As much as I hate Thursday night games, I can spin this as a positive.
It's scheduled after an off week. So playing Thursday means we don't get a full 2 weeks off before Kentucky (we shouldn't need 2 weeks to prepare for them anyway). It also means we get two extra days off before going to South Carolina... which is the start of the toughest portion of our schedule. @ USC, @ TX A&M, Bama, @ ARK, and UM.
I can see us being 5-2 going into South Carolina. That would be huge to get win #6 there if we don't have it already. So extra time to prepare would be nice. The bad news is that USC is coming off 3 consecutive road games so you gotta think that place will be rocking.
But regardless of what happens at USC - the Thursday night Kentucky game comes at a spot in the schedule that should help us get guys healthy and focused on the final 5 games. But I still hate Thursday night games...