Kentucky Wildcats Football: Reasons for optimism

It’s hard to believe it, but the 2013 season is already 1/4 of the way over. The team sits at 1-2 with a brutal stretch of games on the horizon. While the outlook is still relatively bleak for this year, the first three games have brightened the picture long term. Here are the top ten reasons to stick with this team and staff through the rest of the year and into next season…

1. YOUTH
As evidenced by a quick look at the stat sheet, many of Kentucky’s best players are freshmen and sophomores. So much so, that the team is only slated to lose two starters on offense at the end of this season as well as three on defense.

2. OFFENSIVE PLAYMAKERS
Kentucky’s top four receivers and the top rusher are all first year players. That’s a lot of talent to build around.

3. DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS
While the Western Kentucky game was tough to watch, the Kentucky defense really turned things around against Miami and played well against Louisville. If they can continue to play sound football as they have over the last two weeks, they will only get better as the year moves on.

4. 2014 RECRUITING CLASS
We all know how good Kentucky’s recruiting class is, but the number of talented players that will be coming in at a time of need is almost perfect. Stoops and company have found a fantastic balance between finding talented players and getting guys that fill positions of need.

5. 2014 RECRUITING CLASS EARLY ENROLLEES
One thing many fans are overlooking is that a significant portion of the incoming class is expected to enroll this winter and go through spring practices with the team. As many as 12 could potentially get a jump start.

6. TAILGATING
The last two games have had 12:00 Noon start times, which makes tailgating tough. Florida and South Carolina will both have 7:00 PM starts so, even if you can’t go to the game, tailgating should be live for both contests.

7. COMPETITION
A byproduct of having so many young players gaining experience right now, is them getting to play against the best of the best. These young guys already have a game against a top-10 team under their belts and will have an opportunity to take on Florida, Alabama, and South Carolina in the next month.

8. THE STAFF CAN ADAPT
One of the chief concerns from fans over the past few years was that the coaching staff stuck to their guns even when it wasn’t working. Now, Kentucky’s staff has shown an ability to move players from position to position, adjust schemes, and get creative in the hopes of finding the best recipe for success.

9. IT GETS EASIER
After a stretch of really tough opponents, Kentucky will take on Mississippi State, Alabama State, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Georgia and Tennessee. While the Wildcats will be underdogs in most of those games, they will have a chance to win most of them too. Remember that Kentucky has played some really good games against Georgia in the past few years too.

10. 2014 IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER
With a more experienced roster loaded with Stoops’ recruits, the 2014 season should go much better for UK. A possible five-headed quarterback race could potentially muddy things, but a drastic improvement on talent and competition could lead to a much better season moving forward.