After a magical 2018 season the Kentucky Football Wildcats are ready to prove to the nation last year was no fluke.
For a program that has suffered some of the most brutal losses of any school in the nation, 2018 finally saw a change in narrative for the Kentucky Football program.
After back to back 7-6 seasons, Kentucky entered 2018 looking to breakout. They did that and then some as the team finished 10-3 and ranked 12th in the final AP poll.
Kentucky’s 2018 season got off to a hot start when they broke their 31-year losing streak to the Florida Gators. They would go on to finish with a winning record of 5-3 in the SEC. Along the way, Kentucky beat ranked opponents Florida and Mississippi State.
The biggest win of them all, however, came in the 2019 Citrus Bowl. On New Year’s Day, Kentucky defeated college football powerhouse Penn State. In the victory, Benny Snell Jr. became the program’s all-time leading rusher. It was a historic victory to end a magical season.
Turning The Page
Entering the 2019 season there isn’t much belief from the national media that Kentucky can sustain success. They are projected to finish sixth in the SEC East according to the media from SEC Media Days.
This is a big mistake. Since 2013 when Mark Stoops took over as head coach, Kentucky is the only program in the nation to not see a decrease in their win total from the previous year.
The Cats may not win 10 games in 2019 but there’s little reason why they can’t come close.
Offense
Offensively, the Cats will return much of their offensive line that has ranked among the nations best the past two seasons. Star wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr., who recorded 745 receiving yards last season, is back for his junior season. AJ Rose, who totaled 524 yards of offense and six touchdowns as Snell’s backup, is set to take over as the Kentucky feature back.
Most importantly, Terry Wilson returns under center. In his first season with the Wildcats, Wilson had his struggles. Despite this, he became the first quarterback to lead a 10-win Kentucky squad in over 40 years.
Wilson tossed 11 touchdowns for 1,889 yards and added 518 yards on the ground with four touchdowns. With his first year in the SEC in the books, Wilson can now take the momentum into 2019. He can take the lessons he learned from his struggles to help him grow as the quarterback Kentucky needs in order to repeat their success.
Defense
On the defensive side of the ball, the Cats return much of their pass rush production and run stoppers outside of Allen. Jamar “Boogie” Watson is set to slide into Allen’s role after recording five sacks as a sophomore last season. Edge rusher Josh Paschal is back and healthy, and Calvin Taylor also returns. As for the nose tackle positions, Quinton Bohanna and Marquan Mccall will be the men up the middle. Finally, hard-hitting Kash Daniel returns at middle linebacker and as one of the best run stuffers in the conference
The biggest question mark for the 2019 Wildcats will be the secondary, where Kentucky lost all of their starters to the NFL.
It will be an inexperienced group of youngsters outside of Davonte Robinson who had a breakout 2019 season in a reserve role last season.
If the Cats can find answers in their secondary the team is as complete as any in the SEC. There should be no doubting Kentucky and their program stability.