After every Kentucky football game of 2019 we've learned something or some things about the Wildcats that we didn't know before.
The same was true on Saturday, when we watched Kentucky rally for a comeback victory against Virginia Tech in Charlotte.
Here are three things we can take from that 37-30 UK win.
Josh Ali can be a building block next year
Kentucky should have a solid quarterback situation, running back depth, a nice set of tight ends, and one of the nation's best offensive lines going into next season.
But with road grader Logan Stenberg exhausting his eligibility (you saw less push when he was substituted out of the game) and with Mr. All-Everything, Lynn Bowden, presumably moving on as well, there's going to be a significant shakeup in the way Kentucky does offense.
There's a path to a very productive offensive team next season. It will mean more balance with Terry Wilson providing a better passing game to go along with a stable of backs pounding away at opposing defenses. But that formula only works if receivers step up like they haven't always done.
Josh Ali's four catches for 52 yards and a touchdown should give Kentucky fans reason for hope going into his senior season. When he had to make a play, he made a play. He showed that clutch gene that springs from an innate situational awareness, and that's a good sign for a team in need of a breakout receiver next season.
Ali has often been the receiver that coaches have pointed to in the offseason or during camp. It was only one game, but it was arguably Ali's finest game as a Wildcat, given the magnitude of his plays.
Lynn Bowden is one of the greatest Kentucky football players of all-time
Wait, didn't we already know this?
Well, I guess it depends on who you ask and what you mean by "one of the greatest".
When the CI staff put together lists of the best Kentucky football players of the last ten years just a few weeks ago, no one listed Lynn Bowden in the top three. Randall Cobb, Josh Allen, and Benny Snell were common choices.
Now, it seems a given that Bowden belongs on that list, and it's not crazy to think he might be a top three player all-time for the Wildcats.
Virginia Tech had a fairly stout rush defense and Bowden simply pounded them into submission, chipping away and chipping away until finally they broke.
He should absolutely be remembered as belonging in the most elite company: Couch, Allen, Cobb, Bowden, Snell, Moe Williams, and a precious few others.
Pump the brakes a little on the defense going into next season
There is no question that the work Brad White and the defensive staff did with their unit during the 2019 season was remarkable. To lose that many star and consistent contributors and finish as a Top-25 defense was a big accomplishment. And there are major reasons for fans to be excited about UK's defense moving forward, from Boogie Watson's senior season to an emerging defensive line and a secondary that returns almost everything and gains Davonte Robinson and Kelvin Joseph.
It's not like Kentucky's defense was "exposed" on Saturday, and it's worth mentioning that every unit has weeks that are better than others.
But Virginia Tech was able to gash Kentucky on the ground and in the open field at times. The final box score shows the Hokies had only around 330 total yards, and that's not a red flag in itself. But the poor tackling, some of the angles, and the less effective than expected pass rush were a step back from what we saw from UK's defense at the end of the season against inferior competition.
Kentucky should have one of the better defenses in the SEC next season so this isn't a dire warning. But before you crown next year's defense the best in school history, let's take a deep breath and wait to see what happens.
