College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Kentucky Wildcats season with what you need to know.
CFN in 60 Podcast: 2020 Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky Wildcats preview in 60 seconds
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Kentucky Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2019 Record: 8-5 overall, 3-5 in SEC
Head Coach: Mark Stoops, 8th year, 44-44
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 26
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 45
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 38
NOTE: Obviously, no one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
5. College Football News Preview 2020: Kentucky Wildcats Offense 3 Things To Know
– Don’t get too comfortable with the Kentucky quarterback situation. Even if the depth chart is settled, the coaching staff might need to use smoke and mirrors again – like turning now-Las Vegas Raider WR Lynn Bowden into a devastating rushing quarterback last season.
Bowden stepped in after starter Terry Wilson suffered a devastating knee injury early on in the year. He’s expected to be back in time for the season – if it starts on time – but he still needs a whole lot of work to get back to 100%.
And then there’s Auburn transfer Joey Gatewood. The 6-4, 242-pound sophomore has the tools and talent to be the star of the program, but the NCAA’s flip-flopping on the one-time transfer rule makes him a question mark to be eligible for 2020.
If there are any issues with Wilson and Gatewood, senior Sawyer Smith suddenly gets the keys to the offense. Again, don’t get comfortable until someone runs out on the field for the first drive against Eastern Michigan.
CFN in 60 Video: Kentucky Wildcats Preview
– Lynn Bowden was the running game at times last year, but no matter who’s at quarterback this year, don’t expect 1,468 yards coming from the position. 6-1, 210-pound senior Asim Rose is back after running for 826 yards and six scores. He’s surrounded by a whole bunch of promising underclassmen – namely sophomores Kavosiey Smoke and Christian Rodriguez, who combined for well over 1,100 yards with 12 scores – for what should be a solid ground game.
The offensive line will be there to pave the way. Four starters are back from a group that got the job done for the nation’s fourth-best ground attack. There’s depth, size, and enough talent for the front five to be a major plus.
– Bowden was the team’s leading rusher, second-leading passer, and the top receiver. Assume more from the wide receivers, but Josh Ali is the top returning target with just 23 catches for 233 yards and three scores. Expect a lot more big plays from the mostly neglected group for a passing game that failed to connect on half of its passes.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Kentucky Wildcats Defense 3 Things To Know
4. College Football News Preview 2020: Kentucky Wildcats Defense 3 Things To Know
– The defense was terrific under coordinator Brad White, finishing 21st in the country overall and 14th in scoring D. Now it comes back experienced.
Seven of the top nine tacklers are expected to return with the early strength in the secondary – UK was second in the nation and first in the SEC in pass defense. The corner combination of Brandin Echols and Cedrick Dort is a start, but they’re not alone in a deep group. Leading tackler Yusef Corker is back at one safety gig.
– Is junior Chris Oats ready to be the thumper on the inside? Kash Daniel is done after finishing third on the team in tackles, but Oats is a 6-3, 232-pound veteran who should be in for a huge statistical year. The depth is taking a hit in the transfer portal, but there’s good size among the remaining options for the 3-3-5 alignment.
Senior Jamar Watson is the leading returning sacker – coming up with 6.5 last year with 11.5 tackles for loss – at one outside spot, and junior DeAndre Square is an active veteran on the other.
– The defensive front was great at getting into the backfield, but the run defense has to be a bit nastier. 6-4, 367-pound senior Quinton Bohanna is an NFL defensive tackle who’ll anchor things on the nose, and there’s even more size behind him in 6-3, 269-pound junior Marquan McCall. The pass rush will come from all sides, but 274-pound end Josh Paschal is a versatile option who’ll pound his way into the backfield
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Top Kentucky Wildcats Players
College Football News Preview 2020: Top Kentucky Wildcats Players
Best Kentucky Wildcats Offensive Player
C Drake Jackson, Sr.
It would be great if Terry Wilson can be healthy and back to form, and/or if Auburn transfer QB Joey Gatewood is eligible to rock right out of the box, and/or if Asim Rose – or one of the other backs in the deep group – can become the new Benny Snell, but it’s the O line that should be the early strength of the attack.
Veteran Drake Jackson might not have the length the NFL types will like, but the 6-2, 310-pounder is an All-SEC technician who’s been through the wars. He’s a blaster for the ground game.
2. QB Terry Wilson, Sr.
3. RB Asim Rose, Sr.
4. OT Landon Young, Sr.
5. RB Kavosiey Smoke, Soph.
Best Kentucky Wildcats Defensive Player
LB Jamar Watson, Sr.
Flip a coin between Waton, CB Brandin Echols, or massive tackle Quinton Bohanna as the key to the D. Boogie Watson is the do-it-all producer on the outside who came up with 36 tackles with 6.5 sacks and a team-high 11.5 tackles for loss. At 6-3 and 242 pounds, he’s got the size to be just the type of hybrid edge rusher on the outside to be the team’s most disruptive force.
2. CB Brandin Echols, Sr.
3. DT Quinton Bohanna, Sr.
4. S Yusef Corker, Jr.
5. P Max Duffy, Sr.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Keys To The Season
College Football News Preview 2020: Keys To The Season
Biggest Key To The Kentucky Wildcats Offense
The offense has GOT to score whenever it gets the chance. Even with all of the success over the last two years, it’s been like pulling teeth at times to get points.
One of the strangest parts of the puzzle has been the inability to dominate on third downs. UK has been able to control the tempo and keep games within range despite not always dominating statistically.
However, against the tougher teams in the biggest games, score, score, score.
The Cats were a mediocre 80% in the red zone last year, failing to score twice in the loss to Florida, twice in the loss to Mississippi State, and didn’t come away with points once in the 17-13 loss to Tennessee. In all, they were 6-of-12 inside the 20 in the five losses (50%) and 26-of-28 in the eight wins.
Biggest Key To The Kentucky Wildcats Defense
The run defense has to be a bit nastier. That should happen with a veteran front seven, a ton of size up front, and physical hitters who know what they’re doing, but the production has to come.
The Wildcats were able to survive a few times when they were run over, but there were way too many games when they gave up big yards in chunks.
The 2018 defense allowed 4.27 yards per carry and just 12 touchdowns. More than that, they only allowed five yards or more per carry against three FBS teams, and went 1-2 in those games.
They were more hit-or-miss last year, allowing five yards or more per carry six times, losing four of those games and needing to battle to survive against Arkansas and Virginia Tech.
Over the last two years, UK was 13-2 when giving up fewer than five yards per carry.
Key Kentucky Wildcats Player To A Successful Season
QB Terry Wilson, Sr.
The Wildcats were able to get by with Lynn Bowden running wild in a special season, but it would be nice if the quarterbacks were able to complete 50% of their passes. Getting Wilson back and healthy would be a start.
Wilson – a former Oregon transfer who took over two years ago – is a solid runner and around a 65% passer, but he’s coming off a bad knee injury that’s taking him close to a full year to get right again. He has to stay in one piece and/or be back to form, and/or Auburn transfer Joey Gatewood has to be eligible this year, and good.
There are other options – Beau Allen was a good local recruit – and Sawyer Smith is still around after leading the team with 690 passing yards, but a healthy Wilson makes the offense terrific.
Key Game To The Kentucky Wildcats Season
at Florida, Sept. 12
It’s time to halt a new streak before it gets rolling. Kentucky had lost to Florida every year from 1987 to 2018 and just twice from 1979 to 2018. The brutal run of Wildcat futility stopped the last time the two met in Gainesville – a 27-16 UK win – but the Gators pulled off a 29-21 victory last season in Lexington.
This year, it’s back at Florida to kick off the SEC season in mid-September, but the Georgia game is at home. Win, and the Cats will likely be 4-0 going into the road trip to Auburn.
– Kentucky Wildcats Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2019 Kentucky Wildcats Fun Stats
– 2nd Quarter Scoring: Kentucky 111 – Opponents 50
– Rushing Yards Per Game: Kentucky 278.8 – Opponents 156.8
– 4th Down Conversions: Kentucky 14-of-27 (52%) – Opponents 6-of-17 (35%)
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Kentucky Wildcats Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
1. College Football News Preview 2020: Kentucky Wildcats Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
When it comes to the SEC East, the world is going to be in love with Florida and Georgia.
Tennessee will quickly become everyone’s “sleeper” type of team to watch out for, South Carolina will get a ton of media attention because it needs a big year under Will Muschamp, and Missouri will be in the spotlight with a new head coach.
And Kentucky will once again be that basketball school gets pushed aside in the preseason picks. And it will once again be terrific.
The lines might be better than they’ve been over the previous two seasons, and the depth at the skill spots is there. Very quietly, this is going to be a sneaky-great secondary, punter Max Duffy will be among the nation’s best, and everything is in place as long as the quarterback situation is fine.
The quarterback situation will be fine.
Kentucky will put together its fifth winning season in row. The last time it was able to do that was in the great era of 1945 to 1956 If it can come up with ten victories, it’ll tie for the greatest three-year run in the program’s history.
That’s a bit of a stretch, but …
Set The Kentucky Wildcats Regular Season Win Total At … 7.5
Bet at BetMGM Win Total Line: 7
Start with what should be the sure-thing wins – at least the ones that must be sure-thing wins: Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Eastern Illinois, Vanderbilt.
That’s four, and UK should be able to push for four more with no Alabama, LSU or Texas A&M on the slate from the West.
However, the dates against Florida, Auburn, Missouri and Tennessee are all on the road. If they can win two of those, they’ll hang around the mix for the SEC East title when Georgia comes to down on November 21st.
The Cats will easily get to another bowl game, and they’ll make a whole lot of noise along the way.
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