SEC PREVIEW KENTUCKY

Earning bowl bid part of Gran plan

FILE - In this Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014 file photo, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops looks on during the half of an NCAA college football game against Louisville in Louisville, Ky. Steve Shaw has a busy week at the Southeastern Conference's annual meetings. Shaw, the league's coordinator of officials, is getting SEC coaches and administrators prepared for centralized replay, an experimental effort between the SEC office's command center and the replay official at games.(AP Photo/Garry Jones, File)

HOOVER, Ala. -- Kentucky's football team has been close to giving Wildcats fans something to cheer about in December or January besides the basketball team.

But instead of going at least 6-6 in the regular season to become bowl eligible, Kentucky has gone 5-7 the last two years.

Falling a victory short of a bowl has been particularly agonizing for the Wildcats became they ended each season by losing to in-state rival Louisville.

Coach Bobby Petrino's Cardinals beat the Wildcats 44-40 in 2014 and rallied to win 38-24 last season when Kentucky couldn't hold onto a 24-7 halftime lead.

Kentucky's bowl drought is now at five seasons -- the longest among SEC teams.

"We've been close," Wildcats Coach Mark Stoops said at SEC media days. "We're tired of being close."

Stoops, going into his fourth season at Kentucky with a 12-24 record, has added pressure to win after the athletic department spent about $170 million on renovations at Commonwealth Stadium and a new football operations building.

"We've done the work," Stoops said. "We've got the pieces in place. We will take the next step.

"I'm proud of the progress we've made. Certainly you want more wins along the way, but I know we've done the right things and we have a great plan in place to continue to push this program."

Three of the Wildcats' SEC losses last season were by a combined 12 points: 14-9 to Florida, 30-27 at Auburn and 21-17 at Vanderbilt.

"Games in the SEC are going to come down to a couple plays, and we've put ourselves in a position now that we're there and we're competing," Kentucky senior center Jon Toth said. "Our goal is to make those one or two plays this season that are going to change the outlook of our program."

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Drew Barker replaced Patrick Towles as the starter for the final two games last season and has a firm hold on the job with Towles going to Boston College as a graduate transfer.

"Drew will get the keys to the car," Stoops said. "I'm excited to watch him go, because I know this is his time. He's ready to play."

Stoops said Barker's competitiveness stood out to him immediately.

"He has that moxie on the field," Stoops said. "Physically, he's a strong guy. He can run when necessary and he has that ability to create plays. He's a gamer."

Barker completed 35 of 70 passes for 364 yards and 1 touchdown with 2 interceptions and rushed 25 times for 81 yards and 1 touchdown last season.

"I love the kid and can't wait to play this season with him," Toth said. "I think he's going to do a lot of great things for us.

"He's really taken ownership of that spot and worked to get better every day."

Barker's starts last season were against North Carolina-Charlotte and Louisville. His only SEC experience was off the bench against Mississippi State, Georgia and Vanderbilt. He threw a combined 19 passes in those games.

"He's going to do have some learning on the job," Toth said. "But we all did at some point."

Barker will be working behind an offensive line with four returning starters and has experienced playmakers at running back and receiver.

Running backs Stanley "Boom" Williams and Jojo Kemp rushed for 855 and 555 yards, respectively, last season. The receivers are led by Dorian Barker (55 catches for 608 yards last season) and Garrett Johnson (46 for 694).

Stoops hired Eddie Gran, a former Auburn assistant, from the University of Cincinnati to be the Wildcats' third offensive coordinator in three years.

Kentucky is expected to have a more physical running game to help open up a spread passing attack with Gran calling plays.

"The first day he got here, Coach Gran came up to me and said, 'The big men lead the way,' " Toth said. "That's his thing.

"We've all bought in and trust him to lead us where we need to go."

Kentucky's defense returns eight players who have started at least four games and will be bolstered by the addition of junior linebacker Courtney Love, a transfer from Nebraska who redshirted last season.

Love, the Wildcats' starting middle linebacker, is from Stoops' hometown of Youngstown, Ohio.

"Courtney's an incredible person and a great leader," Stoops said. "So he's exactly what you want in the foundation of your defense, even though he has very little experience here."

Stoops came to Kentucky from Florida State, where he was the defensive coordinator. He said the Wildcats' struggles to win consistently shouldn't be a surprise.

Kentucky has finished with a winning record 13 times in the previous 55 seasons with 11 bowl appearances.

"To think you're going to take this program and in three years everything is going to be pretty and nothing but a steady climb, it's not going to happen," Stoops said. "You're going to go through some ups and downs."

Sports on 07/25/2016