Kentucky is sitting in a spot few would have expected when the season began: alone at the top of the SEC standings storylines after a 4-1 start in conference play.
The Wildcats’ win at Oklahoma pushed them to 6-1 overall and tied them with Georgia for first place in the SEC standings. Georgia also has one loss after falling to Auburn 27-24. Kentucky, meanwhile, has not lost since its Week 2 collapse against Alabama and has already picked up two top 10 wins.
That kind of start has kept Kentucky’s postseason path very much alive. Last week, after beating LSU, the Wildcats started showing up in College Football Playoff projections as high as the 11 and 12 seeds in most mocks. With the season now deep enough that every week can change the picture, Kentucky knows what comes next matters just as much as what has already happened.
The Wildcats are 6-1, and the road ahead includes Florida, Missouri, Vandy, Louisville, and Tennessee. A 10-2 finish could put them in the conversation, and an 11-1 season would open an even bigger one. For now, though, Kentucky is staying locked in on the next game, which fits the way this season has gone.
Against Oklahoma, it was the defense that made the difference when the game tightened up. Kentucky got three huge defensive sequences at key moments.
Ty Bryant’s interception late in the third quarter set up a Willie Rodriguez touchdown that gave Kentucky a 14-13 lead heading into the fourth. Then Jordan Castell came up with a pick six to stretch the lead to 21-13 late in regulation.
Bryant then added another takeaway to help seal the win.
It has been a fast and unusual rise for a Kentucky team that has turned grit into one of the SEC’s best stories. The Wildcats are 6-1, 4-1 in the conference, and somehow sitting atop the league in Will Stein’s first year in Lexington.
In Other News...
Kentucky Just Ran Into One Big Obstacle With Seneca Driver
Kentuckys road win over Oklahoma gave the Wildcats a little extra juice on the field, but it also came with a reminder that some recruiting battles are going to be harder to flip than others. Seneca Driver, a 5-star tight end prospect already pledged to the Sooners, made it clear he remains firm in that commitment, keeping Kentucky in the chase but not changing the shape of the race.
Drivers loyalty appears tied closely to Oklahoma tight ends coach Jason Witten, and he said his commitment is likely to hold as long as Witten is still on staff. Kentucky will keep working, because that is what elite programs do with a talent like Driver, but the Wildcats are trying to climb a steep hill here with a recruit who has already drawn a line around where he stands. [Read more 🡒]
Ty Bryant Had A Bigger Reason Behind His Huge Night At Oklahoma
Ty Bryants performance against Oklahoma stood out on the field, with the veteran Kentucky safety piling up two interceptions and nine tackles in a game that gave the Wildcats a much-needed spark. But the night carried a meaning beyond the box score, because Bryant also chose to use the moment to honor the memory of Neven Coofer, the 6-year-old child who recently passed away.
Bryant wore eye black reading Neven Forever 6 and stayed in touch with Nevens family before and after the game as a way of showing his support. For Kentucky, it was a reminder that some of the most powerful moments in football come from the reasons players carry onto the field with them, even when the game itself provides plenty of its own drama. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Suddenly Has A CJ Baxter Question It Can't Ignore
Kentuckys win over Oklahoma came with a little extra uncertainty attached, and it had everything to do with the backfield. Jason Patterson handled the load after CJ Baxter was held out because of an injury, giving the Wildcats a steady presence in a 21-13 victory that was sealed by two late John Mateer interceptions in Norman.
Will Stein said Baxter did warm up before the game, but the decision was made to rest him rather than risk making the injury worse. Kentucky now turns to Vanderbilt with the encouraging part being that Baxter is expected back, even if the Wildcats offense showed there is still a contingency plan if he needs it again. [Read more 🡒]