Friday Quickies: Righting the Ship

Coming into the 2020 season, expectations were once again sky high for the Kentucky Wildcats.

While there have been some bright spots — mainly shutting out a Mike Leach Mississippi State offense and thrashing the Vols in their own building for the first time in my lifetime — there’s no question this season has been a disappointment overall.

Kentucky enters this weekend as a 24-point underdog against Florida after losing by 60 to Alabama last week, and there’s a good chance that the Cats will be 3-6 going into their finale against South Carolina next week.

The Cats’ offense has been nothing short of a disaster, as they 106th nationally in scoring offense, 121st in passing offense, and 121st in total offense out of 127 FBS teams who’ve played this season.

Then on Thursday, we saw those shortcomings finally lead to a big decommit, as three-star receiver Armond Scott backed off his pledge. While one decommit isn’t going to make or break a program, it feels like Scott is the first of more defections to come if the offense doesn’t find itself over these final few games of the 2020 season.

With college offenses operating at a level the sport has never seen, Kentucky is still trying to win with defense and ball-control offense, which clearly isn’t going to be enough anymore if they’re going to compete with the big dogs in the SEC.

Ideally, Kentucky’s offense will come alive Saturday in Gainesville, then take it to another level next week against the Gamecocks and end 2020 on a high note. But if not, big changes must be made this offseason, perhaps as drastic as finding a new offensive coordinator.

Will Mark Stoops and the Cats be able to right the ship, or will they continue trending backwards after getting this program to a level not seen since the days of Bear Bryant?

Here’s to hoping Saturday brings some positive momentum for this offense.

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Your Quickies

Kentucky Heads to No. 6/5 Florida Seeking Redemption - University of Kentucky Athletics
Kentucky makes its final road trip of the unique 2020 season this week as it travels to face No. 6/5 Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville. The last time Kentucky traveled to "The Swamp" in 2018, it erased a 31-year dry spell in Gainesville, as Benny Snell, Terry Wilson, and Josh Allen produced one of the most memorable victories in program history.

Spiders, Morehead State have NCAA tourney history UR would like to repeat - richmond.com
Morehead State and Richmond reunite Friday at 6 p.m. in the Bluegrass Showcase, at Kentucky’s Rupp Arena. Kentucky beat the Eagles 81-45 Wednesday and will face the Spiders on Sunday at 1 pm EST.

Kentucky leads SEC basketball recruiting rankings for 2021 | Lexington Herald Leader
Kentucky has the SEC’s top ranked basketball recruit class for 2021, with LSU, Alabama and Auburn among the leaders but Florida and Georgia near the bottom.

UK better than advertised in debut win - CatsPause
UK held the Eagles to 34 percent shooting, including 3 of 21 from three-point range (14.3 percent) while recording eight steals and six blocks and scoring 20 points off 20 MSU turnovers.

'Overlooked' Cam'Ron Fletcher has strong debut in opener - Cats Pause
“Cam is that guy,” Terrence Clarke said. “He plays as hard as he can every time he’s out there and he gives it his all. That’s why I love him to death. That’s one of the main guys on my team right now. When I talk to him the main thing he wants to do is let everyone know he’s there for everyone else. He went out there today and surprised a lot of people because he plays hard and does what he has to do on the court."

SEC Weekly Power Ratings - 247
As the Southeastern Conference winds into final weeks what teams are holding strong, which are stuck in the cellar, and who makes up the muddled middle?

Previewing Round Two of the Kentucky High School Football Playoffs | Kentucky Sports Radio
Everything you need to know about the biggest games around the state before the second round of the Kentucky High School Football Playoffs.

Who’s The Top National POY Candidate? - Ballislife.com
Chet Holmgren leads a crop of 17 candidates, including two others who appeared on all 10 ballots: Patrick Baldwin of Hamilton (Sussex, Wis.) and UK recruiting target Jaden Hardy of Coronado (Las Vegas, Nev.).

KU defense ’discombobulated’ in defeat to top-ranked Gonzaga - Topeka Capital-Journal
Kansas basketball’s season opener Thursday represented the Jayhawks’ first contest since the graduation and departure of 7-foot center and longtime frontcourt security blanket Udoka Azubuike.And, to be frank, it showed. Gonzaga, which shot 64.5% in the victory, finished the game with sizable advantages in both points in the paint (62-34) and rebounding (33-24). The Bulldogs notched 50 points on layups and eight points off dunks, while the Jayhawks had just 26 points on layups and converted no dunks on the afternoon.

Favorite NFL futures bets ahead of Week 12 | NFL Betting Picks | PFF
The Cleveland Browns to make the playoffs offers value as a futures bet ahead of Week 12 of the 2020 NFL season.

No. 1 Gonzaga men’s basketball swarms No. 6 Kansas for season-opening win - ESPN
Drew Timme scored 25 points, Jalen Suggs had 24 and Corey Kispert added 23 as No. 1 Gonzaga pulled away from No. 6 Kansas for a 102-90 victory Thursday in the season opener for both teams. Suggs, who got in foul trouble in the first half, scored 17 in the second half and looks like a future NBA Draft lottery pick.