There’s been a lot of hype surrounding this year’s Kentucky football team. Despite having a shaky opener at Southern Miss, it looks like a lot of coaches are still buying the Wildcat’s stock.
One of those coaches is EKU’s head coach, Mark Elder. Earlier today he was asked about what he thought of UK’s film, here was his answer: “my eyes are bleeding from looking at it as a matter of fact”
This phrase is usually meant as an insult, but the Colonels head coach had nothing but nice things to say about the Cats. In fact, he said something that caught everyone’s ear; “they’re a complete football team, they’re a tough football team, and might be the best football team at Kentucky from the last 25 years”.
We’ve all talked about the potential of this years team, but to say something like that, takes things to a new level. Throughout the interview, Mark praised the defense. If Kentucky is going to be at any elite level, their defense will be the key.
Over the past 25 years there has been a lot of good teams to come through Kentucky, but here are three reasons why this could very well be the best one yet:
First, the Cats have a favorable schedule this year. For the first time in a while, there aren’t any games on the schedule that are assumed losses. Kentucky has a legitimate chance to win every game this year. If I had to pick a number, I’d say there are nine games that, if Kentucky lives up to the hype, they will win.
Second, Kentucky has a defense full of playmakers. This was evident on Saturday against Southern Miss, causing four fumbles, recovering three, and returning one for a touchdown. If the defense can show that kind of intensity every game, this will be the best Kentucky team in the past 25 years.
Third, the “family” mentality this team has. Over the past few years, we’ve heard family, consistency, and hard work preached by Mark Stoops. Every year he’s been here, we’ve seen this team get closer and closer. Something that is evident through the leaders of this team is how close each player is to one another. With that kind of mindset, along with the current talent the Cats have, we could be in for something special.
There’s no guarantee that any of what I just said will happen. But, Mark’s comments definitely bring an intriguing point. All we can do as fans is watch and see how the Cats react to all this love, something they haven’t had in quite some time.