What changes should UK football seek in a new season?

@MaggieDavisKSR

Image result for university of kentucky campus in the fall

As summer officially comes to an end and fall rears it's beautiful, orange head, Kentucky football is also looking for a fresh start. The temperature should cool down (maybe it will finally even feel like football weather), Halloween decorations will overtake local stores and pumpkin spice lattes will be back inside your office. After back-to-back conference losses, the UK football team is in search of a fresh start before another road game - this time, against the South Carolina Gamecocks. As the color of the leaves begin to change, here are a few other changes Kentucky fans may be hoping to see this fall.

Good health for the football team...

And I don't just mean the team keeps eating their vegetables and staying active for 30 minutes per day. Instead, Kentucky fans should hope a new season brings better luck to the football roster. With starting quarterback Terry Wilson already out for the season, as well as one of the team's lead safeties in Davante Robinson, the Cats can't afford any more major injuries. Neither Phil Hoskins nor Taj Dodson suited up against the Bulldogs Saturday, after both suffered (hopefully) minor injuries last week. Hoskins injured his knee during UK's pre-game warmups, while Dodson checked out of the game in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury. Don't forget about wide receiver Isaiah Epps, who has not made his 2019 debut since suffering a foot injury during the preseason. Epps' injury occurred during the first week of August, and the fracture was expected to sideline Epps for six weeks. Could he make his return to the field next weekend against South Carolina? When Sawyer Smith left the Mississippi State field in the third quarter Saturday, it looked like Kentucky may be down to their third-string QB, Walker Wood. However, Smith went on to finish the game for the Wildcats. "I thought he was done," Stoops said after the game. "Came back and gutted it out and really gave us everything he had there in the second half. But he was dinged up with his shoulder." Smith shrugged off the injury following the loss, which should alleviate some concern for Kentucky's offense. Still, UK has already had its fair share of injuries this year; here's to hoping for a safe fall.

Consistency

Last year, the Cats rarely struggled with having a consistent player to turn to during pivotal moments. Is it fourth-and-one? A handoff to Benny Snell or even the occasional Terry Wilson keeper should do the trick. Does the team need a big defensive stop, maybe even a sack, to seal the deal? Josh Allen or any number of professional-level players on Kentucky's defense could get it done. It'd be silly to think the transition from summer to fall would bring back once-in-a-generation talent to the Kentucky roster. On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with hoping for a little more consistency. Offensive coordinator Eddie Gran was asked about that issue following Kentucky's loss in Starkville, and he took full responsibility, saying "that's on me." "I'll go back and we'll watch this, but that first pass, you know?" Gran said of Smith's thrown interception during the game's opening drive. "That, and inconsistency on a lot of things. Not just catching balls; not just throwing on time. Picking up protections - we weren't as good there. That's the consistency he's talking about. We came out and I didn't have them ready to play, and that's on me. That can't happen." Despite the struggles of the first half, Kentucky came back fighting in the second half. Unfortunately, it was just too little, too late. "We still had a chance. If we go back and we hit a couple of those red zone plays, it's a different football game, in my opinion," Gran said. "But would-haves, could-haves and should-haves doesn't get it."