Before Kentucky took on Arkansas, Cats Illustrated published three keys to a Wildcat win against the Razorbacks.

We'll revisit those pregame keys with how the contest actually played out.

Did those things fall in Kentucky's favor, and did they actually have an impact on how the game played out?

Quarterback health ... Sawyer Smith's health did not have much to do with the outcome. We don't know how he would have fared if he had been thrust into action. The important thing is that Lynn Bowden was truly special as a runner, clutch as a leader, and good enough as a passer to keep the defense a little loose. And he stayed healthy in spite of taking as many hits as he's taken in any game during his Kentucky career. Beyond the health issue, Bowden's electric performance was the best overall showing for a Kentucky quarterback in any game this season. But I'll take an "L" here because I was skeptical of the Cats' chances with anyone other than a healthy Smith behind center.

Avoid a poor start ... For the third straight game Kentucky had a disastrous start to the game. Smith threw a pick six against Mississippi State at the start of that game in Starkville, South Carolina marched right down the field for a touchdown in Columbia, and a revved up crowd feel silent after Arkansas running back Rakeem Boyd ripped off a 74-yard touchdown run on the Razorbacks' first drive of the game. For the first time this negative tone setting didn't contribute to a Kentucky loss.

Finish drives ... Going into Saturday night Kentucky and Arkansas were both among the nation's worst teams at red zone conversions. Kentucky was up a tick from its season average on Saturday, scoring three times in four red zone opportunities. But really Kentucky was better than that, as the Wildcats' ran out the clock with the ball near the goal line at the end of the game. More impressively, Kentucky scored three touchdowns in three red zone possessions. Arkansas was basically at its season average, scoring two times in three red zone possessions. The Razorbacks only scored 10 points on those three red zone possessions. Turns out, red zone scoring was arguably the biggest difference in the game.