Ten Wildcats to Watch Against EMU

Kentucky doesn’t have a bye this weekend but the Wildcats may be playing the equivalent of an FCS opponent. Eastern Michigan comes to Lexington with an 0-2 record after giving up 400 rushing yards in Week 1 and losing to a Long Island team that couldn’t muster 90 yards of offense against Florida in Week 2.

So this weekend should be a win regardless of what you think about the game against Ole Miss.

Here are ten Wildcats to watch against EMU.

Zach Calzada

The Kentucky coaching staff has been coy this week when it comes to the quarterback situation. Both players are getting reps with the ones and the staff says both should be ready to go this weekend. Given how the first two weeks have gone for Calzada he needs to maximize all of his opportunities to convince the coaching staff that he can be the guy who helps Kentucky reach bowl eligibility. Given Eastern Michigan’s struggles and Calzada’s own struggles early this season everything he does will be closely scrutinized. He needs a good day or at some point the staff will have to think about the future.

Cutter Boley

Boley got some late action against Ole Miss and it wasn’t mop up time. He had a chance to drive the team down the field for a chance to tie the game. Boley is interesting as a quarterback who can push the ball downfield and give the offense a chance for more explosive plays in the passing game. But he will need to show that he can navigate pressure in the pocket, get the ball out quickly, and avoid mistakes. He should get chances against Eastern Michigan and it’s probably fair to say we have an in-season quarterback competition at this point.

Jason Patterson

He has seen spot duty this season but there’s a great chance that Patterson gets extended action this weekend. It’s very likely that Dante Dowdell and Seth McGowan will have a lot of success on the ground against the Eagles. If you’re doubtful about that check out Eastern Michigan’s run defense stats this year. They give up about 7.5 yards per carry and more than 300 yards per game through two. Patterson is the clear No. 3 in the backfield. We have a pretty good idea as to what the top two backs bring to the table but this could be a nice showcase for the second-year player.

Hardley Gilmore

Gilmore may have the most potential in Kentucky’s receiver room and he flashed that ability on a couple of plays against Ole Miss. UK needs receivers to make more competitive plays but there’s also a chance to get a lot of separation this weekend. The best thing that could happen for Kentucky’s passing game the rest of this year is for Gilmore to emerge as someone who could be a big-time player next year. Helping him build some momentum and become more involved in the offense would be a positive against an outmatched opponent.

Kendrick Law

Kentucky’s coaches did a much better job of getting touches for Law and there were a couple of plays that looked like they could have gone for big gains. A lot is going to rely on the perimeter blocking and calling those jet sweeps and screens in the right situation. The screens to Law haven’t been perfectly executed in terms of the blocking so that could be something the staff works to clean up and refine this weekend.

Henry Boyer

Again, look at the numbers for the Eagles this year. Opponents have 84 carries, 623 yards, and seven touchdowns. Long Island ran the ball for 230 yards against EMU, one week after that team couldn’t muster 90 yards of offense against the Gators. Boyer has been averaging 20 snaps per game for Kentucky and he has made some really nice blocks to spring some of the better runs of the season. EMU should struggle with Boyer’s physicality and with Kentucky’s overall power in those personnel sets when he is in the game.

Malachi Wood

Developing Wood into a potential starter at left tackle for next season is another important goal for the offense this year. While Mark Stoops said before the season that Kentucky comfortably goes eight deep on the offensive line we have only seen Wood in spot duty in more of a tight end blocking role. Given the potential for this game to be a blowout it could prove to be an important opportunity for Wood to gain more game experience in a much less difficult situation than he was thrust into last year.

Alex Afari

While PFF hasn’t graded Afari as the top defender in Week 1 or 2 he has certainly been Kentucky’s most consistent defensive performer, and it’s most active tackler. Right now Afari ranks tied for 10th nationally in tackles. He has 23 stops through two games and there’s the potential for another big game this weekend. While there are a lot of younger defensive players who will have the chance to make an impact and impress the coaches, Afari could have a really big year and you know he will be around a lot of the action.

Ty Bryant

What’s Bryant got for an encore after two interceptions against Ole Miss? He had some other nice plays in the game as well. He looked like a center fielder the way he played those two balls that were impacted by pressure. Kentucky needs strong safety play moving forward and Jordan Lovett had some struggles in the game.

Bush Hamdan

Typically these lists are reserved for players but today we held it open for “Wildcats”. That includes Hamdan this week. Through two weeks Kentucky has one of the nation’s worst offenses. We know that these problems have spanned some of the tenures of other offensive coordinators at UK under Stoops so that context is important. But Kentucky needs to have a great offensive day both for public perception.