It's been too long folks! Seems like Kentucky football ended about a hundred years ago [winking]. The Cats are back at it this coming weekend, but first up, how will the Big Blue look this season? Your guess is probably better than mine, but here goes!
OFFENSE
The first question I always ask myself is a pretty simple one. Will/can the line block? The second...what do we have at QB? I think those are the two biggest questions heading into Saturday. Reports from the summer and out of camp are encouraging on both fronts (especially with Barker). Last years tackle play gave me nightmares, so pardon me if I need to see something from those two positions before I believe improvement is imminent. My goodness though, if Kentucky gets better tackle play, look out (I think UK is going to be pretty good in the interior with Toth leading the way)!!! Boom Williams is one of the elite running backs in the SEC (and depth is alright). UK has a future pro at tight end in C.J. Conrad. I don't know that Kentucky has EVER been this deep at WR. You could make a case that this years group is one of the 2-3 best in the Southeastern Conference. Badet, Johnson, and Baker are all big time talents, and UK has more behind them. I honestly thought Shannon Dawson was going to do big things at UK. As it turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong. For whatever reason, Dawson/Stoops seemed to go together like peanut butter and ketchup. In comes Eddie Gran. Drew Barker is a dual threat player, and the Cats will run a ton of read/option this year. For whatever reason, Towles rarely ran the football out of that concept last season. It made for too much predictability, something this unit has to avoid this year. The keys to a big season offensively;
1. What will Kentucky get from the two tackle spots?
2. Can Drew Barker develop into a consistently accurate passer?
3. Can UK get more out of Boom Williams?
DEFENSE
The one constant that's absolutely throttled UK football over the years has been mediocre/horrid front seven play. Yes, we've had the occasional interior stud. We have a couple of DE's in the NFL right now. We've even had some LB's (Woodyard and Trevathan for example) do well at the next level. Generally though, SEC teams run through UK like a knife through hot butter. Will 2016 be any different? Like with OT, I'll need to see improvement before expecting it (if that makes any sense). The loss of Reggie Meant is big. UK's DL isn't deep, so losing a talented veteran hurts. Matt Elam looks like a new man, maybe 4/5'ths of the man he used to be (LOL)! Overall though, who steps up to play SEC level football? Bell? Middleton? Miggins? Someone else? There are just as many questions at LB. Depth will be a huge factor, as will chemistry. Guys like Ware, Jones, and Allen are still awfully young. Love is a first year Cat (redshirted in '15). Overall, the front seven might be a mess next weekend. Certainly, they'll get a big time test right out of the gate against Southern Miss. While the front seven might have more holes than swiss cheese, the secondary looks VERY solid. It's hard not to be excited about Westry/Baity/McClain. UK is also good at safety. With a more talented secondary, will we see a more aggressive approach from D.J. Eliot? IMO, Eliot has been, well, underwhelming thus far as DC. UK has typically sat back and tried the "bend but don't break" approach. I'm not a 3-4 fan to begin with, but it is what it is. Honestly, I'm not even sure Eliot has the horses this year to expect much. Time will tell. The three keys for this unit;
1. Pass rush...where is it going to come from?
2. Run defense...limited talent/depth on the DL combined with lack of chemistry at LB rarely equal a solid run defense.
3. Health...being brutally honest, the starting unit isn't exactly filled with future draft picks...injuries would be a killer.
CAN THE CATS WIN SEVEN
Assuming Drew Barker turns into a reliable quarterback, the Cats offense is going to flourish. The talent is there. Gran is an experienced OC that takes over a pretty talented unit. Defensively, I don't expect much. At all really. I do think the secondary is VERY talented, but the front seven is young and void of quality depth. The schedule isn't all that bad. Getting MSU, SC, and Vandy at home helps. Missouri will struggle this season. Georgia and Florida might be doable (especially Florida). Road trips to U of L, UT, and Alabama will likely turn out ugly. Honestly, I think six wins comes down to the season opener. Beat Southern Miss, and I like their chances to at least get six. Seven will require the offense to play consistently productive football. Luckily for UK, other teams on the schedule have issues as well. The offense SHOULD be good enough to win at least three OOC games and three SEC games. I say they win one more somewhere and finish 7-5.
GBB!!!
