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Kentucky Wildcats: SEC East
It's a good time to be a Kentucky fan. On the back of a three-bowl game win streak, the team looks set to make a statement in the SEC East and surprise Georgia and Florida in order to reach the SEC Championship.
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Since Mark Stoops joined as head coach, there's been steady progress within the program. Kentucky has played bowl games for five straight seasons now. There's hope that with maybe one or two lucky breaks, this could be the year Kentucky wins the division and plays in the SEC Championship Game for the first time ever.
Here's a look at the Kentucky Wildcats' strengths and weaknesses heading into the 2021-2022 season.
2021-2022 SEC East Conference preview: Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky's strengths: The running game will still be the main source of happiness for the fans, as the offensive line is still really good and Chris Rodriguez Jr. is back after a season with almost 800 scrimmage yards splitting carries.
Kentucky's weaknesses: Kentucky's passing offense was awful last year, amassing just 121.5 yards per game. Even though new offensive coordinator Liam Coen comes from the so-called McVay coaching tree, there's a lot of work to do for the aerial offense to become at least mediocre.
Kentucky Wildcats key player: Offense
RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.: Rodriguez Jr. will once again be the star of the show. He had 6.6 yards per carry last season and a new, modern offensive coordinator will help him produce even more this season. He's got the potential to surpass 1,000 rushing yards, especially if the team dominates weaker opponents this season as expected.
Kentucky Wildcats key player: Defense
S Yusuf Corker: Corker is definitely a key piece of the 2021 version of this defense: he's one of the best safeties in the SEC and, if the Wildcats don't have a good enough passing offense, they should at least defend it well. He's amassed 151 tackles and three interceptions in the last two seasons.
2021-2022 Kentucky Wildcats schedule
Week 1: Saturday, September 4 vs. UL Monroe Warhawks
Week 2: Saturday, September 11 vs. Missouri Tiggers
Week 3: Saturday, September 18 vs. Chattanooga Mocs
Week 4: Saturday, September 25 at South Carolina Gamecocks
Week 5: Saturday, October 2 vs. Florida Gators
Week 6: Saturday, October 9 vs. LSU Tigers
Week 7: Saturday, October 16 at Georgia Bulldogs
Week 8: Bye week
Week 9: Saturday, October 30 at Mississippi State Bulldogs
Week 10: Saturday, November 6 vs. Tennessee Volunteers
Week 11: Saturday, November 13 at Vanderbilt Commodores
Week 12: Saturday, November 20 vs. New Mexico State Aggies
Week 13: Saturday, November 27 at Louisville Cardinals
2021-2022 Kentucky Wildcats prediction (9-3 overall, 6-2 SEC)
It'll be a fun season where Kentucky will be Georgia's biggest challenger inside the SEC East, but the fact is that the Bulldogs will have home-field advantage when the two meet in October. It'll be really tough to overcome this, and the Wildcats will surely be proud of the 2021 season once it finishes, especially if the team wins their fourth straight bowl game and reaches 10 wins.
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