Kentucky returns to action this weekend in an SEC showdown with Vanderbilt, and UK head coach Mark Stoops discussed this weekend’s game and last week’s bye with the media on Wednesday during the weekly SEC Coaches’ Teleconference.

While on the teleconference, Stoops was asked about his team’s leadership during its 2-1 start, and he responded by naming a few guys who are beginning to emerge as leaders both on and off the field. Among the players he named was starting quarterback Patrick Towles, who was not even named UK’s starter until the midway point in training camp last month.

“(Towles) is really developing into a very good football player and a great quarterback. He’s becoming a very good leader for us, so I’ve been very encouraged with the way Patrick has played,” Stoops said Wednesday. “He’s really given us an opportunity to win each time he stepped out on the field this year.”

The Cats are responding to Towles’ leadership, as the offense has made obvious strides since last season (it should be noted that Towles redshirted last year). Kentucky is averaging 16 more points and 161 more yards per game than it did in 2013, thanks in large part to the play of its new quarterback.

Unfortunately for the Cats’ defense, finding leadership has not been quite as easy. Stoops said last year’s unquestioned leader was linebacker Avery Williamson, who is now making tackles for the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, and added the defense has yet to find one guy who can take the reins of the defense on the field.

Williamson was a senior in 2013, and was far and away Kentucky’s most experienced impact player during Stoops’ first year in Lexington. He led the team with 102 tackles — 41 more than any other player on the team — and provided consistency UK has been unable to match in 2014.

The Cats had thought senior defensive end Bud Dupree would be its new leader on defense, but Dupree has been the victim of consistent double-teams, recording just 12 tackles, 1 tackles for loss and 2 quarterback hurries through three games. He has yet to record a sack this year, and his inability to make impact plays has prohibited him from taking over as the obvious leader of the defense.

The Cats remain in search of someone to step up and fill the void Williamson left after last season.

“Avery’s been a hard guy to replace,” Stoops said, adding “Avery had an awful lot of snaps in SEC football and got to a point where he played at an extremely high level.”

Stoops is essentially saying Williamson played his way into a leadership role during his career, which is something UK had hoped Dupree might do this season as a senior with three prior years of SEC experience. However, when asked about his team’s leadership, Stoops never mentioned Dupree’s name once.

Kentucky’s lack of leadership on defense has kept it from growing the way the offense has with Towles at the helm. The Cats’ defense has improved in most statistical categories from 2013, but not by a dramatic amount. Kentucky gave up 30 points to a faltering Florida offense in its last game on Sept. 13, which could be indicative of future struggles against SEC opponents.

Stoops, a former defensive coach himself, understands the defense is a work in progress without a clear leader, but also explained the unit is growing together, which he sees as a positive entering the Wildcats’ fourth game of the year.

“They’re getting more and more comfortable each time we take the field, so we’re trying to iron out certain mistakes that we’ve been making,” Stoops said. “But I think we’re improving.”