Kickoff: Saturday, September 5 at 12:00 PM CT
Location: Kroger Field
TV: SECN+
DraftKings line (Aug. 30): UK -23.5
Over/under: 62.5

The setup

Will Stein’s first game at Kentucky comes with Kentucky as the 23.5-point favorite. Meanwhile, Youngstown State is a top 10 FCS team and the Penguins have already played their opener, a 43-10 win over Mercyhurst.

What I’m watching

The thing to watch is how quickly Kentucky’s rebuilt offense settles in. Kentucky averaged 23.0 points per game last season and returns one offensive starter. Youngstown St allowed 30.5 points per game. Youngstown St does not need to match the home team’s depth; it needs to force a few early punts and keep the number of possessions down.

Personnel snapshot

• Youngstown St: Doug Phillips enters Year 7 as head coach.
• Youngstown St quarterback: Beau Brungard is Youngstown St’s most experienced returning passer. Last season, he threw for 3,230 yards, 26 TD and 3 INT.
• Kentucky: Will Stein enters Year 1 as head coach. 5 starters return—1 on offense and 4 on defense. Key defenders back include Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace, Sam Greene, and Ty Bryant. That defense allowed 374.2 yards and 26.4 points per game last season.
• Kentucky quarterback: Kenny Minchey is projected to start for Kentucky. Last season at Notre Dame, he threw for 196 yards, 0 TD and 0 INT.

How the game is decided

Kentucky’s first job is avoiding three-and-outs while the new offensive pieces settle in. Youngstown St must turn every early stop into field position or points; empty possessions will eventually let Kentucky’s team’s size and depth take over.

Prediction

I make my final predictions on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook at @uthinkuknowsports.

Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.