Each week on social media CI publisher Justin Rowland asks for hot takes on Kentucky football from the fan base.
Here's a selection of what you delivered along with buy/sell responses.
Buy, pretty much how I feel. We didn't learn too much that's really surprising and the big picture might not have changed. If I were to pick a hot take it would probably be related to Vandagriff but quarterback watching can be lazy.
South Carolina is 100% a must win game. Theoretically they could make up for it with a surprise win, but after watching Week 1, this is a team you probably have to beat at home.
Sell. I think we know who and what Brad White is. They've regularly been a top-40 defense when you take all the numbers together and I don't think that's bad. They have good not great talent compared to the rest of the country but they play in the SEC.
They did give up a long conversion on third down but only gave up 3/8 third downs overall and kept USM in front of the sticks on completions to end drives for the most part. Selling doesn't mean I think there's no room for improvement.
Buy. Agree with all of this and a good summary. Thought BVG looked as good or better throwing on the move compared to when standing in the pocket. The staring down receiver thing is the obvious and correct critique after one week. But he looks really good otherwise.
TBD. A little early to tell for me, but the way they finished the half was definitely a positive. They benefited from a really bad decision on the fake punt, but were prepared for it. They did drive it down to score but there were more than six minutes remaining so I'm not sure he put his foot on the gas all that much. When you put it all together, the tempo and BVG's ability, I do think you're right, we're more likely to see Stoops be more aggressive this year. They also might or might not have the workhorse in the backfield.
Buy. That may have been what it was early. The offensive line in particular seemed to figure it out and that made a big impact for the offense. The defense was stout with a couple of exceptions but they managed to make big plays even when they bent. Whether it was jitters or the challenges of playing after a long postponement, they did start slower but got a lot better. The slower start wasn't slow enough for it to be a concern in my view.
Buy. He seemed clearly pleased with how they came out of the gate. They have been better against the spread and in general than I feel like a lot of the fan base gives them credit for. Maybe they don't always rack up a lot of style points, but Stoops was happy and for good reason.
Buy. As I've said, I do think USM definitely compounded the problem with some decisions and mistakes they made especially toward the end of the half. That's when things really spiraled. Having said that, even with the seven points off a turnover, UK outgained USM 152-19 in the second quarter and that's complete domination. The first quarter left something to be desired.
Patterson, surprise or not, was impressive. We will see how much of a workload he will carry in the SEC but his combination of power and quickness was impressive to see, and the fact that he got four carries compared to just two for Wilcox was also interesting.
TBD. It's close. I want to make a call but that one is really close. I definitely see what you're getting at. Maclin is a very interesting player. You can see his maturity as a route runner and working to get open when BVG is on the move. He plays with a lot of energy and confidence. Barion Brown already has two touchdowns and they're going to give him plenty of opportunities so he may still end up with the best numbers but I totally understand the Maclin hype.
On the one hand, I agree that they are probably going to lose at least three games. They've lost three or more games in every regular season under Stoops and with the schedule this year it's probably a safe bet it happens again. I will say, if that had been a full game Kentucky could have won 49-0 or 56-0 and then it's right there similar to a lot of the other outcomes that were so impressive and lopsided.
Buy. I think it should be. Last year they did have 36 sacks and that was a great number but a lot came in the bowl game at the end. They have an experienced and a talented defensive line and a lot of players at the second level who can get into the backfield and make plays.
Buy. We will see if he's wired to slide or get down. His former teammates at UGA seem to think he's just wired to play hard. He took a lot of hits early but it did get better as the game went on.
Sell, but he may be eventually. I thought Demie Sumo-Karngbaye looked as good as Patterson and he probably knows the offense better having been in the program for longer and being an older player. But in terms of running instincts and natural ability, there was a lot to like with Patterson.
