Well, I was certainly wrong about yesterday’s game. Those of you who read my [URL=”http://www.nationofblue.com/how-s-gonna-9730/”]post[/URL] can probably expect the aliens to be here at any minute. I’m not complaining, though. Yesterday’s win was much needed, and I was as glad as anyone to see Kentucky take care of business for once, against a team they should have taken care of anyway.
But…
Let’s temper the expectations. The win yesterday will do wonders for team and fan morale, and if nothing else, it was nice to see the boys coast for once. But remember, Jacksonville St. is an FCS team, albeit a good one. Basically, the game confirmed what everyone has long suspected: Kentucky would be successful in a conference other than the SEC.
And that’s what it boils down to. UK handled an overmatched opponent, and made it look fairly easy. The question is, will that carry over to next week, when they face a Mississippi St. team that always gives them fits at home?
It’s hard to say. But this isn’t hard to say: regardless of the opponent, no fan has any right to complain about the win, because A) it was much needed, and B) it signifies a fresh start. Throwing records out the window, you have a rested team coming off a nice win, playing host to a team that is down on their luck. And with that in mind, anything is possible.
I’ve said all along that I wasn’t so much worried about the 4-game losing streak, but rather how the streak occurred: with little to no offense, and a worn-out defense giving up big points in the second half. Well, the defense got a bit of a break yesterday, and the offense put up big numbers. So let’s forget about the streak and focus on MSU next Saturday.
Speaking of the defense, they played an exceptional game, giving up 14 to a high-scoring offense, and forcing 3 turnovers. Martavious Neloms set the tone early, by not only causing a fumble, but scooping it up and running it in for a score. After I saw that happen, I felt pretty good about how the game would play out. And since the offense was able to sustain several long drives and score plenty of points, the defense not only stayed rested yesterday, but didn’t have to wear itself out before a big game next week. It’s funny how successful you can be when you have some help, ain’t it? And no one gave more help than Coshik Williams, who went nuts and ran all over the place (a lot of credit goes to a seemingly improved offensive line). If he can do that against the big boys, this team just got a lot more fun to watch.
So what does this mean going forward? Well, for starters, it means everyone feels a lot better about next weekend’s game. UK has already hit the meat of the schedule, and got a week off to boot. With a bit of confidence going forward, it’s anybody’s guess what happens from here. It’s most likely going to be one of two things: either the JSU game was an anomaly, and the offense continues to struggle, or the team realizes it can do some things well and wins at least 3 of its last 5, sneaking into a bowl game. With MSU, Ole Miss, and Tennessee all at home, it’s possible. Unlikely, but possible.
Possible, unless they come out and crap the bed Saturday, losing every bit of accumulated fan optimism in the process. I hope that doesn’t happen, but given how things have played out this season, forgive me for keeping my giddiness in check for a week or two.
In the meantime, let’s just dwell on how good it felt to dominate for the first time in a long time.
Baby steps.
[I][B]Follow @chris_minton on Twitter for a little UK talk, and lots of random thoughts and crude words.[/B][/I]
