FACTS & STATS: Site: Commonwealth Stadium (67,530) -- Lexington, Kentucky. Television: PPV. Home Record: Kent State 0-0, Kentucky 1-0. Away Record: Kent State 1-0, Kentucky 0-0. Neutral Record: Kent State 0-0, Kentucky 0-0. Conference Record: Kent State 0-0, Kentucky 0-0. Series Record: Kentucky leads, 5-0.

GAME NOTES: The Kent State Golden Flashes have a wealth of confidence on their side, and they will need every ounce of it in this weekend's non-conference road clash with the Kentucky Wildcats. Last Thursday, Kent State beat Iowa State by a 23-14 final on the road, the program's first win at a BCS school since 1987. The Golden Flashes finished 1-10 in 2005 and took a step forward last season, so the fact that they were able to knock off a Big 12 program to open this new campaign is evidence that things are certainly headed in the right direction. A second straight road victory over a team from an elite conference would force the nation to take notice. Kentucky made a statement in its opener by rolling to a 50-10 victory over Eastern Kentucky. The Wildcats, who were vastly improved last season under head coach Rich Brooks, have a game against rival Louisville looming next weekend. The hope is that the 'Cats will not look past the Golden Flashes on Saturday. Kentucky has won all five previous meetings with Kent State, but the teams have not squared off since 1993.

Heading into the opener against Iowa State, tailback Eugene Jarvis was listed as doubtful due to injury. Not only did the sophomore show a great deal of toughness by suiting up to play, he ran for 113 yards and a touchdown in the contest. Jarvis carried the ball 25 times and earned the praise of the coaching staff. As for Julian Edelman, the team's quarterback, he completed 17-of-26 passes for 161 yards and one touchdowns. Edelman was intercepted twice, however, and will have to take better care of the ball for Kent State to score a second straight upset this weekend. While the offense was not explosive by any means, the Golden Flashes did just enough to win the game. Last season, Edelman proved to be a dual threat with the ball in his hands. Not only did the signal caller pass for 1,859 yards, he also rushed for 658 yards. Expect Kentucky to respect his rushing ability this weekend.

Give the Kent State defensive unit a ton of credit for the victory over Iowa State. Any time a squad can go on the road and limit an opponent to 14 points, that effort has to be considered a huge success. Iowa State scored its second touchdown of the game early in the third quarter, and the Golden Flashes pitched a shutout from that point. Overall, Kent State yielded only 306 total yards and proved to be extremely opportunistic by intercepting two passes and recovering a fumble. The Kent State defense lost three players to the NFL, but seven starters are back in place. Strong defense was key to the club's improvement a year ago, and it appears that the defensive unit will again be the strength of this squad.

Last season, Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson completed 63 percent of his passes for over 3,500 yards with 31 touchdowns and only seven interceptions, remarkable numbers by any standards. His top target on the outside, wideout Keenan Burton, made 77 grabs for 1,036 yards and 12 touchdowns, making him one of the SECs most feared receivers. In the opener against Eastern Kentucky, Woodson looked the part of a legitimate Heisman candidate, completing 20-of-29 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. One of the touchdown passes did go to Burton, although Dicky Lyons was tops among the receivers with six grabs for 113 yards. Lyons caught a 51-yard touchdown pass from Woodson in the opening minutes of the contest to set the tone. Tailback Rafael Little only carried the ball 12 times in the blowout, but he certainly made the most of his touches by racking up 135 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Little, an outstanding receiving option out of the backfield, also caught a pair of passes.

The Kentucky defensive unit was outstanding against Eastern Kentucky. Aside from only allowing 10 points, the most important stat of all, the Wildcats yielded a meager 202 total yards. Even the one touchdown that was scored by the Colonels was the culmination of a drive that covered only 22 yards. Kentucky did an outstanding job on third downs, as EKU made good on only 2- of-14 conversion attempts. Also, the 'Cats came up with a pair of interceptions. With eight starters back on the defensive side of the ball, Kentucky has reason to believe that the strong showing in the opener is a sign of good things to come. Senior linebacker Wesley Woodyard is clearly the best player for Brooks on the defensive side of the ball, as he is coming off a campaign in which he made 122 tackles, including 80 solo stops.

Keep an eye on Woodson, as he has all the tools and intangibles to be a big- time quarterback at the next level. For now, however, he is focused on ripping up the collegiate ranks. Kent State is the next victim.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Kentucky 41, Kent State 13