Kentucky Wildcats Morning Quickies: Football Rising Edition

Good morning ladies and gentlemen of the Big Blue Nation, and welcome to the Tuesday Morning Quickies.

After starting the football season 4-0, including two top-25 upsets, it’s really hard to talk about anything but Kentucky football. Think back to the last time you can remember football actually drowning out a highly promising basketball season, even in September. It’s been awhile — maybe never.

Anyway, the accolades just keep rolling in for Kentucky, even to the extent of Heisman Trophy mentions for Benny Snell and first-round draft pick status for Josh Allen. It’s quite remarkable, really — and frankly, well-deserved.

This past weekend’s game against Mississippi State really crystallized the early season for me. I was stoked about beating the Florida Gators, particularly in the Swamp, but there were a lot of motivations for that particular victory that I figured might not carry on for the rest of the season.

Then came Saturday night.

Kentucky dominated one of the best offensive football teams Mississippi State has ever fielded. Defensively, the Wildcats were incredibly impressive, staying in their rushing lanes and forcing Nick Fitzgerald to emphasize the weakest part of his game — throwing the football on the move. They bottled up his normally unstoppable runs and kept MSU behind the chains all night. It was truly a work of art by the defense.

The offense was just as good, forcing the Bulldogs into mental errors and just getting into the head of potential all-American lineman Jeffery Simmons. The line opened numerous holes for Benny Snell, and Benny unleashed the Krackon on the Bulldogs when he got to the second level.

Terry Wilson didn’t have a great game, but he held down his turnovers to only one, and didn’t hurt the team like some quarterbacks will do by pressing. Instead, he just fed Benny and AJ Rose, and those guys ran roughshod. It was impressive, and the final score accurately reflected the dominance of Kentucky on both sides of the football.

If this team can avoid getting cocky, they can do some real damage in the SEC this season. South Carolina will be a big test, but Kentucky should be favored in this one and they appear to have a slightly better football team than the Gamecocks. But that’s what makes this game even more dangerous than the last, because playing as a favorite is much tougher for a team used to being the underdog.

That said, what a great start to the season. If somehow we manage to start 5-0, it will be the first season since 2007 they have managed that feat. It’s an exciting time for Kentucky football fans.

Tweet of the Morning

And…

Boom.

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• Kentucky launches websites to tout Benny Snell as a Heisman candidate, and Josh Allen as a high draft pick. Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports has Snell #4 on his Heisman list.
• Tickets for South Carolina game “very limited.”
• Kentucky football building an empire.
• Kentucky moving up in the world. I can’t remember a time in which UK would wind up on a “maybe important” list by Jason Kirk.
• The old Jordan Jones is back, but now he has lots of help.
• For Kentucky, a 4-0 start means all possibilities remain open.

Kentucky basketball

• One of the nation’s most mysterious recruits makes a move. Kentucky is in Jaden McDaniels’ final five.
• Top five recruit Isaiah Stewart will visit UK on an official visit this weekend.
• UK recruit Scotty Lewis with the cradle:

Other Kentucky sports

• Men’s soccer player Aimé Mabika named C-USA defensive Player of the Week.
• Former UK golfer Chip McDaniel wins second pro tournament at the Panama City Beach Classic.

Links posts

• The Leach Report: Tuesday Wildcat Links

College football

• Oh, hahahaha!
• Volunteers in the seventh circle of Hell, and the schedule gets more brutal by the week.

College basketball

• Indiana picked to finish fourth in the Big Ten.
• NBC picks Kansas #1, Kentucky #2.
• How the FBI scandal and timing brought Chris Mack to Louisville.

Other news

• NASA just released new data on why the Earth wobbles on its axis.
• Link between schizophrenia and Cannibus use?
• The weird world of one-sided objects.