2014-15 Football Previews – (SEC) – Wildcats
The job of second-year head coach Mike Stoops is primarily to build the excitement and buzz of a football program belonging to an unabashed basketball school – and in a cutthroat conference at that.
It wasn’t pretty on the heels of a 2-10 record last year (winless in the SEC), but Stoops was still able to reel in a Top 25 recruiting class and get 35,000 fans out for Kentucky’s spring game. So Stoops is doing what he can in a situation that truly defines the term “rebuild”.
The reality is that in Lexington in 2014, any tangible improvement will be met with fist-pumps and self-congratulations, as it should in the SEC.
Kentucky Wildcats
Head Coach: Mike Stoops
2013 Record: 2-10
Kentucky Odds to win 2014 BCS Championship: +8500
Futures from sportsbook.ag
Along with Stoops, last year the Wildcats brought in offensive co-ordinator Neal Brown, who brings with him the aggressive aerial “Air Raid” offense from his time at Texas Tech. It didn’t always go according to plan last season (Kentucky ranked 98th in passing offense) but the ‘Cats are slowly assembling the personnel to make it work.
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Small improvement will likely be met with satisfaction from Kentucky brass, provided that there is a big leap in Year 3. Let’s have a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the 2014 Kentucky Wildcats.
Team Strengths
Stoops is known for giving a facelift to struggling defenses; it looks like his impact is already being felt on the Wildcats’ “D”. The defensive line is particularly strong, thanks to senior defensive ends Za’Darius Smith and Bud Dupree. The 6″4, 267-lb Dupree is the leading returning tackler on the team (61) and sack leader with seven.
Kentucky’s defense will also feature JUCO transfer A.J. Stamps, who wowed coaches with his speed and versatility – he can play corner or safety. He’ll be an intrinsic asset for Kentucky to fix a terrible defensive secondary.
On offense, things will go around a veteran offensive line unit. Four of the starters from last year return, with the strength at tackle in senior Darrian Miller and junior Jordan Swindle.
Sophomore RB Jojo Kemp is a highly-regarded underclassman and he’ll be supported by junior Braylon Heard, who is a transfer from the Nebraska Cornhuskers that shows lots of promise.
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In terms of pass-catchers, Kentucky’s top five wideouts return, led by senior Javess Blue. Look for athletic sophomore Ryan Timmons to take a leap forward.
Team Weaknesses
Kentucky needs to get consistent play from its quarterback. In terms of competition for the starting job, sophomore Patrick Towles carries a slight edge over frosh Drew Barker and redshirt freshman Reese Phillips. A lot of pressure will be on Towles (or one of the others if he gets yanked) to up their game; spotty QB play was the main reason why the Air Raid attack didn’t work well last year.
Defensively, the ‘Cats lose veteran MLB and leader Avery Williamson, who churned out 100+ tackle seasons and buoyed guys in the locker room. The secondary was really bad. Kentucky is desperately hoping that new recruits and JUCO transfers can shore up the weak links.
Kentucky has a freshman kicker in Austin MacGinnis and aren’t sure what they’ll get with highly-touted junior punter Landon Foster, who had a great first year but saw his performance dip last year thanks to injuries.
2014-15 Kentucky Football Prediction: 4-8
It’s not a quick fix. Stoops inherited a weak roster from departed coach Joker Phillips, but the strong recruiting class is encouraging for football fans in the Bluegrass State.
There should be ample opportunities for young players to get on the field at Kentucky; that should be instrumental to the Wildcats becoming more competitive on a weekly basis. Though a 2-10 record is pretty lousy, Kentucky lost three games by single digits last season, so the Wildcats are staying in games.
Deploying a talented recruiting class should only emphasize that trend and keep the positivity building for 2015.
2014 Wildcats Schedule
- 8/30/14 TENN-MARTIN (FCS)
- 9/6/14 OHIO
- 9/13/14 @ FLA
- 9/27/14 VANDY
- 10/4/14 S. CAROLINA
- 10/11/14 LA. MONROE (ULM)
- 10/18/14 @ LSU
- 10/25/14 MISS. ST.
- 11/1/14 @ MIZZOU
- 11/8/14 UGA
- 11/15/14 @ TENN
- 11/29/14 @ LOUISVILLE
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