The Kentucky Wildcats were on a roll. Then they ran into Georgia and lost two games in a row.
By Matt Zemek
Could Georgia be the deliverer of a devastating body blow to UK? It’s possible, but it’s also not easy going from preparing for Georgia to playing Mississippi State. That’s a significant shift in identity and playing style. The SEC has evolved and continues to evolve. Yet, it has also stayed the same in terms of the teams competing for a national title. It probably won’t change that much in the coming years until Oklahoma joins the SEC and brings Texas along. For now, let’s focus on how Kentucky can avoid a third loss in a row. The Cats have a real shot at a 10-win regular season, but they cannot have any more losses if they want to achieve that goal. They have no margin for error if they want to make a New Year’s Six bowl, and they might need help from other results across the country. First things first: They need to take care of what they CAN control: beating everyone else they play.
1 – Will Levis taking the next step
Will Levis needs to improve for Liam Coen and the Wildcats’ offense. Coen is in his first season as offensive coordinator and has found some success, but Levis hasn’t had mountaintop moments in games against top teams. Levis had a 76.2% completion rate against Georgia but was always swimming upstream in that game. His outings against Florida and Mizzou weren’t quite as impressive. He has also thrown an interception in most of his games this year. He has nine total interceptions in eight total games. He has also been sacked 12 times and has a quarterback rating of 69.6, so Coen has to find a way to get more out of him.
2 – Stop Hendon Hooker
The Volunteers haven’t been an incredible team, so Hendon Hooker hasn’t been a foremost figure on the national radar screen. If anyone has seen him play in the SEC, however, it is clear he is more than capable of handing Kentucky a third loss in a row. Not only is Hooker one of the nation’s more dangerous players, he’s one of the most unsung talents. Hooker didn’t even play against Bowling Green and he’s still one of the nation’s best quarterbacks by the numbers. He has thrown for almost 1,600 yards, 17 touchdowns, and thrown only two interceptions all year: one against Alabama, one against Pitt. If Kentucky lets Hooker play to his potential, the Wildcats can kiss that 10-win regular season goodbye.
3 – Limit Velus Jones and Tiyon Evans
Tennessee is a well-rounded team on offense. The Vols managed to get two different USC transfers on this team and one of them is Jones. He is the Volunteers’ leading receiver with 453 yards and four scores. While Javonta Payton leads the Vols with five touchdowns, Tiyon Evans is the Vols’ leading rusher and leading scorer outside of the other USC transfer, kicker Chase McGrath. Evans has 516 yards on just 80 carries, but he has found the end zone on six different occasions. Of course, stopping Evans when Hooker and Jabari Small are thriving on the ground is easier said than done.
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