The 2022 regular season ended up being a frustrating one for the Kentucky Wildcats. By beating Louisville for the 4th time in a row on Saturday, the Wildcats finished the year 7-5.

And yet … had Kentucky not botched a game-winning touchdown pass in Oxford and played a painfully disinterested home game against Vanderbilt, the Wildcats could easily have gone 9-3. Kentucky had some moments to remember and some to forget in 2022.

Here are 10 takeaways from the season that was:

1. The best sign — 7-5 isn’t perceived as good enough

In the long history of Kentucky football, a 7-win regular season is a relatively big deal. How big of a deal? Well, it’s a mark the Wildcats didn’t eclipse between 1984 and 2018. During that 35-year run, a 7-win season and a Music City Bowl berth was about as good as it got for UK football. But 10-win seasons in 2018 and 2021 confirm that the potential for better things is still very real. Even in a shifting SEC, it’s a good sign for UK fans that they’re a little bit mad about 7-5 in 2022.

2. Massive offensive changes have to be coming

Under Mark Stoops, defense has been a key, but offense has been a little hit-and-miss. After a grind-it-out era with Benny Snell, Kentucky tried to diversify after moving on from Eddie Gran as offensive coordinator after the 2020 season. It worked pretty well in 2021, when Will Levis came to town and Liam Coen dialed up some excellent plays, leading Kentucky to average 32.3 points and 424 yards per game. But this year, with Coen back in the NFL, new coordinator Rich Scangarello had a rough go of it. Kentucky finished the year — with many of the same personnel — averaging 22.1 points and 336 yards per game. Levis and Chris Rodriguez will now be gone, and Kentucky has to figure out a way to ramp its offensive production back up. The good news is …

3. Barion Brown and Dane Key will be great, if UK can keep them

True frosh wideouts Barion Brown and Dane Key got plenty of playing time and both showed flashes of greatness. Brown finished the regular season with 45 catches for 604 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff for another score. Key had 31 grabs for 472 yards and 6 scores. Whatever changes happen with the UK offense, be it coordinator, philosophy, whatever, Kentucky has to keep both players happy and ready for a couple more seasons in Lexington.

4. Will Levis had an odd season

Given that Levis had basically been a run-package quarterback at Penn State, his solid performance in 2021 inspired hope that he’d be a next-level QB in 2022. That didn’t happen, in part because his offensive line, which allowed 42 sacks, nearly got him beat to death. Whispers of multiple injuries circulated by the 2nd half of the season, and Levis looked both unwilling and unable to run the football. As a passer, it was hit and miss. His efficiency stats went up very slightly, but 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions paint a pretty accurate picture of a scattered season for a guy who spent the year running for his life.

5. Kentucky’s offensive line was awful

As noted above, Levis’ biggest issue in 2022 was an offensive line that seemed to be plotting his sudden demise. Whether it was allowing 42 sacks, paving the way for just 3.3 yards per carry despite a nearly 1,000-yard season from Rodriguez or just failing to consistently establish an identity up front, Kentucky’s offensive line was as bad as it’s been in memory. Stoops’ 1st UK team back in 2013 had Ohio Valley Conference-level talent at many spots, but it might have played better than Kentucky’s offensive line this year.

6. Injuries hurt Kentucky on defense

Kentucky’s defense was rock-solid this season, with a few hiccups. But for the year, UK allowed 19.1 points and 320 yards per game. The mind boggles to wonder how well this group could have played had it not lost likely starters Vito Tisdale (before the season) and Jalen Geiger (Week 2), while playing much of the year without linebackers DeAndre Square and Jacquez Jones. With the exception of the Tennessee game, Kentucky’s defense kept it in games all season long.

7. Carrington Valentine took a huge step

A season ago, Kentucky’s corners were routinely picked apart, and Valentine was generally described as the best of a very mediocre group. A year later, the corners have greatly improved, and Valentine is probably still the best. He finished the regular season with 48 tackles, an interception and 10 more passes broken up, a number that will place him comfortably in the SEC’s top 10. A season ago, it was safe to wonder if Valentine would be a starter. Now, it’s safe to wonder if he’ll return to UK or cast his lot for the NFL.

8. Special teams were ugly

Kentucky had massive special teams struggles all year, particularly with long snapping and placement snapping. A pair of snaps airmailed over the punter’s head threatened to cost UK eventual wins over Florida and Missouri. Kicker Matt Ruffolo missed 8 field goals and a pair of extra points, and several other kicks were aborted when awful snaps or issues with the hold prompted non-attempts. Chance Poore was very solid on kickoffs, and Brown brought some excitement (if not much consistency) to the return game. But, otherwise, UK had major problems on special teams.

9. The Florida win was memorable

Yes, Billy Napier’s Gators ended up not exactly being SEC heavyweights, but Kentucky gained a healthy dose of momentum with a 26-16 win at Florida in Week 2. A Keidron Smith pick-6 and a JJ Weaver interception in UF territory were some of the biggest moments of the game. Kentucky rode that momentum to a 4-0 start and a No. 7 national ranking.

10. South Carolina and Vanderbilt trends were bad

A 4-1 Kentucky team apparently thought it could handle South Carolina without Levis, but a 24-14 loss ended that notion. It was in that game — when Kentucky turned the ball over at its own 2 on the 1st offensive play — when UK’s offensive issues really surfaced. And then Kentucky lost to Vandy, which hadn’t won a conference game in 26 tries. Yes, Clark Lea’s team is getting better, as it demonstrated by beating Florida the following week. But Kentucky needed to hold its ground in the SEC East, where it finished 4th at 3-5, and both losses could be negative trends moving forward.