Kentucky Football: Do Wildcats have enough firepower to compete for SEC title?
Wildcats looks to develop well-balanced offense
For the past couple of seasons, the Wildcats have benefitted from one or two players that have enough talent to carry the offense.
In 2018, the Wildcats relied on star running back in Benny Snell Jr. to help lead them to 10 wins. Last season, they had wide receiver turned RPO quarterback Lynn Bowden Jr. to lead them after a barrage of injuries at the position. This season, the Wildcats do not have that skilled player to lead them at the beginning of the season. They do have eight experienced starters returning from last year’s team that includes a strong offensive line.
The Wildcats’ offense will be led by two smart and experienced offensive coordinators in Eddie Gran and Darin Hinshaw. Both came to the Wildcats in 2016 as they will be approaching their fifth season with the program. Gran has been highly efficient in developing highly productive running backs that include Snell. Hinshaw has done in developing quarterbacks for the Wildcats even when they suffer significant injuries. Both aren’t afraid of creating a new offensive scheme whenever injuries occur. They might look for the offensive to be more traditional in 2020.
The Wildcats have a complicated choice to make at the quarterback position. They felt that they were in a great situation with junior quarterback Terry Wilson who has great dual-threat capabilities but can progress the offense through the air. He returns after a season-ending injury from Week 2 of 2019 after passing for 360 yards and two touchdowns in seven quarters.
The Wildcats also return Sawyer Smith, who underperformed in eight games and three starts last season. They will bring in former Auburn star Joey Gatewood, who was used solely as a wildcat quarterback with the Tigers. Gatewood transferred to Kentucky to be a more reliable RPO quarterback and learn efficiently this season.
With the injuries to Wilson and the underperformance measure of Smith, the Wildcats used Bowden Jr. as their RPO-quarterback. He was given nearly unlimited control of the offense as he only passed the ball 74 times while rushing the ball 185 times. As a result of the determination of a run-dominated RPO, the Wildcats were ranked fourth in the nation in rushing yards (278.8).
Even with Bowden Jr. gone, the Wildcats do have some talent returning for 2020. Senior running back Asim Rose rushed for 826 yards and six touchdowns on 149 carries. Kavosiey Smoke rushed for 616 yards and six touchdowns on 101 carries as a freshman.
Bowden Jr. was the heart and soul of the Wildcats’ receiving corps even when he was inserted into the starting quarterback role. With him gone, they will to have endure the tough job of replacing his impact. The top returning receiver is senior Josh Ali, who caught 23 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns (team-high). He could be the player to step up as the main flex receiver. Isaiah Epps is looking to have an explosive season after missing 2019 with a left foot injury suffered in fall camp. Sophomore Bryce Oliver and senior tight end Justin Riggs look to make a huge impact in developing some form of an efficient passing attack in 2020.
There is some good news for the Wildcats this season as the offensive line looks to be one of the most units for the entire offense. Last season, the line helped pave the way for the Wildcats to become the fourth-ranked rushing offense. Four starters are returning on offense that gave up 17 sacks last season.
Drake Jackson returns after as the starting center after making 33 consecutive starts and being named as a first-team All-SEC. Darian Kinnard was one of the most productive right tackles in the SEC. Both Jackson and Kinnard were named as 2020 preseason first-team All-SEC by Athlon Sports. Last year as a junior, right tackle Landon Young was as highly productive as the rest of the line in the run game. Right guard Luke Fortner did not have a missed assignment nor did he give up a sack all last season.