Breaking bad: 3 areas of improvement for week 8

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By Cody Porter

Saturday’s game against Jacksonville State is going to answer any remaining questions that the critics have about this season’s Cats.

At first glance many may think that anything less than a blowout would be a failure against an Ohio Valley Conference school, but Jacksonville State should have UK on upset alert.

Or should it be the other way around for the 5-1 Gamecocks who return much of the same team that defeated Ole Miss last season in a high scoring overtime thriller?

Not only do they return the same team, but they also have the addition of Washaun Ealey, the former starting running back at Georgia.

The biggest factor that could weigh on the Cats as they attempt to get back in the win column is the support of the fan base, which is where we start for this week’s breaking bad focus points.

1. Fan Turnout

Having just come off a two-game road trip that saw the Cats look absolutely abysmal, they are in dire need of support from the fan base. Throughout much of the season, everything except the defense has received critical treatment from Big Blue Nation on blogs, comment sections and social media sites. Saturday’s game may just be the tipping point, if that hasn’t already happened. The noon start time is doing the Cats no favors as many may want to take in a day at Keeneland as opposed to potentially watching the Cats suffer another defeat, no less at the hands of a team that was at one time expected to be an easy victory. Morgan Newton and the offense have been riding out the storm of criticism and will need fan support to boost their confidence, especially against a less talented defense.

2. Passing Game

Speaking of Morgan Newton, it is time that I give him the credit he deserves. After having blasted the wide receivers and offensive for much of the season, some of the blame falls at the hands of Newton. His play against South Carolina was indescribable. Completing four of his 20 passes for 17 yards isn’t something that’s going to get the Cats going in the right direction. For comparison’s sake, East Carolina quarterback Dominique Davis torched the Gamecocks defense to the tune of 260 yards and four touchdowns on 37 of 56 passing. With the exception of its last game, Jacksonville State is susceptible on the defensive side of the ball. Last week against Austin Peay, its defense had its best performance of the year allowing just 172 passing yards for the game, aside from that performance given up at minimum 209 passing yards and 14 points. So for Newton and the Cats’ offense, the time to get on track is now. This is his opportunity to show that he is the quarterback that UK head coach Joker Phillips trusted putting in charge of the offense.

3. Defense

If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time that I have put the defense as a whole on the list, and I have good reason for doing so this week. Ranking 82nd in points allowed, the Cats do not need to be a slouch against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks this weekend. As I’ve said many times, Jacksonville State may be an Ohio Valley Conference team, but I’m confident in saying at this point in the season, without records included, that it is just as good if not better than the Cats. Against South Carolina, the UK defense allowed quarterback Connor Shaw to lead USC to a 54-3 victory in only his second career start while giving up more than 300 yards of passing and four touchdowns. After struggling to find its identity during the first two weeks of the season, Jacksonville State has since rushed for more than 200 yards as a team each week, including a season high of 329 yards against Murray State. Once again, for the Cats to win, they will need to rely on the defensive leadership of senior linebacker Danny Trevathan and senior safety Winston Guy in a game that could replicate the Cats’ victories over Western Kentucky and Central Michigan.