Kentucky may have turned a corner last season. For the first time since the 2010 campaign, the Wildcats went bowling.

Fifth-year coach Mark Stoops seems to have genuine momentum on his side more than ever since arriving in Lexington. Following a two-win debut in 2013, UK had back-to-back 5-7 finishes before finally getting over .500 at 7-6 in 2016.

The ‘Cats were led by their ground assault, which averaged 234.2 yards per game — third best in the SEC and better than the likes of LSU and Mississippi State. Once starting quarterback Drew Barker gave way to backup Stephen Johnson due to a back injury, the scheme was adjusted to highlight the skills of tailbacks Stanley “Boom” Williams and Benny Snell.

UK was ninth in the league in yards given up and 11th in points surrendered.

Even if Williams left early for the NFL Draft, Snell was only a freshman a season ago and has a chance to really break out as a sophomore.

However, the problem for Stoops is on the other side of the ball, which is ironic since the last two units he coordinated at Florida State before taking the top post at Kentucky were No. 4 and No. 2 nationally in total defense, respectively.

In 2013, the Wildcats ranked 13th in the conference in both yards and points allowed. In 2014, they moved up to 11th in yards allowed but were still 13th in scoring. In 2015, they were equally abysmal again — 12th and 12th. But this past year, there was mild progress. UK was ninth in the league in yards given up and 11th in points surrendered.

Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports

Obviously, Stoops (above) no longer has the same athletes he did with the Seminoles. The players he has now simply have to improve.

“There’s no magical formula,” Stoops said last week at Media Days. “It’s recruiting very good players, and it’s working the heck out of them and fundamentally playing better. We have to look at everything we’re doing as coaches to put them in a position to be successful, and that’s always a fine line and a balancing act.”

The last thing Stoops wants to do is throw the system out the window, even if the ‘Cats will never be able to build a brick wall like FSU did when he was in Tallahassee. What he can do is focus on the basics and not put too much on his defenders’ collective plate.

“I’ve been a coordinator long before I’ve been a head coach, and there’s always been a fine line there between doing too much and fundamentally getting better,” he said. “And I’ve always been of the belief to just do what you do and get better and better and better at it and fundamentally play the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”

"There's no magical formula. It's recruiting very good players, and it's working the heck out of them and fundamentally playing better." -- Mark Stoops

While Johnson may not be overly dangerous through the air, Kentucky should once again be prolific on the ground and dent the scoreboard liberally. Additionally, the presumed contenders in the East — Georgia and Florida lead the list, of course — don’t feature explosive offenses. Still, not one of the 242 ballots cast in Hoover picked the Wildcats to win the division.

“The atmosphere has definitely changed a lot, but the goal has always been the same,” said linebacker Courtney Love. “We obviously want bigger goals, but I got recruited on changing the culture of this program with Coach Stoops. He’s done that and more. As players, we have to do our part. I think we did last year. We have to continue to do that. We have to continue to get better and buy into his vision for the program.”

He has seen the UK program blossom during his time on campus. His teammates now take it upon themselves to organize extra workouts on their own.

“Two years ago, it was like a jungle,” Love (below) said. “It was chaos because guys weren’t doing what they were supposed to do. But moving on to now, it looks like we’re a real team out there. We’re making sure we do what we have to do. We know if we put this work in now and get better, it’ll make camp that much easier, which will make us that much better for the regular season and SEC play.”

Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports

If the wheels were going to fall off for Stoops with the ‘Cats, then it probably would’ve happened last September. In Week 1, they blew a 35-10 lead at home to Southern Miss. In Week 2, they laid a 45-7 egg on the road at Florida.

“Last season was a roller coaster,” said safety Mike Edwards. “We started out 0-2, and then we kind of got over the hump. We picked it up, built or chemistry and won seven of the last 10 games. So that was big, and getting the win over Louisville was great.”

With nine returning starters overall on defense, the only team in the SEC with more is Georgia with 10.

The SEC didn’t fare well against the ACC last season, especially during Rivalry Week after Thanksgiving. Florida State gutted Florida. Clemson embarrassed South Carolina. Georgia Tech upended Georgia. If not for Kentucky, it might have been a clean sweep. But the Wildcats forced four turnovers from eventual Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson to upset the Cardinals.

“We talk about it all the time, just trying to build the team together,” Edwards said. “And the past years didn’t go as well, but we’ve been progressing every year. We went from 5-7 to now 7-6, so we’re doing pretty well and picking it up.”

UK brings back its four top tacklers for 2017. The top six sackers are all still on the roster, too. Furthermore, a strong recruiting class should add some depth.

With nine returning starters overall on defense, the only team in the SEC with more is Georgia (10). Expecting a radical improvement on that side of the ball is overly optimistic, but even a gentle upswing could make the ‘Cats quite frisky.