Looking at the Good And Bad
Hello everyone and welcome to our 2023 Kentucky mid-season recap. Currently, Mark Stoops’ squad sits at 5-2 on the season and 2-2 in SEC play. They started off the year rolling off five straight before losing the last two. As it stands right now they are one game away from making an eighth straight bowl, extending a school record. There’s been some really good moments and some subpar ones. Let’s start with the positives.
Not Since the 1950s
Best Win- Florida- September 30th- In the Wildcats’ 33-14 win over the Gators they accomplished something not done in over 70 years. They knocked off Florida three straight years since winning four from 1948- 1951. UK’s now won three in a row and four of the last six against a school they once lost 31 straight to.
The Big Blue Nation will forever remember this one as the “Ray Davis game.” Against the Gators, he had a career day running for 280 yards and three touchdowns. That total put him third in school history behind only Moe Williams’ 299 against South Carolina in 1995 and Lynn Bowden’s 284 versus Louisville in 2019.
Runner up- Vanderbilt- September 23- Kentucky avenged a bad loss in Lexington a year ago with a 45-28 win. The star of this one was defensive back Maxwell Hairston. He returned two interceptions for touchdowns. In the process, Hairston became the first Wildcat ever to accomplish that feat.
Now the Not So Good
Worst Loss- Missouri- October 14th- The Cats’ most recent outing was the most disappointing. After racing to a 14-0 lead the wheels completely fell off as the Tigers outscored Kentucky 38-7 the rest of the way.
The turning point came on a fourth and ten when punter Luke Bauer threw up a lob that Marquis Johnson caught for a score. Penalties and mental mistakes did the Cats in. When all was said and done the Wildcats had more penalty yards (122) than passing (120.) Penalties have been a problem this entire season.
Continuing on with our 2023 Kentucky Mid-Season recap let’s look at some top player performances.
Individual Awards
Offensive MVP- Ray Davis– It can’t be stated enough how big a pickup the former Vanderbilt player has been. Through seven games he leads the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards with 111 per game, rushing scores (8), all-purpose yards with 139 per game, and scoring 11 points per game. He is sixth nationally in total rushing yardage with 781. As a result, he is on the Associated Press All-Mid-Season Team. Furthermore, he won the national player of the week award for the Florida game.
Runner’s up- The Big Blue Wall and Tayvion Robinson– After some well-documented struggles the offensive line has had a big bounce-back year. So far they’ve only allowed 11 sacks which ranks third in the SEC. As a result, they are one of 23 named to the mid-season honor roll for the Joe Moore Award for the best line in football.
Much like the offensive line Robinson struggled in 2022. However, he’s had a nice 2023 season tied for team lead with 23 receptions and first with 338 yards.
Defensive MVP- Maxwell Hairston– The sophomore has a nation-high-tying five interceptions this season including four in SEC play. That ties for fifth-most in a single season in program history. In fact, it’s the most since Sam Maxwell’s six in 2009. In addition, he also has a team-high tying 44 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a team-high three pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Runner’s up- Trevin Wallace and D’Eryk Jackson– The Cats inside linebackers have been strong in 2023. Jackson is tied for team lead with 44 tackles while Wallace is second with 31, despite missing the last game.
As we finish up our 2023 Kentucky Mid-Season Awards let’s look at a couple of subpar things.
Things That Need Improving
Biggest Disappointment- Overall Offensive Production- In Liam Coen’s first stint as offensive coordinator in 2021 the Wildcats had one of the best groups in the SEC. As a result, excitement was high for Coen 2.0. However, through seven games, other than Davis, things aren’t clicking.
Quarterback Devin Leary hasn’t looked like the player he was at North Carolina State. While he’s thrown for 1,477 yards and 14 touchdowns he’s only completed 54 percent of his passes and has seven interceptions. The percentage is even worse in SEC play at 47 percent.
Star wide receivers Barion Brown and Dane Key have shown flashes of brilliance but also struggled. Even more troubling is the constant pass dropping. Currently, Kentucky has a pass drop rate of 12.5 percent. That’s the third highest rate of power five schools trailing only UCLA and Boston College.
Penalties- Kentucky is one of the most penalized teams in college football. Through seven games they’ve committed 54 penalties. Only seven teams have more, however, two of those teams have played an extra game. Flags definitely aided in the loss to Missouri and put them behind the eight ball against Georgia.
An Important Stretch
Kentucky has their bye this week which gives them time to get players healthy and work on fixing mistakes. Most of their issues can be solved which is important because they have one of the toughest finishing stretches in football. Starting with Tennessee next week the Cats travel to Mississippi State, host Alabama then end on the road at South Carolina and Louisville.
You can make the case for Kentucky to win all five or lose them all. Cutting down on mistakes goes a long way in being successful down the stretch.
Thanks for checking out our 2023 Kentucky Mid-Season Recap here at Last Word On College Football.
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