By now, it’s  been made pretty clear that the offensive production was the highlight of Sunday’s defeat at the hands of the Dirty Birds. Are there things that still need to be fixed? Yes, but, for the most part, the unit looked energized and much more efficient than last year. Something pretty interesting, or at least interesting enough to take up my post for the day, is  breaking down how the offense compared statistically with the rest of the SEC during the first week of regular season play, both individual players and as a unit.  To the tables!

Quarterback: 

Our man Max grew up on Saturday; and it’s shows when you compare him to the rest of the SEC quarterbacks. With a couple of tuneups before the Cats head to The Swamp, one has to hope that the maturation process continues at a quick rate. We’re gonna need every bit of leadership we can get once SEC play begins.

Running Backs:

(Not pictured: Ramon Sanders, who tied for 26th this week.)

The stats from both Williams and Sanders could look a bit better if you take out each player’s fumble on Sunday. Both turnovers took place inside Louisville territory, with Williams’ fumble coming at the five yard line, and could have possibly lead to rushing touchdowns from either back. All in all, it wasn’t a bad outing. Both guys had a run over 10 yards, and looked comfortable in the offense. If the offensive line continues to perform the way they did on Sunday, the Cats could very easily find a consistent two-headed attack at the running back position with  the possibility of adding Dy’Shawn Mobley as a third weapon if he can get out of Twitter Jail with enough time to see some snaps these next two weeks.

Wide Receivers:

(Not Pictured: Aaron Boyd, who tied for 24th.)

Given the performance of the receiving corp last season, seeing two UK wideouts ranked in the top 20 is a very comforting. If Smith continues to look sharp at QB, playmakers like King and Collins could have breakout years. It will be interesting to see if the playbook is expanded during these next two weeks and if these guys can make big catches down field to go along with their ability create plays in space. You can throw the ball downfield, after all.

Total Offense:

While 9th out of 13 isn’t the best ranking in the world, anything is an improvement from the offense that was put out on the field last year. Unfortunately, if the defense continues to let teams drive the ball downfield at will, the Cats will have to rely on the offense to carry the team much like they have with their defense in past years. If SEC defenses are able to shut the Big Blue offense (which isn’t much of a stretch considering just how talented SEC defenses are), it could be a long season for Joker and the gang.

@brooksHoltonKSR