If you are a Kentucky football fan and don’t understand the lack of respect UK has got from some national football writers this year, you are not alone. Kentucky recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow is right there with you. He joined Louisville radio sports talk show host Michael Bennett last week on Just The Cat Radio and didn’t mince words.
“I just don’t understand. We had a team that went 8-55. We bring back three major starters who were on that 10-3 team that were really great players along with all the players we’ve got coming back,” Marrow told Bennett. ” “Sometimes you get caught up in those rankings, but I’m going to be honest with you. I just want these guys to get their fair share of the work they put in.”
Let’s see. Kentucky went 10-3 in 2018 and won the Citrus Bowl against Penn State. It went 8-5 last year despite quarterback Terry Wilson’s injury and won the Belk Bowl against Virginia Tech. Kentucky has had four first-team All-Americans the last two years and produced UK’s all-time leading rusher, national defensive player of the year and Paul Hornung Award winner along with other honors. The Cats have also had seven NFL draft picks and two — Josh Allen and Benny Snell — are making big marks already.
Credit CBS Sports college football analyst Barrett Sallee for understanding what many national media members have not. He says UK is the most underrated SEC team going back to 2012 and has finished nine spots higher in the SEC standings the last eight years than what the media predicted.
“I just think it’s the stigma of being Kentucky football. I think even with our fans, they can’t believe sometimes what we do, but they’re excited about it,” Marrow said. “This program is here to stay.
“There are 85 dudes in that locker room who read Twitter. They read the AP polls and coaches polls. They just can’t wait to take the field to show what we have.”
Kentucky gets that chance Saturday when it plays at Auburn in a game I think the Wildcats, despite being an underdog, win to start what I see as a 7-3 season with losses to Georgia, Alabama and Florida. However, it also includes a win over Tennessee.
