Is Kentucky overrated? You could make that case. True, Mark Stoops’ Wildcats are a perfect 4-0, but their rise up the national charts is based largely on that Sept. 10 win at Florida. The Gators have struggled since, squeaking out a home win over lowly South Florida before losing to Tennessee on the road.
So is Kentucky really a top-10 team? The AP poll says so, but that’s all for show. Starting on Saturday at Ole Miss — noon ET kickoff on ESPN — it’s game on as the Cats embark on a seven-game stretch through SEC minefields that will tell us plenty about what’s right and what’s wrong with the 2022 edition.
Historically, Kentucky hasn’t had much luck on its occasional trips to Oxford. In fact, the Cats have lost five straight at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (its 2010 win was later vacated). UK’s last triumph there came all the way back in 1978 when Fran Curci’s Cats outlasted Steve Sloan’s Rebels 24-17. In fact, Kentucky hasn’t visited “The Grove” since 2010 when it lost 42-35. The Kentucky coach then? Joker Phillips. The Ole Miss coach? Houston Nutt.
This year’s Rebels are also 4-0. They’ve handled Troy, Central Arkansas, Georgia Tech and Tulsa, the latter by a 35-27 count on Saturday. This time around, head coach and offensive mastermind Lane Kiffin, the infamous Lane Kiffin, has done it a different way, using a rock ’em sock ’em running game to get the Rebels where he wants them to go.
Through four games, Ole Miss ranks No. 4 nationally in rushing offense at 280.75 yards per game. It rushed for 308 yards in Saturday’s victory over Tulsa. Freshman Quinshon Judkins juked his way to 140 yards. Quarterback Jaxson Dart, the transfer from Southern Cal, tucked-and-ran for 116 more. Ole Miss did this with a limited Zach Evans, the former TCU star, who was held to 48 yards on 10 carries by an injury.
“Everybody thinks you throw the ball in this system,” Kiffin said after Ole Miss rushed for 316 yards in a 42-0 rout of Georgia Tech in Atlanta the week before. “You really don’t. You run the ball a lot in this system when you really have it going.”
As for Kentucky, after continued hand-wringing over the (lack of a) running game, the Cats used deadly airpower to succumb Northern Illinois 31-23 on Saturday. Speedy wide receivers Tayvion Robinson and Barion Brown scorched the NIU secondary. Robinson caught seven passes for 147 yards and two scores, including a 69-yard touchdown. Brown turned on the jets after his four catches for 102 yards and two scores, including a 70-yarder.
Key to the effort, UK quarterback Will Levis stood tall against an assortment of Northern Illinois blitzes to deliver the rock. Levis ended up 18 of 26 for 303 yards. His four touchdowns matched his career high. He did so despite being sacked five times.
The serial sacking continues to be a worry among the Big Blue faithful. Before eye-balling the film, offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello pinned two of the sacks on the offensive line, one on the running backs and two on Levis. Let’s just say UK’s O-Line continues to be a work in progress.
“I think they did some good things,” Stoops said afterward. “(NIU was) bringing a lot of pressures. I felt we picked up a lot and created some opportunities for big plays.”
Now come big games. UK’s October itinerary reads as follows: At Ole Miss; home against South Carolina and Mississippi State; at Tennessee. Ole Miss and Tennessee are ranked. Mississippi State is 3-1 and handled the Cats easily last year in Starkville. South Carolina was the league’s “it” team before play actually started.
The good news is that Kentucky does get Chris Rodriguez back Saturday. The preseason All-SEC running back who rushed for 1,379 yards last season was suspended for UK’s first four games. He returns just in the nick of time for an offense about to go on the road to face a ranked conference opponent. He’ll still need to knock off some rust.
“I think when C-Rod pops back in there we’ll get some confidence, too,” Scangarello said. “I like where we’re headed moving forward.”
Starting Saturday, Kentucky can prove the rankings right.
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