Once again, Cats Illustrated publisher Justin Rowland asked for hot takes on Kentucky's football program after the Wildcats' 41-6 win against Ohio.
And as always, you delivered.
Here are some of those takes along with buy/sell responses and commentary.
Buy. The protection issues are the biggest concern with this team. The offensive line has blocked the run pretty well so they deserve credit for that. But you can tell they're still trying to find out what works in terms of protection, and leaving guys back to block doesn't make it easier to get guys in open space down the field.
Buy. Key has done enough this year that I think you can confidently say he's the best receiver they have. Not the best athlete, but the best wide receiver. He had some drop issues at one point last year but has rebounded and taken a step forward. I understand the need to still try to get the ball to Brown, but Key should be in line for more targets. I wouldn't change anything in terms of the offensive line starters we saw this weekend.
Defensively a lot of young guys got on the field. They will have a lot of tape to break down for some of the younger guys in the program.
Sell. I'm not writing this off as crazy talk because Wimsatt did some very interesting things. But I'm not quite ready for that level of reaction. I see what you're getting at, though. If Wimsatt throws the ball like that then he's extremely interesting and I've always left open the possibility that he could be a completely different player in an offense that's more quarterback-friendly offense.
Buy. At this point it's fair to say that there are clock management issues for Stoops at Kentucky. He's just a more conservative coach who approaches the game one way. So going fast or calling the game aggressively is a little out of character for him. Kentucky's players also aren't used to playing those situations as much as other teams.
Buy. This seems undisputable at this point. A lot of that was all the settling for field goals against Georgia. When you go 25 offensive drives without scoring a touchdown there's going to be talk about the offense not finishing drives. I do think they shook off some of that on Saturday and had a much better performance. I'm sure rolling the pocket is a good idea and they have some but they have to mix it up. The defense looks like one of the SEC's best units and that has been overshadowed by the big picture talk.
Buy. He's definitely earned more carries. Kentucky's offense needs to generate more explosive plays and Wilcox has the ability to rip off big chunk plays for them. We saw that. So even though Demie Sumo-Karngbaye has played very well this year Wilcox is going to be needed. It's noteworthy that only DSK and Wilcox logged carries among running backs on Saturday.
Buy. That's what happens when you lose at home to South Carolina. But really, I think a lot of fans went into the season feeling like UK needed to win South Carolina and all the games you mentioned. Vanderbilt will be tougher than we expected and Louisville will not be easy, but Kentucky should beat Florida and Auburn based on how those teams have looked this year.