Josh Allen doesn’t mind close games.
“We love them.” the Kentucky linebacker said following Kentucky’s 24-20 win over Eastern Michigan Saturday at Kroger Field. “A win is a win, I don’t care how we get them as long was we come out with a win.”
Allen was noncommittal when asked if he preferred a win either by blowout or a razor-thin margin, similar to the four-point victory over the Eagles that wasn’t decided until the final quarter.
“If God is going to give us a close game, we’ll take it,” he said. “If God gives us a blowout, we’ll take it. I actually prefer a win.”
Behind the scenes, Kentucky prepares for any scenario every week, mostly close-knit encounters.
“We practice (close) games,” Allen said. “We practice against the offense with situation football and I feel like we do good in practice.”
It has shown on the field, at least in the first five weeks.
The Wildcats have recorded four victories through five games and if not for a late letdown in the Southeastern Conference home opener against Florida last week, Kentucky would have been undefeated in September, a feat that hasn’t happened in decades.
Kentucky is that close to being undefeated going into a critical October stretch that features six straight conference games, blended in with an open date following next week’s contest against Missouri. Stoops admitted playing close games can take its toll, but likes the fact the Wildcats are finding ways to win in the midst of adversity.
“We left a lot on the field last week, right here and we have to find ways to get them back, get them energized and get them ready to play next week,” Stoops said. “That’s the good thing. We’re all in here disappointed because of the way we played (against Eastern Michigan), but you won the football game.”
Kentucky tight end Greg Hart, who caught his first career touchdown against the Eagles, agreed with his coach.
“We’re not going to apologize for a win,” he said. “Obviously we need to button up some things just like everybody does. The fact that we were able to finish the game and stay locked in was good. There are some things that we need to clean up just like any other game, but we came out with a win and that’s the direction that our program is going – winning games. So it’s just exciting to see that finally happen.”
The first four wins to have been a tight squeeze for the Wildcats. Victories at Southern Mississippi, South Carolina, combined with hime victories over Eastern Kentucky and Eastern Michigan — were by a combined average of eight points. The margin for error is indeed small, but the fact the Wildcats are winning those close encounters proves they are beating teams they should and closer to competing with more superior teams, especially in the SEC.
“You’re not going to play your best for 12 games,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “And, good football teams win when they don’t play their best, and I think that’s across the board. The better you are, your margin (for error) are a little bigger. We know our margins aren’t very big and we know we have tom play our best football or we could lose to anybody. The good news is, we can beat anybody.”
To beat ranked teams and those in the upper echelon of the conference, the Wildcats have to become more consistent on both sides of the football to close and surpass the gap in the SEC East.
“You have to play a cleaner version of football,” Stoops said. “That certainly wasn’t very clean today.”
One of the top teams in the Mid-American Conference, Eastern Michigan, mostly because of its talented quarterback and defensive line, will give any team a run for their money. The Wildcats were favored by two touchdowns and had to play catchup just 15 seconds into the game after a fumble on the first snap resulted in a touchdown by the Eagles just two plays into the contest.
Even though easy victories have been hard to come by this season, Stoops is appreciative of what the team has achieved through the first five weeks of the season.
“We appreciate the fact that we’re 4-1 right now,” the Kentucky coach said. “That’s better than 3-2.”
Keith Taylor is sports editor for Kentucky Today. Reach him at keith.taylor@kentuckytoday or by twitter @keithtaylor21.