Kentucky’s bowl chances ride on Patrick Towles’ performance
By Jason Hall
Published:
Kentucky opened its season at 5-1 through its first six games. The Wildcats, who haven’t made a bowl appearance since 2010, had already exceeded their combined record from the past two seasons and were one game shy of securing postseason eligibility. Now, Kentucky finds itself facing a five-game losing streak and and a potential collapse entering Saturday’s game against Louisville.
The Wildcats entered a tough stretch on Oct. 18 when they faced LSU in Baton Rogue. Since then, Kentucky has been outscored 219-19 in five games.
Quarterback Patrick Towles has struggled in that span, throwing for under 200 yards in all but one game. The redshirt sophomore has thrown an interception in each of his last three games.
Towles needs to have a strong performance for Kentucky to secure bowl eligibility. The Wildcats are 4-1 when Towles has thrown for over 200 yards and 2-1 when he’s thrown multiple touchdowns. The redshirt sophomore saw career-highs in passing (390 yards) and rushing (76) against then-No. 1 Mississippi State, keeping overmatched Kentucky in contention through four quarters.
Louisville ranks No. 3 overall in rush defense and is averaging 88.5 yards per game. The Wildcats have been held to under 200 total rushing yards in four of five games during their losing skid.
Towles must provide Kentucky with an efficient passing performance. The Wildcats’ best chance is to beat the Cardinals through the air and match freshman quarterback Reggie Bonnafon, who’s played well in the absence of injured starter Will Gardner.
Louisville has a balanced defense that will challenge the Kentucky passing attack, but its rush defense is its strongest attribute. Mark Stoops needs to take advantage of the scouting report and focus on a pass-heavy attack on Saturday.
When Towles is on, the Wildcats offense looks strong. When he struggles, Kentucky follows suit. Towles needs to have a standout performance on Saturday for the Wildcats to secure bowl eligibility and avoid a disappointing collapse to end their season.
A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky
