Here are my thoughts on Kentucky’s blowout win:

What it means: The Wildcats are now within one win of heading to their first bowl game under Mark Stoops. The in-state matchup with the Louisville Cardinals is always the biggest of the year for those within the state, but the stakes will be even higher with the added pressure of needing the win to advance to postseason play. It was also the first game for UK under the leadership of redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Barker. Barker had a solid but not spectacular outing in his first start, going 16-for-29 passing for 129 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions.

What I liked: Kentucky had by far its best game of the season from a rushing standpoint. The ‘Cats had two running backs run for over 100 yards in Stanley “Boom” Williams and Jojo Kemp. Though Charlotte is not a particularly potent offensive team, the Kentucky defense also stepped up and played some of its best football of the year. The ‘Cats were able to keep the Charlotte running attack from doing much of anything, and freshman safety Mike Edward returned the first interception of his career for a touchdown. In his first start at quarterback, Barker did not try to come out and prove he should have been the starter all along. He played smart, making good decisions and managed the game in an effective manner.

What I didn’t like: There was not much to complain about today from the Wildcats’ side of things. The highly touted sophomore receiving core was rather underwhelming and appeared to struggle gaining seperaation from the Charlotte corners and safeties at times. Many of the passing plays were on short routes, but the sheer athletic ability alone of the UK pass-catchers would lead one to think that they might have been able to break lose for at lease one long run-after-the-catch.

Who’s the man: Junior running back Jojo Kemp had his best game as a Wildcat. Kemp ran for 165 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 11 carries, an average of 15 yards per carry. Kemp has mostly filled in as a backup to Williams this season but never fails to provide an energy boost when he sees the field. Williams is a close second here, recording 140 yards and 2 scores of his own on just 16 carries.

Key play: Williams added yet another signature long run to his resume midway through the third quarter with a 53-yard scoring scamper to put the Wildcats up 34-3 after a completed PAT kick. It was Williams’ second score of both the game and the third quarter.

Whats next: Next Saturday will be judgement day for a UK team that has experienced both ups and downs so far this season. Bobby Petrino’s Cardinals head into Commonwealth Stadium, and the stakes will be high: win and go on to the excitement of postseason play, or lose and go home empty handed. The general consensus in Lexington was that the Charlotte game should serve as the perfect drawing board for the ‘Cats to work out their kinks before the battle of the Bluegrass.