Kentucky Football: It's Time To Move Forward

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The loss to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles was absolutely brutal, but it’s time for the Kentucky football program and its fans to move forward.

Week 1 of the 2016 college football season had the potential to be the breakout performance for the Kentucky football team. Instead, it was a harsh reminder that it’s never safe to believe in the Wildcats.

Though that belief may be circulating throughout Big Blue Nation, it’s time to let the past be the past and embrace the progress that’s been made.

For those who missed the season opener, Kentucky jumped out to a commanding 35-10 lead in the first half. Southern Miss scored a touchdown late in the second quarter, however, and proceeded to score 27 more unanswered points en route to a 44-35 victory.

According to Jon Hale of The Lexington Courier-Journal, head coach Mark Stoops is aware of the pain his players are feeling, but knows they need to compartmentalize it in order to save the season.

“It’s going to hurt and they’re going to go through some tough times and everybody’s going to question them,” Stoops said. “They have got to man up and get back to work and accept that.

“When you get it teed up and you got a big game like that and you’re playing very, very well and you lose it, you understand that it comes with the territory. You have to accept that criticism and know the truths of it.”

There’s been a mountain of criticism, but Stoops is right: it’s time to move forward.

The Wildcats are coming off of a loss that could easily break the team’s will and spirit. The likes of Drew Barker, J.D. Harmon, Garrett Johnson, Jordan Jones, and Stanley Boom Williams were incredible, but football isn’t a five-man game.

Kentucky started out with a display of pure dominance, only to fall apart at the seams and lose 44-35 at home.

The reality is, there was a lot to be excited about, including Barker throwing for 323 yards and four touchdowns, Williams running for 94 yards on 13 carries, and Johnson compiling 143 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Jones had 19 tackles and Harmon had two interceptions.

Not all is perfect in Lexington, but every one of those players is eligible to return to Kentucky in 2017.

If nothing else, the future is bright in Lexington. Try to find the silver lining.