JEFF DRUMMOND:

It feels weird to say when a team wins an SEC road game by three scores in a place it hasn't departed triumphant in 15 years, but I thought Kentucky did just enough to get the W tonight. There were some good things, for sure -- D'Eryk Jackson's game-changing pick-6 and some really nice throws from Devin Leary for touchdowns to Demi Sumo-Karngbaye and Dane Key -- but it felt like the Cats left a lot of potential plays on the field tonight against a shaky opponent that has been decimated by injuries. I didn't think this was a step forward from last week's offensive performance against a much better Tennessee squad. The defense was definitely improved, although that's difficult to gauge with how beat up the Bulldogs were, playing without their top two offensive players. But a win is a win is a win, and the bottom line is UK did what it needed to do tonight to stabilize its season after a three-game losing skid. The Cats broke the Starkville streak and have bowl eligibility clinched for the eighth straight year with three games to play. That should never be taken for granted.

JUSTIN ROWLAND:

Kentucky's football program needed that win. I don't think talking about some arc of regression since 2021 it's necessarily helpful or the whole story, but on the heels of a three-game losing streak that sucked a lot of the excitement out of the season for the fan base, this was an important jolt before the last quarter of the schedule. The realistic, attainable goal is obvious: Now you go beat South Carolina and Louisville, giving Alabama a good game in Lexington. That would put you at 8-4 and probably against a solid opponent in the postseason. Tonight keeps that possibility alive. The narrative would just be very different if we're talking about a four-game losing streak with Alabama coming to Lexington. Devin Leary made some excellent throws and did some crazy things in the backfield and the defense was never seriously tested.

TRAVIS GRAF:

It was nice (and about time) that Mark Stoops got the SEC West road monkey off of his back. Kentucky played a B game at best and won by 20+ on the road, which is never an easy feat in the SEC. Outside of one 10- or 11-minute drive, Kentucky’s defense and special teams coverage was great. Their offense did a good job of taking what the defense gave them, and the game was never really in question, but there were some points left on the board.