Kentucky capped a tumultuous year with a huge win. Where do the Cats go from here?
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Game day: Kentucky 41, South Carolina 18
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday night’s Kentucky-South Carolina football game at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky.
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Kentucky defeated South Carolina 41-18 at Kroger Field on Saturday, bringing its final regular-season record to 4-6.
It was UK’s sixth win over the Gamecocks in their last seven meetings, and the Wildcats’ largest victory in the history of the series. The teams became the first in the Southeastern Conference to complete their full 10-game schedules.
Here’s what the Wildcats’ victory means moving forward.
Stability
Kentucky will finish no worse than fourth in the Southeastern Conference’s East Division. So, smack dab in the middle.
On one hand, that’s something of a disappointment in relation to the preseason expectations heaped upon a roster that returned so many significant starters across all units. On the other, it’s a testament to where the program is that, in the midst of a pandemic and in the face of so many tragic occurrences within the team, that it was able to win four SEC games for just the 15th time in school history.
Fans of course want to see continued growth from the team, and for it to compete for championships within the league and beyond, so to be disgruntled about how this season played out is understandable. But this year, more than any, has been a model of how far UK has come during Mark Stoops’ tenure. Since 1977, when Kentucky went 6-0 in the league, Kentucky has had eight seasons in which it won at least four SEC games; Stoops’ teams have earned four of them over the last five years.
The Wildcats started at the bottom of a hole and moved into a position where they should be taken as seriously as any program outside of the league’s four to five finest. It’s been modest growth, but is an important place to remain. Saturday’s victory sent the message that Kentucky won’t be knocked back down without a fight.
Bowl prospects
In all likelihood, Kentucky was going to get a bowl invitation regardless of Saturday’s result. But a win not only makes the destination possibly more desirable, but also probably ensures that the Wildcats actually accept an invitation.
Stoops earlier in the week said he’d need to take the temperature of the locker room to determine whether or not a bowl bid is something they’d be interested in accepting. It stands to reason that a loss would have made the thermostat dip, especially amid the ongoing pandemic.
A win means better spirits, but it doesn’t necessarily mean there won’t be players who choose to forego the bowl game. That’s never been an issue before under Stoops, but given the unique circumstances presented by the year 2020, I’d expect at least a few absentees due to the uncertainty surrounding any opportunity. It’s possible that UK could accept a bowl bid and never actually play the game because of a COVID-19 outbreak within its own locker room or that of its opponent; it’d be reasonable for an individual to choose not to commit to something like that.
Kentucky should find itself within the “Pool of Six” bowls, which — if all are actually played — will consist of five bowls with which UK fans are familiar (Gator, Liberty, Music City, Outback, Texas) and one recent addition, the Armed Forces Bowl (it replaces the Las Vegas Bowl, which won’t be played).
UK will not be in the Outback Bowl; while technically part of the same pool of matchup-based bowls, it tends to get the higher-ranked teams of the lot. It’s unlikely to be selected for the Armed Forces or Texas Bowls due to geography, which leaves the Jacksonville-based Gator Bowl and two Tennessee bowls.
My money, for what it’s worth, would be on the Liberty Bowl or Music City Bowl.
Milestones
With the win Saturday, Stoops now stands alone in the No. 2 spot for career victories at UK.
Paul “Bear” Bryant owns the school record with 60 wins. Stoops before Saturday was tied with Fran Curci in the No. 2 spot; he now has 48 career victories at UK, his first stop as a head coach.
Stoops won his 24th SEC game, bringing him within one of tying Curci for the school record. That could not happen until next season on Sept. 11, when the Cats are (tentatively) scheduled to play a league opponent following a home game against Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 4. Based on recent, non-pandemic schedules, that opponent would either be Florida at home or South Carolina on the road.
A.J. Rose rushed for 101 yards, earning him a spot among the school’s top 10 all-time rushers. He’s the third player under Mark Stoops to achieve that distinction, joining Benny Snell (No. 1) and Stanley “Boom” Williams (No. 8).
Terry Wilson became the 40th player in UK history to reach 1,000 career rushing yards after running for 46 against the Gamecocks.
This story was originally published December 5, 2020 at 11:15 PM.
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