Kentucky could have been 6-0 at this point? Really?
Yes, the football Wildcats are that close to being undefeated, but things didn’t work out. They committed costly mistakes in the Florida and Auburn matchups which resulted in 14-9 and 30-27 setbacks, respectively. So the 4-2 Cats have dropped two games by a total of only eight points in the first half of the season.
“We are very disappointed that we didn’t beat the two teams we lost to in Florida and Auburn,” said UK coach Mark Stoops earlier this week. “We had our opportunities, but we just need to continue to build and get better to find ways to win those games. I like the attitude of this team and we are getting better and better.”
What about the next six games? Will UK have enough in the tank to go to a nice bowl? Here’s a look at UK’s remaining schedule.
• MISSISSIPPI STATE (Saturday night at Starkville): The Bulldogs are 5-2 (1-2 in SEC) with tough losses to a pair of conference teams which are currently ranked in the Top 15 — No. 5 LSU (21-19) and No. 15 Texas A&M (30-17). MSU, by the way, is actually No. 26 in this week’s Associated Press poll.
Senior QB Dak Prescott is doing very well, joining Tim Tebow of Florida and Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M as the only SEC quarterbacks in history to total 50 career passing touchdowns and 30 career rushing touchdowns. He also ranks fourth place in SEC history in career rushing yards by a quarterback with 2, 182 yards, just passing Manziel who had 2,169 yards.
“He (Prescott) has come a long ways and become a big-time quarterback,” said MSU coach Dan Mullen Saturday after the Bulldogs whipped Louisiana Tech 45-20. “Today I was impressed because he is starting to get back and find his balance on when to pull it down and start running.
“He is starting to see and understand coverages so he doesn’t have to hold the ball in the pocket for too long and get sacked. The key to that is the balance of knowing what is happening on the field. He makes great decisions for us. It is great having a guy that really wants to rally and turn the score around when you are down 14-0. He got a look in his eye; he wanted that ball and wanted to go make things happen on the field.”
Mullen’s Bulldogs have been a problem for Kentucky in recent years. The Cats are 0-6 against Mississippi State during the Mullen tenure.
A quick forecast: Mississippi State by 3. Before the season, I had Kentucky by 6, but the Bulldogs have done a respectable job in rebuilding so far.
• TENNESSEE (Oct. 31 at Lexington): The demanding folks from the Big Orange Country aren’t that happy with Butch Jones and his Vols, who are 3-3 with snake bitten losses to Oklahoma and Florida. UT is a dangerous but unpredictable team, though.
A quick forecast: Tennessee by 1.
• GEORGIA (Nov. 7 at Athens): Mark Richt has lost his best player, Nick Chubb, to a season-ending injury in the Tennessee game and the sputtering Dogs couldn’t score a TD during their 9-6 victory over Missouri last Saturday. After a fast 4-0 start, they have cooled considerably after setbacks to Alabama and UT. The Dogs, who have dropped out of Top 25, are now 5-2. Before meeting Kentucky, Georgia will be facing arch-rival Florida in world’s biggest cocktail party in Jacksonville.
A quick forecast: Georgia by 9.
• VANDERBILT (Nov. 14 at Nashville): Coach Derek Mason’s Commodores are 2-4, including a season-opening loss to Western Kentucky 14-12 in Nashville. They barely stopped Middle Tennessee State 17-13 a couple of weeks ago. Vandy, which dropped to Ole Miss by a respectable 27-16 score, plays hard but struggles to finish on a winning note. It’s a possible trap game for the Wildcats, who were actually lucky to beat EKU in the final minutes.
A quick forecast: Kentucky by 7.
• CHARLOTTE (Nov. 21 at Lexington): A new member of the Conference USA, the 49ers are just starting out in big-time college football atmosphere. Charlotte is currently 2-4, including a 73-14 blowout loss to Middle Tennessee. The 49ers are doing better than expected this fall, though. A former Wake Forest defensive coordinator, Brad Lambert is the head coach. This non-league matchup should be a breeze for the Wildcats.
A quick forecast: Kentucky by 36.
• LOUISVILLE (Nov. 28 at Lexington): Bobby Petrino and his Cardinals are not setting the world on fire with a 2-4 mark, but they can be plenty tough, playing one of the country’s most difficult schedules. According to the Sagarin Ratings, the Cardinals have faced the third toughest schedule in the FBS.
U of L freshman QB Lamar Jackson has begun to show signs of growing up as he passed for a career-high 307 yards against Florida State this past weekend. He can run, too. Jackson is 37 yards away from breaking Michael Bush’s school record for rushing yards in a single season by a true freshman.
UK and Louisville have one common opponent this season — Auburn. The Tigers defeated both U of L 31-24 and UK 30-27. Needless to say, it should be a remarkable season finale on a wintry Saturday after Thanksgiving.
A quick forecast: Kentucky by 7, completing its 2015 campaign with a 7-5 mark — a two-game improvement over 2014 — and a decent bowl trip.
Jamie H. Vaught, a longtime columnist in Kentucky, is the author of four books about UK basketball. He is the editor of KySportsStyle.com online magazine and a professor at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College in Middlesboro and a regular contributor to KyForward.com and nkytribune.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KySportsStyle or reach him via e-mail at KySportsStyle@gmail.com.