The Kentucky Wildcats trailed Louisiana-Monroe 14-3 through one quarter in Lexington, giving the home fans a scare to start their college football Saturday. The Cats made amends for their slow start, however, storming back to score 45 unanswered points in a 34-point win.

Here are some quick thoughts on Kentucky’s exciting 48-14 blowout of UL Monroe Saturday afternoon.

What it means: A win over Louisiana-Monroe doesn’t say much about Kentucky, as it was expected to win this game in the manner it did. However, the win is still significant to UK’s overall season. Kentucky is 5-1 on the year, and now sits just one win shy of bowl eligibility with six games remaining on the schedule. For a team that hasn’t won more than five games in a season since 2010, reaching the five-win mark in the first half of the season is a huge accomplishment in Mark Stoops’ second year in Lexington. Because ULM is not a conference opponent, the win does not help or hurt UK’s standing in the SEC East, but the blowout was still a nice confidence-builder for the Cats heading into the back-stretch of their 2014 campaign.

What I liked: The way Kentucky responded to an early 11-point deficit. The Cats looked in danger of being upset by the Warhawks, trailing 14-3 through one quarter, but they responded in a big way to end the game with 45 unanswered points. Wideout Javess Blue did his part, sparking the comeback with an impressive 83-yard touchdown catch and run to pull Kentucky to within four points at 14-10. Then the defense took over, forcing three turnovers, including two pick-sixes, to run away with the game. It was the first time Kentucky scored two defensive touchdowns in the same game since 2008, and Javess Blue added an incredible one-handed catch in the second half to cement UK’s domination in the final three quarters.

What I didn’t like: Kentucky’s slow start to the game. The Wildcats did not come out of the gates with any energy or enthusiasm, and if it starts this slow against SEC foes down the stretch it won’t be able to recover the way it did today. Kentucky may have slept on the Warhawks’ abilities, leading to its ugly first quarter performance, but the Cats cannot repeat their mistake again this year. Kentucky must start every game with a fiery passion, no matter the opponent, if it hopes to win the SEC East title by season’s end.

Key play: Blue’s 83-yard touchdown was the play of the day, as it ignited a swing in momentum from the Warhawks to the Wildcats early in the second quarter. The senior wideout went up high to pull down a throw from Patrick Towles along the sideline, and although he was interfered with by the ULM defensive back, he still managed to stay in bounds and navigate around a few Warhawks’ defenders before reaching the end zone. The play was a crushing blow to Louisiana-Monroe’s confidence, and from that point on the Cats never looked back.

What’s next: Hopefully the Cats enjoyed their week outside the SEC, as they return to conference play with a tough road test at night against LSU next week. Following Georgia’s 34-0 whitewash of Missouri, Kentucky is now tied for first in the East with just one conference loss. The Bayou Bengals have appeared more vulnerable than ever before in the Les Miles era, and if UK can earn a win against a team with no quarterback and a suspect run defense, it would have a great shot at making a run to Atlanta.