It feels fair to say Kentucky football “saved” its season on Saturday. Even in the event of a loss, the Wildcats could find a way to round out the season with a respectable 7-5 or 6-6 finish — a non-losing record, but not what has come to be expected now in year 10 of the Mark Stoops era. Limping to another Music City Bowl isn’t exactly how the Big Blue Nation saw this season play out.
A win, however, keeps plenty of Kentucky’s season-long goals alive. The team is 5-2 now with a 2-2 mark in the Southeastern Conference, facing a bye-week before heading down to Knoxville against a Tennessee program likely to be a top 3 opponent after beating Alabama in a 52-49 thriller.