After Kentucky folded like a cheap taco in a season-opening loss against Southern Miss, took a 45-7 crushing to Florida and lost starting QB Drew Barker on one of the first plays of the New Mexico State game, this column looked a million miles away.

But Kentucky has rallied under backup QB Stephen Johnson, buoyed by a resilient defense, and has climbed to a 4-3 mark, a half game behind SEC East leader Florida in the conference standings. With Austin Peay waiting on Nov. 19, Kentucky is chasing one more win, which would provide bowl-eligibility. This is why they’ll get it and return to a bowl for the first time since 2010.

  1. Boom and Bam. Stanley “Boom” Williams was a known quality for UK, possibly the best player on the team. Williams, who has game-breaker speed, is a threat to score on any touch of the football. Through seven games, he has 639 rushing yards and a 7.1 yards per carry average. But freshman Benny Snell has been a surprise. Snell, who is a punishing, physical runner, has shone in relief of Williams and has 469 rushing yards and 6 TDs on the ground himself. Only four SEC running back duos have as many yards as Williams and Snell, and the only duo that has done so in as few carries is Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice from LSU. Kentucky has a first-class one-two punch in the ground game.
  2. The UK defense has improved. The UK defense struggled mightily in the beginning of the season, giving up an alarming 528 yards and 43.7 points per game. Since then, Mark Stoops has taken back the defensive reigns and over its last four games — all in conference — UK has allowed 350 yards and 23.8 points per game. With a largely anonymous defensive front, Kentucky has steadily improved its linebacker and secondary play while winning four of its last five games on that basis.
  3. The schedule helps. Sure, the SEC is unforgiving for Kentucky. The Wildcats haven’t posted a winning SEC season since 1977. But UK is now 3-2 in the league with a pair of winnable games upcoming: at Missouri and at home against an inconsistent Georgia squad. Kentucky has taken down the dregs of the SEC so far — Vandy, Mississippi State and South Carolina — and at least two of the three remaining league games come against some of the conference’s weaker members.
  4. MacAutomatic. Kentucky’s strategy leads to playing large numbers of close games — the Wildcats run the ball, play bend-but-don’t-break defense and have gone 3-0 this season in games decided by one score (1-3 in games that aren’t). Part of Kentucky’s strategy is keeping games close so junior Austin MacGinnis can do what he did against Mississippi State: close the game with a bang. In that case, a 51-yard field goal. MacGinnis already has the school record for longest field goal coming on a 54-yarder at Tennessee, and he is the sixth-leading scorer in UK history. His 43 made field goals are third-most in school history, and he has almost a season and a half left.
  5. Because Mark Stoops needs a bowl. The Kentucky head coach’s seat was on fire after an 0-2 start, and the rest of the season has been born out of desperation. A stopgap QB, a change in defensive play caller and embracing a run-first approach have suddenly yielded a team that was too hungry to lose. Kentucky isn’t one of the better teams in the league by a long shot, but with the coach’s job on the line, the Wildcats have rallied to make a statement, a statement that logically ends in a bowl appearance.