We're definitely living in a crazy year. The circumstances and the challenges facing college football teams are unlike any we've ever seen.
But perhaps through two weeks we were too quick to abandon our priors about Kentucky football.
Remember how we felt just one week ago?
Kentucky had rushed for 400 yards but had given up more than 40 points to Ole Miss. Matt Corral had played the best game of his young Rebel career against the 'Cats.
Through two games, against Auburn and Ole Miss, the offense had carried the Wildcats. We were talking about a modest step forward for a conservative passing game, an overpowering rushing attack, but more than anything a defense that had seemed to forget how to play the game of football.
Then came Mississippi State.
Saturday night was the great regression to the mean, for good and for bad.
Kentucky picked off six passes, held the Bulldogs to a paltry yard per attempt mark, and didn't allow MSU to score any offensive points.
Numbers like that were bound to dramatically alter UK's defensive numbers, and the performance should change our perception about this team as well.
Kentucky didn't forget to play defense.
In hindsight, they are a top-25 defense after three games against Auburn, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State.
Read differently, they are top 25 in defense after three games against the top division in college football.
Or, they are a top 25 defense after facing one of Bo Nix's best games as a college player, after facing the team that nearly scored 50 points against Alabama (and took the Tide deep into the fourth quarter), and after seeing the Mike Leach Air Raid that knocked off LSU in Baton Rouge.
The Auburn game was never as bad as it seemed. UK should have had more points (turnovers) and Auburn shouldn't have had as many points (turnovers). The 'Cats outgained Auburn by a good margin and turnovers caused the game to get away.
The Ole Miss game was not as bad as it seemed in hindsight. The simple truth that's tough to digest is Kentucky should have won the game and would have but missed kicks and a premature celebration. And that Ole Miss team clearly has one of the best offenses in college football.
As for Mississippi State?
Let's not draw premature conclusions following this one like we did after the last two.
With Missouri torching the LSU defense and beating the defending champs, MSU's win in Baton Rouge doesn't look as impressive. Since that game Mississippi State's Air Raid has been grounded, against Arkansas and Kentucky. We'll learn more in the weeks ahead, but right now that week-opening win at LSU looks like it was more about LSU's defensive woes and stubbornness than anything special about the Bulldogs.
Meet the new Kentucky, same as the old Kentucky. Only now, that's not such a bad thing to say.
I'm asking how Kentucky can move the ball and score points against a good team like Tennessee, and we'll find the answer to that question this week.
I'm asking whether UK should consider working a second quarterback into the mix to give life to that offense, which is one of the worst passing attacks in the country.
But I'm also saying the defense is fine.
I'm saying that considering UK has played three games on against SEC West teams, the defensive numbers are actually quite good. Just as we expected them to be before the season.
Maybe the secondary last year did benefit from monsoon games and bad SEC East quarterbacks, but they didn't forget how to play. Mark Stoops didn't forget how to coach. His brand, his style, his philosophy — they didn't stop working.
Kentucky can still escape from an ugly game that everyone wants to end, but only when it's facing a somewhat flawed team. That style won't work against the better teams on the schedule.
In short, our priors about this Kentucky team were not all wrong. This is 2018 without Josh Allen and Benny Snell. It's 2019 with Terry Wilson back at quarterback.
It's the old Kentucky, "old" being relative, and under Mark Stoops that's not bad.
Will it be good enough to beat Tennessee? I'm skeptical, but we're about to find out.
