Here are five takeaways from Missouri’s 20-10 win over Kentucky on Saturday afternoon:

1. An ugly win is still a win, and no one knows that better than Missouri. The Tigers have had to win ugly games against South Carolina, Vanderbilt and now Kentucky, and that doesn’t even count a 29-point win over Florida in which they amassed just 119 yards of total offense. Missouri is in sole possession of first place in the SEC East with a 4-1 conference record, but it’s looked far from dominant in doing so. Nevertheless, the Tigers are now in the driver’s seat to repeat as division champs, and their chances seem good considering they don’t have a ranked opponent left on the schedule. Winning ugly is still winning, and although Georgia has looked far more impressive than Mizzou at times this season, it’s also lost two conference games in its two worst outings of the season. Missouri has found ways to win, and that itself is impressive. The Tigers deserve to be leading this division, even if the eye test says otherwise. As the legendary Bill Parcells once said: “You are as good as your record says you are.” Missouri is a first place team.

2. Shane Ray is better in 2014 than Michael Sam was in 2013. Ray added two sacks in the victory over UK, raising his SEC-leading sack total to 12 on the season. His 12 sacks also set a new program record for sacks in a single season, breaking the previous record set by last year’s SEC Defensive Player of the Year Michael Sam. It seemed impossible Sam’s replacement could outdo his production just one year later, but that’s exactly what Ray has done with three games still remaining on the schedule. Both players have three-letter first names as last names, both are impossible to block consistently, and both could lead Missouri to an SEC East title. At worst, Ray is Sam’s equivalent, but he’s on pace to shatter most of Sam’s numbers from a year ago as he makes his own case for Defensive Player of the Year in the conference.

3. Bud Sasser is an underrated weapon in the SEC. Missouri fans already know how good Sasser is, but the rest of the SEC is much less aware. Sasser caught a team-high six passes for 67 yards and scored both of Missouri’s touchdowns in the victory, beating the UK defense time and time again despite attracting more attention than any other weapon on Mizzou’s offense. Sasser is a big, physical, imposing wideout with tremendous potential, but he’s stuck in a lackluster offense as inconsistent as any in the SEC. When the offense is clicking, Sasser is usually a part of it, and that’s no coincidence. This guy is one of the best wideouts in the SEC, and as Missouri climbs back into relevancy more fans across the conference are bound to begin taking notice.

4. When Maty Mauk isn’t making mistakes, Missouri can beat anyone. Mauk threw five interceptions in Missouri’s two losses and just four in its seven wins, which just goes to show how much his turnover problems can hold the entire team back. He didn’t commit a single turnover against Kentucky, and his team won by two scores. Mauk is capable of keeping up with any defense in the SEC if he gets protection and takes care of the football, and he proved that as a freshman filling in for the injured James Franklin a season ago. He’s been less consistent in 2014, as has his protection, but when Mauk is locked in Missouri is tough to stop. Tigers fans are hoping their quarterback can stay locked in for the rest of the season, because his outing against Kentucky is exactly what Mizzou will need to close out another SEC East title.

5. The Tigers’ defense deserves more credit than it’s gotten. Missouri’s defense was obviously tremendous in Saturday’s win, yet it’s rarely talked about among the best units in the SEC this season. Ray and Markus Golden have led the most imposing defensive line the conference has to offer, and the defense as a whole single-handedly won the team’s game against Florida while dominating in wins over Kentucky and Vandy the last two weeks. If Missouri wins the division title, it will be because of its defense first and foremost, and if it can win the East its defense will begin to get the credit it deserves. Games like Saturday’s win over Kentucky will help the Mizzou defense earn some conference-wide recognition, and as Ray continues to dominate opposing offensive linemen he, too, will help gain exposure for this stellar defense. Don’t get frustrated, Mizzou fans, the credit your defense is due is coming.