UK football takes a step forward despite loss

of+the+Kentucky+Wildcats+during+the+second+half+of+the+game+against+the+Mississippi+State+Bulldogs+at+Commonwealth+Stadium+on+Saturday%2C+October+25%2C+2014+in+Lexington%2C+Ky.+Kentucky+defeated+Mississippi+State+-.Photo+by+Michael+Reaves

of the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half of the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday, October 25, 2014 in Lexington, Ky. Kentucky defeated Mississippi State -.Photo by Michael Reaves

By Joshua Huff

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The UK football program took a step forward on Saturday when it went toe-to-toe against No. 1 Mississippi State and fell a botched onside kick away from having a chance to tie the game before time ran out.

Granted, the game didn’t have the implications of a Joe Frazier knockout of Muhammad Ali, but for a team once mired in the SEC cellar, the Cats have propelled themselves into the national spotlight and one step closer to conference relevance despite the loss. None of this would have been possible if UK hadn’t named quarterback Patrick Towles its starter back in August. Just named to the Paul Hornung Award Weekly Honor Roll, Towles has shown tenacity when the stage gets bigger.

His 390 yards in the air, two touchdowns along with 76 yards on the ground and two more touchdowns, led a Cats team time and again from the brink of a blowout. Though his remarkable performance fell just short, he may have just solidified his position as UK’s starter of the future.

“I think you have very little chance with the teams we’re competing with without a player there, without a quarterback,” UK head coach Mark Stoops said. “So I think it does give us a chance and, again, it was great to see him get back to really making those big time throws and seeing our receivers step up and compete and make some plays for him as well.”

As impressive as Towles was, kudos need to be given to the group that catches his passes. Shut down and embarrassed by an LSU secondary, the UK receivers accepted Stoops challenge to step up and performed marvelously against one of the nations best defenses.

“We challenged them all week,” Stoops said. “Felt like they needed to play better at that position and they did. They competed hard, ran fast.  You always have a chance when you’re doing that.”

Standing out from the group is two talented up-and-comers in Ryan Timmons and Demarco Robinson. Timmons led the way with five receptions for 114 yards and Robinson had four for 86 yards and one touchdown.

Their ability to make big plays along with Towles’ ability to throw the deep ball will provide another dimension to the resurgent Cats.

However, if UK continues to stay nonexistent in the run game, the Cats will quickly become a one-dimensional team. UK’s running backs were handed the ball nine times for only 27 yards. That low yardage on the ground will quickly hinder any passing game, especially in the deep SEC.

“You have to be able to run the ball some, and there are some very good teams the last couple of weeks up front, and, it’s not like we’re completely inept,” Stoops said. “We did have some good runs and just like Mississippi State and as I’ve talked about all the time with us incorporating that Q run game, it’s on us as well.”

Next up for UK is a Missouri defense that is known for its aggressiveness. If UK stands a chance to finally break down the sixth-win barrier, UK will have to go through a Missouri defensive front that lives and breathes on negative yardage plays.

“Their defensive coordinator does a great job and that whole defensive staff has been together for a while,” Stoops said. “They’re disruptive, they do a nice job of creating negative yardage plays and being disruptive up front and twisting and stunting and just played hard.”