In the final game this season with only COVID-induced SEC, the Kentucky Wildcats took care of business against the South Carolina Gamecocks, achieving a 41-18 victory. For a change of pace, the Wildcats seemed to be having fun outside. Terry Wilson was launching passes into the final zone, defensive gamemakers stepped up in the absence of other game starters, and Kentucky imposed its will throughout the game.
Kentucky has maintained its philosophy for the most part, moving the ball on the ground at will. But there was certainly more willingness to attack from the air. Whether this was an intentional paradigm shift or a response to the fact that South Carolina had only 16 players available to play defense, we will never know.
Kentucky ends the season with a 4-6 record and, if it chooses to play, it should end with a good bowl opportunity. Here are some things you need to know about Saturday’s game and the start of the postseason.
Aggressive offense
As I mentioned, Kentucky was much more willing to play football against South Carolina. Gamecocks were very short-handed and inexperienced, and that may have played a role in aggressive betting. But Eddie Gran still showed some creativity with pre-snap movement, moving Josh Ali and firm points across the field, and aggressively throwing the ball into the back before the break.
Of course, Chris Rodriguez was the star of the night. After losing the last two games, Rodriguez set the Gamecocks on fire for 139 yards and three hits in just 14 loads.
We don’t know if Gran is currently training to keep his job. I doubt that anything that happened on Saturday is a factor in the decisions about the team, but there were certainly some things from a strategic point of view that were more exciting than in the previous games.
Performance for the elderly
Perhaps in the last game for some of them, the veterans really stood out and led the team. Terry Wilson had one of the best performances of his career on Saturday, both in passing and decision making. He also ran the ball well and scored a touchdown on the floor. He leaves Lexington as the first player in Kentucky history to have at least 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 running yards in a career.
In place of Quinton Bohanna, sixth-year senior Phil Hoskins had some great tackles anchoring in the middle of the defensive line. Justin Rigg had a career day playing football. And Josh Ali received several touches in both the passing and racing game.
Many were asking for a change to focus on the future of the team. But with such an impressive win on Saturday, I think most fans will be fine with the older guys being the difference in their final game of the regular season.
Small Rosters
You must have read a lot about the shortage of labor in South Carolina on Saturday. This is absolutely true, since Gamecocks would only have 46 players capable of playing.
But don’t forget that Kentucky also ran out of players. Quinton Bohanna was out, Kelvin Joseph gave up and Keaton Upshaw was injured early in the game.
Even before Upshaw was injured, Kentucky lost 17 players due to opt-outs, injuries and COVID-19. So while the Gamecocks may have played with an interim coach and a limited squad, that shouldn’t detract from the win, as the Wildcats weren’t exactly in full swing, either.
The future
There are several important issues for Kentucky’s plans in the coming weeks. Will there be any coaching changes? Will the team accept a bowl shot? And will any elderly person return?
For coaching changes, I honestly do not foresee any major turnover. But I wouldn’t be surprised if some people were replaced. It will probably happen sooner or later, if it happens.
As crazy as this season has been, I hope that the bowl season will be a disaster. Who can stay healthy? Who will cancel? Which bowls will still be on the schedule. I hope the Wildcats will commit to a game of bowling when the opportunity arises. They put themselves in a position to have the opportunity to be in the range of bowls we’ve seen in recent years. Several of these guys would love the opportunity to get another bowl victory and have another chance to improve, not to mention the extra practice that comes with a bowl opportunity.
Terry Wilson practically said he won’t be back. But what about Josh Ali, who produced more and more as the season progressed? What about AJ Rose, who is now one of the top ten rusher in school history? Could Brandon Echols improve his potential draft stock in another year? We know that Quinton Bohanna ended the year on the sideline, which is obviously not how you want to end a career. What about kicker Matt Ruffolo? Justin Rigg? Davonte Robinson?
With the NCAA granting an extra year to anyone who wants to, you must think that some of these guys will consider returning. Maybe everyone will leave the program after the season. Maybe some of them will come back. But I hope that several of those decisions will drag on for several months. Stay tuned here at A Sea of Blue for the latest updates on the future of current Wildcats.