The departure of multiple starting defenders from last season’s 10-win Kentucky football team was a tough pill to swallow this spring. However, under head coach Mark Stoops, the Kentucky Wildcats were forced to move on with new, developed talent ready to pounce onto the scene. Specifically, inside linebacker DeAndre Square stole the spotlight as the team’s most valuable player on Saturday afternoon.
Square totaled 11 tackles, with one and a half going for a loss, along with a sack to exceptionally lead a new-look Wildcats’ defense. The sophomore linebacker’s rise to stardom played a pivotal role in the team’s season-opening victory over the Toledo Rockets.
“He’s one of those guys who’s just a really good football player,” Stoops said following the team’s win. Stoops also added that Square played good as a true freshman but came back even bigger, stronger and had a better understanding of the defense.
In addition to Square, junior college transfer cornerback Brandin Echols stepped up in the secondary to make winning plays on the ball. Josh Paschal, just a few weeks after his final treatment, recorded four total tackles, a sack and forced fumble in the winning effort.
On the offensive side of the football, quarterback Terry Wilson certainly had his ups but also had his downs. The second year starter was much improved from a season ago in the sense of his second and third reads, sitting comfortably in the pocket as well as keeping his eyes down field.
However, there were also some critical errors that would’ve been much more crucial if Kentucky had been playing an SEC-caliber opponent. A backwards pass that was nearly a turnover, multiple quarterback draws gone wrong along with overthrown receivers are certainly issues that can be worked on ahead of Eastern Michigan next Saturday.
Leading the wide receiving corps was as expected, with Lynn Bowden catching six balls for 77 yards. Ahmad Wagner and Rose caught three balls a piece, respectively, with Bryce Oliver and Josh Ali each grabbing a touchdown.
In the program’s first game without Benny Snell since three seasons ago, Kentucky’s three-headed rushing attack fared decently well as a unit. Kavosiey Smoke burst onto the scene with just seven carries for a team-high 78 yards and a touchdown, while last season’s 1A running back AJ Rose carried the rock 16 times for 64 yards and a score. Chris Rodriguez, the back who appears to be third on the depth chart, had an efficient five carries for 34 yards.
“There was some good and some bad,” Stoops said of his three running backs. The Kentucky head coach mentioned his team putting the ball on the ground as an issue but also acknowledged his skill position players made several good plays on Saturday.
One note for next week is second year inside linebacker Chris Oats was ejected from the game on Saturday for targeting, resulting in ineligibility for the first half of next Saturday’s home game against Eastern Michigan.
“It’s just a tough call,” Stoops said of the targeting call.
Though the Wildcats shouldn’t have much trouble claiming their second victory next Saturday, Oats’ absence in the first half will require another standout performance by Square and the rest of the front seven.
Overall, Kentucky’s roster has seen a lot of turnover on both sides of the ball. While some of the players may take a bit longer to develop than others, DeAndre Square’s emergence of a star is certainly something to be excited about.