimensional, Little, Dixon, Smith, and Connor will make some plays that will change the game. Of course, if Arkansas stacks the line to take away Little and company, Woodson will have a field day throwing the ball to Lyons, Johnson, Tamme, and of course, Keenan Burton. When scheming against UK’s offense, it’s almost a pick-your-poison type of strategy.

With all of that in mind, this game, like last week’s UK/UofL match-up, has the makings of another shoot-out. While I know the Cats can’t stop the Wildhog attack, I do think they are capable of making Arkansas pass the ball... although, considering Casey ####’s 3-touchdown performance against the Roll Sabans, I’m not sure if that’s the best option either. However, the Razorbacks will probably be missing receiver Marcus Monk, a fact that should help UK defend the pass. Of course, if worse comes to worse, Houston Nutt could line up McFadden in the flat and let Felix Jones throw him the ball.

As it stands, I don’t think either defense is going to have a lot of luck stopping either offense. Both teams will be able to score and score plenty. This match-up has all the ingredients for a, “whoever has the ball last wins” style of game. Can McFadden carry his team to victory over UK or will the Woodson/Little attack be too much for Hogs?

My prediction: I’m going with the same outcome I picked last week, with the same score.

UK – 45

Arkansas – 42

Other notes
Even though he has a sprained ankle, Keenan Burton is expected to play tomorrow. Look for number 19 to give the Arkansas secondary trouble… and if they double team him, watch out for Lyons, Johnson, and Tamme.

Apparently, Lones Seiber will never get over his extra-point troubles. He missed one again on Saturday against UofL and had another one partially blocked (even though it made it through). I cannot understand this at all. He’s been money on field goals this year so this extra point #### needs to stop NOW.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a post-game write-up. Until then, GBB!!!