GAME GRADES: Report card for Kentucky following win over MSU

QB

C

Stephen Johnson has become a very difficult player to grade. Purely in terms of his passing Johnson left a lot to be desired, especially in the first half. He was very inaccurate on both simple and difficult throws early in the game and that led to Kentucky's inability to finish drives. The Cats had 199 yards, zero sacks allowed and zero turnovers in the first half. Yet they only had six points.

However, by the game's end Johnson was 17-33 (his accuracy improved a fair amount in the second half) for 292 yards, two touchdowns and no picks. He led an offense that scored 40 points and combined for 554 yards against a defense that was not statistically bad. Johnson didn't post huge rushing numbers but he did make some timely, crafty plays with his legs.

Johnson did have two huge turnovers in the second half, both fumbles, with one being a play on a drive that could have put Kentucky up 17 points. He was also flagged for a false start when Kentucky went into the Wildcat formation deep in Mississippi State territory another time. But, again, look at the final stats and the scoreboard. Johnson's a tough player to grade so he passes, but it's not pretty. The most important thing? He's now led Kentucky to four wins in five games.

RB

A+

This group just seems to get better and better. Kentucky may have one of the more underrated (and one of the better) rushing attacks in the country and the backs are a big reason why. Benny Snell finished with 128 yards on 19 carries with a huge 34 yard touchdown run, showing even more breakaway speed than he previously had. Boom Williams bounced back from one of his worst games with a great performance (14 carries, 99 yards, long of 35 yards) and he was especially clutch helping Kentucky march right back down the field after Mississippi State's scoop and score late in the game. Jojo Kemp had just two carries for 15 yards but he was outstanding as a blocker on a couple of key occasions.

WR

B

Jeff Badet was more involved in the offense than he's ever been. On top of that, he was explosive in the kick return game. He had seven catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns, and three of those catches came in the first quarter so it was clear the Cats made an effort to get the ball to him early and often. Badet could have had even better numbers if some throws had been more on the mark. He was targeted 10 times, which is very likely a career high. Ryan Timmons also had a very good game (three catches, 77 yards), and as has been the case so often this year, his stats came in clutch game moments. Tavin Richardson had a 17 yard reception and showed off great hands on a two-point conversion that canceled out the earlier failed two-point attempt.

Garrett Johnson had a forgettable game with three catches, 18 yards but five total targets and two big drops. One of his drops almost led to a first quarter interception. Dorian Baker had a chance to win the game on long pass into the end zone late in the game, and though it would have been a very difficult catch, he didn't make it.

Kentucky went three games without a 20-yard passing play, remarkably, but the explosive plays returned against Mississippi State with passing plays of 44, 32 and 26 yards.

TE

A

This unit's blocking has become one of the better aspects of the offense. Both C.J. Conrad and Greg Hart deserve a lot of praise for the way they're helping the offensive line to blow open big holes.

Johnson obviously feels comfortable targeting the tight ends. Conrad had a 26-yard reception and Hart caught an eight yard pass. Conrad should have had a big gainer over the middle but the pass from Johnson was poorly thrown and didn't have the right touch.

OL

A+

John Schlarman's unit is already good, now it's arguably the best unit on Kentucky's team. The offensive line allowed just one sack in a game where Johnson attempted 33 passes. They paved the way for 262 yards on 44 carries (6.0 yards per carry) with both big plays and long, grind-it-out drives featuring plenty of power.

The unit was excellent at avoiding penalties. They gave Johnson a nice pocket he could step into. This is one of the SEC's best offensive lines and so many of the players who saw action last night deserve credit.

DL

C+

The defensive line didn't record any sacks and they were pushed around at times by a physical Mississippi State front. The Bulldogs rushed for 281 yards.

Adrian Middleton and Naquez Pringle both had three tackles. Courtney Miggins had two. Middleton did share a tackle behind the line of scrimmage. Otherwise the unit didn't do much behind the line of scrimmage.

LB

C-

The linebackers have had a lot of bright moments in recent weeks but they took a step back against Mississippi State. On Mississippi State's first rushing touchdown, a 45-yard burst up the middle by Malik Dear, Courtney Love was fooled and followed the running back and Josh Allen was late in breaking to the ball and never made a serious play. That directly cost Kentucky seven points and led to a real change of fortunes. The linebackers were not very good at containing Nick Fitzgerald on the ground and their struggles were a big reason Kentucky allowed 7.2 yards per carry. Players like Allen and Denzil Ware, who had been much better rushing the passer lately, did not get after Fitzgerald effectively.

There was some good. Jordan Jones had another big game (11 tackles), Ware chipped in with seven and Love made five stops. Ware had a tackle for loss.

DB

A

Only a little shoddy tackling knocks this unit down from an A+. One of Mississippi State's long runs came on missed tackles by Blake McClain and Mike Edwards. But for the most part this unit was outstanding against the Bulldogs.

The coverage was good and a major reason Fitzgerald finished just 13-21 for 81 yards, one touchdown and one pick. Derrick Baity closed on the ball extremely fast and from an early point in the game. In the first half and late into the game the safeties were fast, active and physical, with Mike Edwards, Blake McClain and Marcus McWilson all turning in big performances.

McWilson had the interception returned for a touchdown and he played faster than he almost ever has during his Kentucky career. Edwards made a big tackle in open space behind the line of scrimmage. McClain made a stop for negative yardage, too. Chris Westry did get flagged for pass interference on a ball that could have gone for a touchdown, so the coverage was poor but the penalty wasn't altogether bad. Steven Clinkscale's unit played very well. It was one of their best games of the year.

ST

B

Overall the unit gets mixed grades but made the plays when it counted. The special teams units had an inauspicious start. Mississippi State's Keith Mixon averaged 32 yards on his three kickoff returns with a long of 45 that set them up nicely and flipped the field position battle, which had favored Kentucky earlier in the game. Grant McKinniss started the season mostly strong but his average has waned and he averaged just 34.3 yards per kick with hang time lacking. He almost had a punt blocked when four Mississippi State players got through and only three Wildcats were left back to block, but he survived that. And Austin MacGinnis uncharacteristically missed a chip shot in the first half.

But MacGinnis was unquestionably one of the game's stars. He bounced back from that missed attempt by booting four consecutive field goals through the uprights, including the 51-yard game winner as time expired. Earlier, in the first half, his 46-yarder had tied a season long.

The punt return coverage was acceptable and Jeff Badet looked very good returning kicks, with a long of 39 and an average of 26.

Coaching

B-

This, like so many other categories, is a mixed bag. They've gotten good grades in recent weeks and the coaches definitely "pass" this week. They stuck with Stephen Johnson even when he was playing very poorly, and that persistence paid off when he made the plays down the stretch to win the game. Overall Eddie Gran's play calling was very good at times, and just when it seemed like he might have been a bit conservative in Mississippi State territory or in some third-and-long situations, that same play calling would pay off handsomely (as with Snell's long run on 3rd and long).

The coaches had obviously prepared the players well in terms of the late-game execution on the long pass into field goal range. However, the clock management was very questionable and could have nearly cost Kentucky a shot to win the game. The Cats nearly ran out of time without using all of their timeouts and that would have been highly scrutinized had the Cats not found a way to win. Mark Stoops opted to go for two when Kentucky was down 14-12, and he drew criticism on social media for that. However, that's a judgment call and doesn't deserve a lot of hindsight negativity, and he won cover for that when Kentucky converted their second two-point try.