Cats Illustrated's popular 3-2-1 feature returns and there's plenty of ground to cover with Kentucky football well into fall camp.

The format is familiar and easy to follow: Three things we've learned, two things we're asking and one bold prediction.

WHAT WE'VE LEARNED

1. Mark Stoops has seemed comfortable and confident ... except after that first scrimmage.

Plenty of people who follow Kentucky football and even some national media figures who have spent some time with the staff have noted that the Cats' head coach has seemed very much at ease going into 2018. Maybe that's what two straight bowl games will do for a coach's confidence, and Stoops surely does feel both a sense of validation and confidence in himself after steadily building the program in the right direction.

Why wouldn't he be confident going into this year? Most would agree that Stoops has his most talented Kentucky roster yet. He has a senior-laden team with several players who are likely to be drafted in the offseason.

He has been confident in the team's leadership and while he acknowledged at Media Days that he doesn't know what formula Kentucky will need to use to win games this year, given the offseason losses at quarterback and on special teams, he didn't seem too stressed, either.

Saturday's post-scrimmage media appearance seemed to be the first time that Stoops was visibly and audibly agitated after a "disappointing" performance that was "just good enough to be average" and marked by plenty of inconsistencies.

Pre-snap penalties were an issue and that will fire any coach up. But Stoops was also disappointed in some receiver drops and the fact that nobody stepped up to make a big play. That's an especially pressing topic, and concerning, because Kentucky needs more explosive plays in 2018.

What really seemed to bother Stoops, however, was a perceived lack of intensity. He has to hope the urgency picks up as the season approaches, but it's normally not the kind of thing that can simply be flipped on like a light switch. And for a team with so much senior leadership, it is disappointing.

2. There doesn't seem to be any movement in the quarterback race.

Going into fall camp Kentucky had an ongoing quarterback competition. However, at the same time, it seems like most program-watchers have had strong opinions about how things would play out. While a Gunnar Hoak faction exists in the fan base, most media who cover the program have voiced their belief that, ultimately, Terry Wilson's athleticism would be the deciding factor in his favor.

When SEC Network analyst Chris Doering announced that he believed Hoak would eventually win the job, during a UK basketball broadcast, it marked a significant departure from the near-monolithic media opinion on Wilson.

****** Click here to read the rest of this story ******

Become a new annual member and get a $99 credit for UK gear and merchandise!