OK, Kentucky lost to Georgia. Its next ‘opponent’ could be its biggest, though.
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Game day: Georgia 14, Kentucky 3
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Georgia football game at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky.
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Kentucky failed to get anything going against Georgia and lost its second straight game, falling to 2-4 on the year.
Here’s a look at what Saturday’s outcome means beyond the scoreboard.
Stalled out?
If it wasn’t already apparent before Saturday, it is after: Georgia is at the front of the class, and UK might not even be in the same school.
It can’t be said enough: Kentucky is in a so much better place than it was prior to Mark Stoops’ arrival in 2013. Progress has been demonstrable, both in terms of wins and losses as well as demeanor; Kentucky carries itself with a level of confidence and preparedness befitting of a Southeastern Conference program.
But it’s not Georgia. For what it’s worth, no one (rational) expected UK to suddenly be on the same level as the three-time defending SEC East Division champs, but there was optimism entering 2020 that this team could put itself in position to surprise the Bulldogs and itself contend for a berth to Atlanta.
Those dreams were put on life support with a loss at Missouri last week, and any remnants were shredded by the Bulldogs in a 14-3 defeat Saturday. The Cats lost their 11th straight in the series, and after showing signs of progress the last couple of years, don’t feel any closer to closing the gap with the league’s upper echelon.
Future at QB
It’s somewhat depressing to think that what could be Terry Wilson’s final start gave way to a terrible showing on the same Missouri field where he made one of his greatest throws as a Wildcat, but with four games left on the schedule it’s time to wonder whether it’s worthwhile to trot out the senior anymore; both for his sake and that of the program.
Wilson’s place in UK lore is rock solid regardless of what his final moment looks like. He’s 14-6 as a starter and ranks second all time in completion percentage (66.3, behind Tim Couch). He is one of only two quarterbacks in school history to lead UK to wins in games at Florida and Tennessee (Derrick Ramsey was the other). If not for a season-ending injury between the 2018 and 2020 campaigns, he’d have had a shot at being the winningest starting quarterback in school history.
But, he is not the future. Joey Gatewood started on Saturday and could have up to three years of eligibility after this free season. True freshman Beau Allen, who could play up to four full years after this one (plus, still would have a redshirt if needed), is waiting in the wings. Kaiya Sheron is down at Somerset High School right now but will be eager to push the pair after he enrolls in January.
Wilson has said he won’t come back for another college season despite having the option as a result of the NCAA’s blanket waiver. That would have been the right call even if UK right now were 6-0; he’s a still-new father with a fun future ahead of him, and a forthcoming career unlikely to involve playing football. He’s overcome a major leg injury and now has a wrist problem that was bad enough to sideline him on Saturday; that has to be dispiriting.
If last week was the last we saw of Terry Wilson, it’s a shame, because he deserves a better send-off. But it would also be understandable.
No-bye blues
There are four opponents left on Kentucky’s 2020 regular-season schedule. A fifth, though, could prove to be the most destructive.
UK’s open date comes at a crucial time. The Cats will have a week to prepare for Vanderbilt, the only thing close to a “sure win” left on the slate. If they don’t come out of the off week hellbent on crushing the Commodores, we’ll know the Halloween hangover didn’t go so well.
Kentucky under Stoops is 3-4 coming off open dates, though it’s 3-1 in the last four seasons (the bowl years) and has won two straight. It’s also only been embarrassed on one occasion, a 45-7 loss at Mississippi State in 2017; the other losses all were by six or fewer points.
The Wildcats went 6-2 following last year’s bye, one of the best turnarounds in program history. Any chance of achieving a similar shakeup in 2020 starts on Sunday.
This story was originally published October 31, 2020 at 3:04 PM.
