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For the second straight season, Kentucky flirted with a bowl bid. And for the second year in a row, the Wildcats had to settle for a 5-7 record.
There are some highs, and some lows, when grading out the Kentucky roster. Let’s take a look at how each position stacked up for the Wildcats:
QUARTERBACKS
Coming off a solid sophomore season, Patrick Towles was expected by many to take that next step in 2015. He did, but in the wrong direction. It’s hard to lay all of the blame at his feet, as inconsistent offensive line play and a bucket full of drops from his receivers didn’t help. But his yardage dipped from 2,718 to 2,148 and he went from 14 touchdowns and nine picks as a sophomore to nine TDs and 14 interceptions as a junior, good for 11th in passer rating among the 13 SEC qualifying quarterbacks. Drew Barker (364 yards, one TD and two interceptions) wasn’t any better in limited action.
Grade: D-
RUNNING BACKS
Stanley “Boom” Williams was a top-tier SEC running back — when he was available. He played in 10 games, picking up 855 yards and six TDs on just 121 carries. In fact, only LSU’s Derrius Guice had a better yards-per-carry average than Williams’ 7.1 among SEC qualifiers. Jojo Kemp (555 yards, six TDs) was pretty good when he got his chances, but nagging injuries and limited opportunities hindered Mikel Horton (318 yards, three scores) this season.
Grade: B
RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
When a team’s top three receivers and its tight end are all underclassmen, it’s natural to expect uneven results. Garrett Johnson (46 catches, 694 yards and two TDs), Dorian Baker (55 receptions, 608 yards and three scores) and Jeff Badet (29 catches, 430 yards and two scores) all showed flashes at receiver. But injuries (Johnson) and drops (Baker) cropped up at inopportune times. True freshman C.J. Conrad also had the occasional drop, but made nine starts at tight end, and caught 15 balls for 149 yards and a score.
Grade: B-
OFFENSIVE LINE
The offensive line allowed 30 sacks, the fourth-highest total in the league. The running game statistics weren’t spectacular, either, but that was mainly a function of the team being behind so often (second-fewest rushing attempts in the SEC). The same five players started six of the last seven games, but the unit never really found its stride. The last five of those 30 sacks came in the season finale, a game Kentucky led 21-0 before falling 38-24.
Grade: D+
DEFENSIVE LINE
The Wildcats were last in the league — and tied for 109th nationally — with 17 sacks, and only eight of those were produced by the line. They weren’t much better against the run, finishing 12th in rushing defense. Cory Johnson was a rock at defensive tackle (67 tackles, eight tackles for loss and two sacks), but he didn’t get enough help at times from guys like Jason Hatcher (39 tackles), Farrington Huguenin (52 tackles) and Denzil Ware (39 tackles). Depth was an issue as well.
Grade: D-
LINEBACKERS
Josh Forrest led the team with 93 tackles and 3.5 sacks. He also added a pair of interceptions, one of which he returned for a score. The rest of his teammates didn’t quite reach his level, however. Khalid Henderson (62 tackles) and Ryan Flannigan (53 tackles) showed flashes, but ultimately, couldn’t make enough plays behind a below-average defensive line.
Grade: D+
SECONDARY
Because teams had such an easy time running the ball on them, the Wildcats finished fifth in passing defense. A closer look at the numbers (10th in passer rating against) suggests that this group may not have been quite so good under more duress. J.D. Harmon and Chris Westry combined for five interceptions, while A.J. Stamps (67 tackles) and Marcus McWilson (66 tackles) both ranked in the top four on the team in stops. For a young unit — freshmen made 16 starts — it held up pretty well.
Grade: B-
SPECIAL TEAMS
Much like the team as a whole, this was a hit-or-miss area. Landon Foster was 10th in the league in punting average, but Austin MacGinnis was 13 of 17 on his field goal attempts and made 22 of his 23 extra points. The Wildcats were fourth in kickoff return average, but 10th in punt returns. They were seventh in defending punt returns, but 11th in stopping teams on kickoff returns.
Grade: D+
Randy Capps is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, South Carolina and Georgia.
