Five reasons to be excited (and frightened) with Kentucky’s 2020 season in sight
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Scouting the 2020 Wildcats
Josh Moore, the University of Kentucky football beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com, is examining the 2020 Wildcats position by position entering the season, which kicks off Sept. 26 at Auburn. Click below to read Josh’s stories published so far.
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The University of Kentucky football season is (almost) here!
There’s a lot to be excited about. But there’s also cause for concern (pandemic-related and not so much). We’ve already waited longer for the first kickoff than usual, and everyone’s tired of talking; let’s get right to what you came for: five reasons to be excited (and five to be frightened) about this Kentucky football season.
Excited: The season is happening!
What at one time, particularly in the dark days of March and April, seemed like an impossibility is upon us: Southeastern Conference football! A few weeks of games have gone by, including matchups featuring Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 foes, but has the season really started if the SEC hasn’t kicked off? I think not. There might only be a fraction of fans in the stands on game day, but the level of satisfaction brought by a week-to-week slate of intraconference showdowns will be much higher than 20 percent.
Frightened: The season is happening!
Many of us have warmly accepted (and rooted for) the forthcoming reality of playing football in a pandemic, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be without its perils. The worst possible outcome(s), of course, would shatter the sport and leave decision-makers, talking heads and fans who have any amount of humanity ruing the decision to play. That scenario makes canceled games and fielding a bare minimum number of players due to contact tracing not seem so bad, as distracting and disruptive as those possibilities are.
Excited: Terry Wilson is back!
There’s a reason that folks quickly revised their expectations for the Wildcats when Wilson went down with a season-ending knee injury in the seventh quarter of UK’s 2019 season: the dude is a winner. He’s 12-3 as a starter and is one of the most accurate passers in college football. The staff remains sold on his ability to run and he’s got the green light to do it, and based on last year’s results with a running “quarterback” the potential for a standout senior year is there for Wilson.
Frightened: His backup is …
To be determined! Well, maybe not exactly. It’s likely to be Auburn transfer Joey Gatewood if the sophomore’s eligible, but it could also be true freshman Beau Allen. Both of those youngsters appear to be held in higher regard, at least talent-wise, than Sawyer Smith, last year’s backup who this year is in a box marked “Break In Case of Emergency.” Neither has ever been given the full reins to run a college offense against any opponent, let alone a slate chock full of titans. The talent level behind him is higher than last year, but any time missed by Wilson this year could quickly give way to growing pains.
Excited: Three deep
Kentucky is as loaded as it has probably ever been in several important positions.
The offensive line returns four starters, a few contributors who’ve played and some newcomers who would make their way onto the field (more on that group in a minute). Their counterparts on the defensive side, thanks to an influx of talented freshmen, have the chance to go three deep across the board.
At running back, A.J. Rose has “taken it to another level” in practice, per head coach Mark Stoops and co-offensive coordinator Eddie Gran, and has two of the league’s most proven backups in Chris Rodriguez and Kavosiey Smoke, both sophomores. True freshman JuTahn McClain has impressed throughout his short time on campus, too, and is likely to get snaps himself.
As much talent is as those other spots, no group appears more laden with riches than the secondary. Almost every starter is back for a group that finished second in touchdowns and average yards allowed in the nation last season, and it adds to them: Davonte Robinson, a former starter who sat out last season with a torn quad; Kelvin Joseph, an LSU transfer who was able to be on the scout team last fall; and a litany of freshman reserves who are proving their mettle early, particularly former Bowling Green star Vito Tisdale.
Frightened: Shallow spots
Ah, but not all is rosy in terms of depth across the depth chart, and academic issues and injuries aren’t the only things that could sideline guys this year. Gulp.
The linebacking unit returns three of four starters — outsiders Jamar “Boogie Watson” and Jordan Wright along with middle linebacker DeAndre Square — and a couple of ultra-talented reserves in Jamin Davis (inside) and J.J. Weaver (outside), but beyond that it could get dicey. How well it has been able to bring along Marquez Bembry and Jared Casey, former outside guys now focusing on the middle, as well as true freshman D’Eryk Jackson, could prove pivotal for UK in 2020.
On offense, the wide receiving corps isn’t exactly thin — the Cats boast 11 scholarship players at the position — but Josh Ali seems like the only sure bet to shine. There’s plenty of talent on paper, but how the rotation shakes out will show how strongly it translate to reality.
Excited: The Big Blue Wall
Kentucky can legitimately boast that it has the best offensive line in the country. Three returning starters — Drake Jackson, Darian Kinnard and Landon Young — were preseason All-SEC selections by the coaches and the other, Luke Fortner, has received that honor from other sources. Either Austin Dotson or Kenneth Horsey will slot in with that group, and Naasir Watkins will give the staff seven sure-fire dudes to play up front. Several other reserves — Eli Cox, Nick Lewis, John Young — have been lauded throughout camp, and based on John Schlarman’s track record, there are bound to be guys even further down the depth chart who could fill in as needed.
Frightened: The Big Blue Nation
There can be about 12,000 fans at every game, a fraction of what Kroger Field can accommodate. How much quieter will it be compared to a normal game? Will the fans who come adhere to the safety guidelines in place to limit the spread of COVID-19? What happens if a UK football game is identified as a superspreader event? Will the stadium reach its reduced capacity or will fans be wary of attending games in person at all? So much of the college football game-day experience is about the fandom as much as the game itself; how might that lack of positive energy affect the players accustomed to feeding off it?
Excited: Boom
This season will be unlike any that’s preceded it. Kentucky’s got one of its deepest rosters, brings back a ton of experience, has a quarterback who’s won 80 percent of his starts and a schedule that, while stacked, is ripe with opportunity to show that the Wildcats have arrived. Embrace it. After all, in this year of all years, who better to spoil the predictions of pundits everywhere than the University of Kentucky?
Frightened: Bust
Of course, with a 10-game SEC schedule, the possibility of positive COVID-19 cases and contact-tracing measures limiting player participation, and the general cloud of misfortune that so often decides to come through Lexington in the fall, it’s possible that this “season to remember” could be remembered more for “what could have been” rather than something extraordinary.
With all that in mind, I say temper your expectations and fears. There’s not a single one of us who can guess what’s going to happen in a normal year, but in 2020? Forget about it.
Season opener
No. 23 Kentucky at No. 8 Auburn
Noon Saturday (SEC Network)
2020 UK football schedule
Home games in all capital letters. Kickoff times and TV included where available.
Sept. 26: At Auburn, Noon (SEC Network)
Oct. 3: MISSISSIPPI, 4 p.m. (SEC Network)
Oct. 10: MISSISSIPPI STATE
Oct. 17: At Tennessee
Oct. 24: GEORGIA
Oct. 31: At Missouri, Noon (SEC Network)
Nov. 14: VANDERBILT
Nov. 21: At Alabama
Nov. 28: At Florida
Dec. 5: SOUTH CAROLINA
This story was originally published September 20, 2020 at 7:48 AM.
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