Midseason Kentucky Football Evaluation: They Aren't Who We Thought They Were

The bye week serves as a time for reflection. This week the Kentucky football team is self-scouting to determine which areas the Wildcats have fallen short in the first half of the season to course correct for the rigorous final five-game stretch. From the outside looking in, it’s clear this team is not who we thought they were entering the 2023 Kentucky football season.

Preseason Strength, Wide Receiver

The Kentucky wide receivers were supposed to be a strength of the team. We weren’t the only ones saying it. Cole Cubelic described this group as possibly the best collection of wide receivers in school history. It made sense. Dane Key and Barion Brown each set numerous Kentucky freshman receiving records in an inconsistent offense. With the addition of Devin Leary and Liam Coen into the fold, the passing game had all of the right ingredients for an outstanding season from the Kentucky pass-catchers.

Instead of a strength, wide receiver play is once again a weakness for the Wildcats. Kentucky’s sensational sophomores have combined for more catch-less games (2) than 100-yard games (1). Both have a catch rate under 50%, which means they’re catching less than half of their targets. A running back, Ray Davis, actually leads the Wildcats in receiving touchdowns.

The wide receiver struggles do not completely fall on the shoulders of the two sophomores. Tayvion Robinson is the most experienced pass-catcher on the Kentucky roster and he only has 78 receiving yards against SEC competition. Kentucky needed its pass-catchers to be among the top half of the SEC, instead they’ve produced near the bottom of the league.

Preseason Weakness, Offensive Line

The Big Blue Wall was nearly torn down a year ago. The Kentucky running backs were often hit at the line of scrimmage, while the offensive line let Will Levis get sacked more than any other quarterback in the Power Five. Even after adding offensive tackles from the transfer portal, there was anxiety around the fanbase that the Kentucky offensive line could not return to form.

This fall the Big Blue Wall has looked more like the Big Blue Wall of old. Even without All-Americans and future pros at the line of scrimmage, they’ve given Ray Davis plenty of running lanes. Up until they surrendered four sacks against Missouri, they also have given Leary time to throw. The Kentucky quarterback has been sacked 11 times, the third-fewest in the SEC.

The Big Blue Wall is not the most dominant in the conference, but they’ve out-performed expectations to give the Kentucky offense a chance to be successful.

Preseason Strength: Devin Leary

Freddie Maggard took a lot flack for telling the BBN in the preseason that Devin Leary could be the best quarterback of the Mark Stoops era. He was not the only one singing Leary’s praises. There were nothing but positives coming from the practice fields, setting the Cats up for unprecedented success through the air. As illustrated previously, that has not been the case.

The Kentucky quarterback is only completing about half of his passes against SEC foes. While the offense has been explosive and created a few impressive highlights at times, inconsistent play from the veteran quarterback has drawn ire across the Big Blue Nation

Meanwhile, the transfer that was supposed to simply grind out yards between the tackles has been one of the most explosive playmakers in the SEC. Ray Davis has eight plays of 30+ yards and he leads the SEC in rushing yards and has 13 total touchdowns, with five coming through the air. An absolute dog, the Vanderbilt transfer has been a surprising bright spot for Kentucky and is well on his way to earning All-American honors if he continues to produce at a high rate through the final five games of the season.

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Preseason Strength: Front Seven

This might be the only thing we got right in the preseason. The Kentucky run defense has been as good as advertised, allowing only 95.7 yards per game and 3.07 yards per carry, ranking in the top 20 nationally in both categories. Deone Walker has been a monster. Once officials start flagging his opponents for holding, his impact will be felt even more. Trevin Wallace was creating all kinds of havoc prior to his shoulder injury at Georgia. The Wildcats have almost eclipsed their sack total from last season and have more tackles for loss than half of the SEC.

Preseason Weakness: Cornerback

Kentucky was searching for two new starters at cornerback. The last time that happened, the Wildcats dropped from first to eighth in the SEC in pass defense. Stoops brought in a pair of lengthy former four-star transfer to compete for the open spots, but neither won the competition. Some thought that was an indictment on the new guys. It turns out the guys already on the roster were pretty good.

Max Hairston leads the SEC in interceptions with five, and he’s returned two for touchdowns. The first-year starter also has eight passes defended, the fourth-most in the conference. His partner in crime, Dru Phillips, was receiving praise for his play prior to a rough night against Missouri. They haven’t been perfect, but the cornerbacks’ disruptive play has been a strength of the Kentucky defense.

Preseason Strength: Safety

Jordan Lovett and Zion Childress were two of Kentucky’s top performers in the second half of the 2022 season. Outside of a scoop and score in game one for Jalen Geiger, the BBN has rarely heard the names of the safeties over the Kroger Field PA system.

It would be unfair to describe the Kentucky safeties as a weakness, but Brad White needs more from his players in the back of the secondary. The Wildcats have been gashed in the passing game at times, particularly on third down. Opponents are converting almost 44% of their third down attempts, ranking No. 107 in the FBS. Some of that falls on the shoulders of the safeties. The defense has been solid through seven games, but they must be better at situational football down the homestretch.

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