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4 advancers and 2 relegators in Kentucky's dominant win over Ohio

4 advancers and 2 relegators in Kentucky's dominant win over Ohio

The Wildcats rebounded in a big way yesterday afternoon with a 41-6 victory over the Ohio Bobcats. I think the Cats needed a performance like that, especially after their heartbreaking loss to Georgia, as previous UK teams have always been worn down after such losses to inferior opponents.

That wasn't the case yesterday, as the Wildcats dominated from start to finish. In a game where they face a strong offense next week in Oxford, namely No. 5 Ole Miss, it won't just be defense that matters, but the offense will have to be at its best if they want any chance of pulling off an upset in next week's game.

Whose stocks rose and whose stocks fell after the Cats' clear victory over the Bobcats?

Carrying straps

QB Brock Vandagriff

The start to the Vandagriff era has been a little rocky, but that's to be expected as this is his first full year as a starter in his college career. That said, I think Brock's best performance as a Wildcat so far was yesterday afternoon. Although he didn't throw any touchdowns, he was accurate for most of the afternoon, completing 17 of 24 passes for 237 yards. He also showed off his running ability again, rushing for 21 yards on 7 carries (the longest was 14 yards). I think UK fans need to be a little more patient with Vandagriff's development as he will only get better as the season progresses.

RB Jamarion Wilcox

Freshman RB Jamarion Wilcox has been one of the bright spots for the Wildcats after just four games this season. He had a great overall performance last week against No. 1 Georgia and it continued this week as he had his best game of his young UK career, rushing for 82 yards on 8 carries (23 long runs), the highest performance of the game. Ultimately, I think Wilcox has a chance to hang with former Kentucky RB greats like Benny Snell Jr., Chris Rodriguez and Ray Davis. Wilcox's potential is sky high and it will be very interesting to see how much he improves not only over the course of this season but over the next few seasons as well.

WR Dane Key

Junior wideout Dane Key not only had perhaps the best game in all of college football to date, but more importantly, perhaps his best game in a Wildcat uniform, as he had a career afternoon that included 145 yards on 7 receptions (42 yards long). In the first half alone, he had 109 yards and the highlight of yesterday's game was, of course, the hurdle over the defender that almost led to a touchdown late in the 2nd half.and quarter. The MVP of the game is, unsurprisingly, Dane Key.

Defensive consistency

Brad White's defense has been the MVP of the season so far. The defense continues to be tight play after play, as they forced two turnovers in today's game (a fumble and a pick six by junior DB Maxwell Hairston). The defense will need to continue their stellar play if the Wildcats want any chance of winning in the conference.

Faller

Bad game management (AGAIN)

Stoops and Co. are once again victims of poor game management this week. With a few seconds left before halftime, Stoops decided to call the Wildcats' last timeout to keep the offense in the over and score the three points. This nearly resulted in a fumble that took the game to halftime. It's the little things that continue to be a problem for this team.

Lack of consistency in the O-Line

Even though the offensive line ended up protecting Brock Vandagriff better than usual, the line remains a big question mark as they continue to get holding calls that continue to prevent potential big plays. The offensive line will need to find its feet quickly as the Cats enter SEC play, as their play will likely determine how good or bad the rest of the season goes.

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