Wildcats ready to pounce

This weekend, the Hoosiers face one of their toughest contests of the season when they travel to Lexington, Ky., to face the Kentucky Wildcats. Sure the Wildcats haven't won a game yet, and yes, it's true that they have yet to score a point, but Kentucky is ready to make one of the easiest games on the Hoosiers' schedule into one of their hardest. \nFor starters, since Kentucky has ended its domination by Louisville, 28-0, the Wildcats have had two weeks to prepare for their game against the Hoosiers. On the other hand, IU has had a shortened week of practice because of their late return home from Oregon.\nAnother advantage the Wildcats have over the Hoosiers going into this game is the fact that IU has played two games while Kentucky has only played one. \nWhile this might not sound like a big deal, this gives Kentucky the opportunity to see how the Hoosiers have played in two different games while IU only has film from one Kentucky game. This gives Kentucky a little more preparation than the Hoosiers heading into Saturday.\nAdditionally, the Hoosiers are coming off an emotionally- and physically-draining win over Oregon, which saw the true character of the team tested over and over again during the second half. While the team is no doubt in high spirits, the fact remains that Kentucky will be well-rested coming into the game.\nOffensively, the Wildcats do not pose much of a threat. They have a new quarterback this season that has only completed 41 percent of his passes, and they don't have much of a running game. The only part of the Kentucky offense that might give the Hoosiers fits is the option play. The Wildcats' quarterback, Shane Boyd, has the ability to run, which is something of which the Hoosiers haven't seen much this season.\nDefensively, the Wildcats like to use the 3-4 formation, which is designed to stop the run and confuse the quarterback. This is something the Hoosiers haven't encountered yet and potentially could cause the Hoosier offense some problems. However, Louisville, who runs a similar offense to the Hoosiers, was able to put up 28 points on the Wildcats, which is a good sign for IU.\nThe Hoosiers stand a good chance to come away with their third consecutive victory this season, but they have many factors working in Kentucky's favor. The last time IU was victorious over Kentucky was in 2001, when the Hoosiers won 26-15 at home. The last time the Hoosiers won in Lexington was also the same time the Hoosiers started the season 3-0, a mere 10 years ago.