The Kentucky Wildcats couldn’t have asked for a better start to their 2014 season.

The Wildcats seized a 35-0 lead by halftime and a 52-0 lead through three quarters on their way to a convincing 59-14 victory over UT Martin in Lexington Saturday afternoon.

Here are a couple of thoughts on the game:

What it means: The win over UT Martin means the Cats are fully entrenched in the Mark Stoops era in Lexington. Kentucky’s victory today involved more than 20 players making their UK debuts, including tailback Braylon Heard (two touchdowns of more than 40 yards), receiver Blake Bone (29-yard touchdown catch) and safety A.J. Stamps, whose first half interception set up one of many Kentucky touchdowns on the afternoon. The Wildcats showed more dynamic athleticism in this game than they had in any game the last two seasons, proving Stoops’ strong recruiting efforts have already begun translating to the field. Even quarterback Patrick Towles, who predates Stoops in Kentucky, had a breakout game in his debut as Stoops’ starting quarterback (more on that below). The UK head coach had promised this team was vastly improved from last year’s bunch, and so far in 2014 he looks smart for saying so.

What I liked: The play on offense. Towles had the Cats playing at swift pace on offense; he was deliberate in his progressions and confident in all his throws, avoiding bad mistakes while involving most  of UK’s skill position players in the offense. Fifteen different skill players touched the ball for Kentucky, making its Air Raid offense near-impossible to stop. UT Martin is not known for its defensive prowess, but Towles looked as though he’d been starting under center for years. He played just three quarters before sitting out garbage time in favor of Reese Phillips, and completed 20-of-29 passes for 377 yards and a touchdown. Most importantly, the offense was far from one-dimensional, and should find even more rhythm as the season progresses.

Who’s the man: Towles would be an easy pick as “the man,” but because we’ve already talked about his day let’s give the nod to A.J. Stamps. The Cats’ safety was all over the field, recording eight tackles including a few punishing hits. His incredible, one-handed interception in mid-air kept UK’s shutout alive in the first quarter (it would be spoiled in the fourth quarter) and helped set up one of the Cats’ five first half touchdowns against the Skyhawks.

Key play: It took UK a few minutes to get on the board, but Braylon Heard’s first career carry as a Wildcat broke a scoreless tie with seven minutes left in the first quarter. Heard took a carry straight up the middle and was hardly touched on his 76-yard scamper to the end zone for the Wildcats’ first points of 2014. The long touchdown run gave the UK offense confidence and shifted the momentum firmly to Kentucky’s sideline. The Cats never relinquished that momentum, riding it to 52 straight points through three quarters before subbing out most of the starters.