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PFF grades from Kentucky’s win over Murray State

A look at how the Cats fared in their tuneup game before Mississippi State.

Jason Marcum - Sea of Blue

The Kentucky Wildcats were able to pick up a victory in their third game of the season, and they now sit at 3-0 after dispatching of Murray State this afternoon at Kroger Field.

Coming off of a highly emotional win in Gainesville against the Florida Gators that snapped The Streak, the Wildcats were back in action for a noon kickoff against FCS Murray State before another big game next week when they host the 16th-ranked Mississippi St. Bulldogs.

Kentucky didn’t blow the game open early, but they never really let the Racers into the game either, taking a 17-3 lead into halftime. The offense certainly didn’t have its best game today in the first half but found their footing in the second half, scoring 31 after halftime.

Hopefully, the Wildcats can work out some kinks and find more of an offensive rhythm next week against the Bulldogs, who have one of the nation’s best front sevens.

After the game, Pro Football Focus released their grades for the top Wildcats from this game. It included some expected names at the top with a few surprises mixed in:

Lynn Bowden was the star of the game, finishing with a career-high eight grabs for 89 yards. He’s a rising star who’s becoming one of the better pass-catchers in the SEC.

Bunchy Stallings continues to assert himself as one of the better guards in the SEC. Just ask Florida:

Nassir Watkins is a nice surprise, as he’s battling EJ Price for the starting left tackle spot. Through three games, both players have been respectable while replacing Landon Young. This game saw Watkins take the bigger step toward potentially winning the job outright.

Mason Wolfe is a name you don’t usually here, as he’s a second-string guard who does get a decent amount of snaps, so it’s good to see him making the most of his limited opportunities.

And of course, there’s Terry Wilson, who has already come a long way from what we saw in Week 1. Against Central Michigan, Wilson finished as one of PFF’s lowest-rated players from the game, and it was completely earned.

But over the last two games, we’ve seen Wilson make major strides while becoming a more focal point in the offense.

Make no mistake about it: This offense is no longer Benny Snell and everyone else. Wilson has taken command of this offense and turned it into a two-headed monster that’s a force to be reckoned with going forward.