Kentucky Wildcats

Kentucky Football: Drew Barker Shouldn't Lose Confidence

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

foxsports

There’s no quarterback controversy in Lexington. Drew Barker is the future of Kentucky football. All he needs to do is learn from his mistakes.

In the aftermath of Kentucky football losing 45-7 to the Florida Gators, all eyes turned to sophomore quarterback Drew Barker. Talk of a quarterback controversy emerged, based entirely on Barker’s abhorrent performance.

Rather than worrying about his job, Barker should continue to focus on improving and preparing for the next challenge.

Barker was 2-of-10 for 10 passing yards against Florida. There’s no adjective that can adequately describe how poorly Barker and the Wildcats’ offense performed against Florida in Week 2.

According to Jennifer Smith of The Herald-Leader, Barker addressed the source of his issues against Florida.

“You don’t really want to start off a game that way so it was a little shocking that’s how we start the game off,” said Barker, who completed just two passes and was picked off three times. “We’ve been practicing all week the first play we were gonna run. For that to happen was a little, I guess, disappointing.”

Per Jon Hale of The Courier-Journal, Barker realizes that he can’t let one mistake bring his entire game down.

“I just missed the throw,” Barker said. “But, can’t let one mistake compound on another. Not only myself but the whole team.”

Barker understands his mistakes. The next step is improving upon them.

Those who are calling for Barker’s job are displaying symptoms of short-term memory. It was just a week before the Florida game that he threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.

Though the second half was uneventful, the first half was a sign of just how much upside the sophomore possesses.

It cannot be understated how inexperienced Barker is. He made spot appearances and two starts in 2015, and is only two starts into his career as a full-time player.

Rather than turning their backs on Barker at his first sign of trouble, Big Blue Nation should support the promising young quarterback.

There are clear reasons for concern, but Barker shouldn’t let his confidence be shaken.