Kentucky Football’s Daunting Middle Four Stretch And The Loss Of A Legend

Two of the middle four games on the Kentucky Football schedule will likely be against Top-10 opponents. The Wildcats should be 4-0 when they enter this ultra-important stretch after facing Ball State, EKU, and Akron at home and Vanderbilt in Nashville. I said, should, there are no guarantees in football. Let’s get started.  

September 30: Florida

The Gators didn’t exactly kick off the Billy Napier era with a bang after finishing the 2022 season with a 6-7 record and going 3-5 in the SEC. Florida dropped its final three games of the season including a 31-24 loss to Vanderbilt and a 45-38 defeat by Florida State. The Gators topped off a disappointing end of the season by getting clubbed 30-3 by Oregon State in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl. Florida was totally outclassed in that matchup. 

Kentucky may have played its best game of the 2022 season when the Cats beat the Gators 26-16 in the Swamp on September 10. A ten-point road victory was impressive at the time and provided the BBN with a false sense of hope, especially on the offensive side of the football. 

Quarterback Anthony Richardson entered the NFL Draft. A total of nine Gators will be participating in the Combine which indicates that Napier underachieved in his first season. 2023 could bring tension in the Gator Nation if the once proud SEC power fails to resurface in the top tier of the conference. This game sets up nicely for Kentucky if the offensive line gets fixed and Devin Leary masters Liam Coen’s system. 

October 7: At Georgia

The defending national champions reload, they do not rebuild. I expect this to happen in 2023. Twelve Bulldogs are off to the NFL Combine. Current pros will be replaced by future pros.  Kirby Smart must also replace his quarterback, Stetson Bennett IV. 

Kentucky played Georgia closely a year ago. UGA had to claw their way to a physical, 16-6 win at Kroger Field. Brad White dialed up a gem but the offense was stuffed by the talented visitors for most of the contest. Again, the Dawgs simply reload on an annual basis. Kirby Smart has constructed a modern-day dynasty. His squad will face an extremely friendly schedule in 2023. Kentucky’s trip to Athens could be another painful journey. The Wildcats and Bulldogs usually participate in a phone booth slugfest so expect some major collisions between the hedges on October 7. UGA will likely be the top-ranked team in the nation when the Cats come calling. 

October 14: Missouri 

Missouri is coming off a 6-7 season which included a 3-5 SEC record and a disappointing 27-17 loss to the ACC’s Wake Forest in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. Eli Drinkwitz shockingly signed an extension and will bring his Tigers to Kroger Field on October 14. This matchup has developed into quite a heated rivalry and I expect more of the same in 2023. Mizzou is a program that is difficult to define. A new offensive approach may lead to more wins, but we’ll see. 

Kentucky beat Missouri 21-17 in Columbia last season. Kentucky is the better team here, but SEC East games can be tricky. It should be a close, highly contested affair come mid-October. 

October 21: Open

Rest up, heal up, and prepare for that gaudy orange invasion of Keeneland and Kroger Field. 

October 28: Tennessee 

The Volunteers rode a wave of tempo and momentum to finish 2022 with an 11-2 record. This included a 6-2 SEC mark. Quarterback Hendon Hooker was magnificent. UT was the “Hot” team for the majority of last season. Hooker is off to the NFL, but the Vols should again be dynamic on the offensive side of the football behind the cannon-armed quarterback Joe Milton. The Volunteers have been free spenders in the Portal and NIL market. So, that roster will be talented and well compensated. 

Tennessee rolled the Cats 44-6 in 2022. The Kentucky offense was miserable on that day in Neyland Stadium. Miserable may actually be a complimentary description given its level of utter incompetence during that embarrassing outing. The defense didn’t play as badly as the final score stated. The home team started six drives inside Kentucky territory. The Wildcats need to make a game of this once-heated rivalry in order to not be completely passed over in the East’s pecking order and to appease an anxious fan base. Still, Kentucky will have its hands full on October 28. Much like Georgia, Tennessee may be a Top-5 team. 

What Does All This Mean? 

You can see the importance of a 4-0 start after taking a quick look at the middle four games on the schedule. Missouri and Florida are winnable games if things go to plan. A road trip to Athens may be a bridge too far and Tennessee has its sites on the College Football Playoff. Regardless, football will be played which means all will be well in the world. 

Kentucky Football Lost a Legend, Kurt Johnson

Legend is a term that can be defined as, “An extremely famous person, especially in a particular field.” Former Kentucky receiver and returner Kurt Johnson certainly fit that description. From his 100+yard return for a touchdown against Georgia to his willingness to make the tough catch and never shying away from contact, the former Paducah Tighlman star lit up Commonwealth Stadium in the late 1980s and early 1990s. For you younger readers, Kurt was a fan-favorite and a smaller version of Lynn Bowden. He could operate every offensive skill position and played the game of football with a tough-guy, team-first attitude that earned him vast respect from opponents, teammates, coaches, and fans alike.

Listed at 5’7, 150ish, Kurt lacked physical size, but he made up for it with the heart of a lion and his “Never back down” attitude that was present both on and off the field. Fearless, my man never backed down from a fight, ever. I loved Kurt. We all loved Kurt. We’ve lost far too many teammates in the past couple of years. All of them are painful. This one really hurt. Kurt was a legend in every sense of the term and had a larger-than-life personality. 

I’d ask that the BBN pray for, think about, and support his family during this difficult time. They need us.

Respect.