The Kentucky Wildcats have won just 2 games in each of the last two and none of them have been in the SEC. This year they have 15 starters back and are in the 2nd year of Mark Stoops systems, so they should be an improved team, but still not looking like a bowl season for them. Preview & schedule are below.
The Cats have 7 starters back on offense and while QB Jalen Whitlow is gone Maxwell Smith does return and had the better year than Whitlow last year, throwing for 1276 yards with 9 TDs against just 1 INT. Still he isn’t slated to start as sophomore Partick Towles won the job in spring after redshirting last year. He has some experienced weapons to throw to as their top 4 pass catchers are all back from last year. The running games loses their 2nd best back and Jalen Whitlow, who had 407 yards on the ground last year, Jojo Kemp does return after rushing for 482 yards last year and they have added a #27 rated RB in Stanley “Boom” Williams. The offense will set up behind an OL that has 4 starters back but little depth. The defense has allowed 31+ points in each pf the last 2 years, but with 25 lettermen back, including 7 starters they should be an improved group this year. The defensive line is the strength of this group and is led by Alvin Dupree, who led the team with 7 sacks last year, while at the other end spot they have Za’Darius Smith, who had 6 sacks on the year. The LB corps and secondary are both rated among the worst units in the SEC and will struggle this year.
The Cats will be an improved team, but really they had so much ground to make up that it won’t show in wins and losses this year. The Offense will be better and should top the 20.5 ppg they did last year, while I see the defense as being slightly improved and they could be greatly improved if the back 7 come to together. The Schedule is very tough with home dates vs South Carolina, Miss State and Georgia, while they have to travel to Florida, LSU Missouri and Tennessee. The only thing keeping them from a 3rd straight 0-8 season in the SEC is a home date vs Vanderbilt at the end of September. Hard to see more than 3 wins from the Cats this year, but at least they should escape the basement of the SEC East. KEY TREND: 0-7 ATS their last 7 games vs Florida
2014 Kentucky Football Schedule
Aug. 30 UT Martin
Sep. 6 Ohio
Sep. 13 at Florida
Sep. 20 OPEN DATE
Sep. 27 Vanderbilt
Oct. 4 South Carolina
Oct. 11 ULM
Oct. 18 at LSU
Oct. 25 Miss State
Nov. 1 at Missouri
Nov. 8 Georgia
Nov. 15 at Tennessee
Nov. 22 OPEN DATE
Nov. 29 at Louisville
Info gathered From Phil Steele's CFB Preview and Athlon Sports
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