Kentucky Wildcats Football: Still Ahead of Schedule

Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

There’s nothing like a loss to get a fan base riled up and the Big Blue Nation isn’t any different. After the University of Kentucky Wildcats Football team lost to the Florida Gators 14-9 on Saturday night, the disappointment has become palpable among many fans. This is the second year in a row that the Wildcats have come very close to defeating the Gators for the first time since 1986 and, still, the streak goes on. Yet, the Cats sit at 2-1 with some winnable games still left on the schedule. Which is where most experts thought they would be after the first three games.

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Yes, the game against Florida is disappointing. When the defense only yields 14 points, most people would hope that the offense would be able to pull out the game. And that complete game is still something that the young Wildcats haven’t yet been able to put together. Through 3 games, it’s been one side of the ball carrying the other with rarely the complete team playing well all at once. Again, that’s a cause of concern, but how often has a Kentucky football team not played its best and still reached a 2-1 record with a chance at being 3-0? Not very often, which is why the glass is half empty.

Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

A fourth of the way through his third season, head coach Mark Stoops has already made strides in the football program. Moving from the SEC East cellar to the penthouse is not the kind of change that is made overnight or in one season. What Stoops has done is he’s moved Kentucky from the bottom past Vanderbilt and has the program now positioned ahead of South Carolina in the divisional pecking order. Not only are the Wildcats beating the Commodores and Gamecocks off the field in recruiting, but the on the field product has been just as impressive. Stoops has beat Steve Spurrier’s team in back to back years. That’s pretty impressive.

For Coach Stoops and the Wildcats to change their lot in the SEC East, the next challenge is to leapfrog Missouri. Even though the Tigers are the new kids on the block, they have represented the SEC’s Eastern Division in the SEC Championship Game twice. With the assumption being that Florida and Tennessee will return to their championship levels, it’s imperative that the Cats make a move to solidify their spot in the middle of the division and point themselves toward being competitive with the teams at the top. And that starts this Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium.

Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky showed that the gap between themselves and Florida isn’t as wide as it used to be. Back to back close, winnable games prove that. They had the chance to beat the Gators and didn’t. There’s no sense dwelling on the would haves and should haves of the Florida game when the Wildcats still have 9 games left on the schedule to prove to themselves, the fans and everyone that these aren’t the same ol’ Wildcats. A win against Mizzou and a win over Eastern Kentucky would have the Cats sitting at 4-1 with the underwhelming Auburn Tigers coming to town. And that’s not exactly a bad scenario.

Again, the overall play has to improve. Quarterback Patrick Towles has to be more accurate. His receivers have to fix their drops. The offensive line has got to protect Towles better and give the talented running backs room to run. And the defense, while performing well to this point, has got to continue their growth as the Cats head toward the meat of the SEC schedule. There are definitely issues that Mark Stoops and his coaching staff need to address, but there’s a lot of positive that they can build on as well.

All is not lost for this season. There’s still a lot to fight for. These 2015 Kentucky Wildcats aren’t the same old Wildcats that the BBN has become accustomed to. In fact, these Wildcats have the chance to do something that we haven’t seen in a long time: they have the chance to move Kentucky Football further up the SEC East ladder. There’s still time to make this season special.

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