Cats Illustrated's regular report card feature returns with marks for each position group following Kentucky's 24-23 loss to Northwestern in the Music City Bowl.
| POSITION | GRADE | EXPLANATION |
|---|---|---|
QB | B | It wasn't Stephen Johnson's best game as a Wildcat but it was definitely better than most of his games in the second half of the season. He finished 19/36 for 257 yards, no touchdowns and two picks. But he should have had at least one touchdown, he rushed for a score that gave Kentucky a chance to win the game and he was improved as a passer. He was errant on some of his throws, but he came out firing and led Kentucky to a touchdown on the first drive of the game. His receivers did leave some production on the field. But Johnson distributed the ball around effectively to a number of different receivers. |
RB | C | Benny Snell came out running with a full head of steam with a first-drive touchdown punch in from the goal line and an 18 yard run. His unnecessary ejection changed the dynamics of the game. Sihiem King (7 carries, 30 yards) ran hard as he always does, but couldn't move the pile like Snell probably would have been able to. He caught three passes with minimal yardage attached. Eddie Gran said he wanted to get A.J. Rose into the game but he had just two touches for five yards. |
WR | B- | In terms of numbers and production it was one of the better games of the season for Kentucky's wide receivers. Tavin Richardson (5 catches on 6 targets, 89 yards) had one third down drop but had a breakout game overall. Kayaune Ross had some explosive plays (3 catches, 67 yards) but wasn't as efficient as he could have been. He could have easily had five catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. Garrett Johnson had a long reception and Charles Walker had a couple of big grabs. But the drops really hurt. |
TE | B+ | Kentucky didn't get as much push from its tight ends as blockers as they would have with C.J. Conrad in the game but Justin Rigg's two catches for 34 yards were a very nice surprise and a good sign for the future of the unit next year, when Rigg becomes the clear number two. |
OL | C- | Johnson was sacked just twice on 36 attempts but he was hurried five more times and some of that pressure led to some bad things happening, including the pick six. Kentucky only averaged 3 yards per carry on 22 attempts. After the game Logan Stenberg tweeted that it was his worst game as a Wildcat, but there were several players who didn't turn in their best effort. They did face a stout Northwestern front. |
DL | C- | Kentucky allowed 300 rushing yards and at times they were gashed, especially by cutback runs, but a lot of that had to do with poor tackling that included the linebackers and defensive backs. Josh Paschal notched a sack and played well. Calvin Taylor got excellent penetration a couple of times. When they put their jumbo personnel on the field, Kentucky was able to get some short yardage stops. This was actually not a bad performance for Kentucky's defensive line, but that's a relative statement. At the very least it was something to build on with so many players returning next year. |
LB | B | There were some missed tackles but Kentucky's linebackers did make some plays. Courtney Love was very active (10 tackles) and had one big pass breakup in the end zone. Jordan Jones had nine stops including one for loss. Josh Allen had seven tackles as well. |
DB | A+ | Kentucky's secondary turned in one of its best games of the season and dominated Northwestern's receivers for much of the game. The Wildcats were unable to get much of anything going through the air with its quarterbacks combining to finish 9/21 for just over 100 yards and no touchdowns. Derrick Baity played exceptionally well and Darius West led the team with 11 tackles. |
ST | B+ | Going into the game most people probably would have said Kentucky needed to win the special teams game by a sizeable margin for a win to result. They had a chance to win, and the special teams didn't make any mistakes, but they didn't dominate. Some of that was because Northwestern played sound in the kicking game. Lynn Bowden had a long kickoff return (37 yards), Matt Panton averaged 39.3 yards per punt and downed three inside the Northwestern 20, and Austin MacGinnis connected on a 48 yarder, his only attempt of the game. |
Coaching | A | There was no one decision that earned the coaching staff an "A" but the overall body of work was tough not to like. The team was obviously prepared with its fast start on both sides of the ball. The game plan was a surprise, with a run-heavy Kentucky opting to air the ball out early against a stout run defense. It was successful early in the game. Then when Snell went out and Kentucky fell behind, the troops rallied and stayed focused and hungry for the rest of the 60 full minutes. In terms of preparation, game planning and execution it was one of the best showings of the year from Mark Stoops and his staff. |