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Kentucky Football: TaxSlayer Bowl Preview - UK Receivers
Kentucky Football: TaxSlayer Bowl Preview – UK’s wide receivers and tight ends have serious big-play ability, the perfect compliment to the Cats’ ground game
Oct 22, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver Dorian Baker (2) reaches for a pass against Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive back Jamal Peters (2) in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky defeated Mississippi 40-38. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
While the running game gets all the press for Kentucky, the passing game is the silent killer when the Cats’ offense is really rolling. Blessed with a rare collection of speed and matchup problems for opposing defenses, Kentucky’s wide receivers and tight ends have serious big-play potential.
And that might just be the most dangerous element to Kentucky’s offense. Stack the box against these Cats to stop the run, as Georgia Tech is likely to do, and you might just get burned. Quarterback Stephen Johnson has proven to have a beautiful deep ball, and throughout the second half of the season, several Cats have stepped up to prove to be big-time threats when offensive coordinator Eddie Gran dials up the vertical passing game.
Kentucky has three receivers with 1,000 receiving yards in their career, Garrett Johnson, Jeff Badet and Ryan Timmons. Meanwhile, Dorian Baker is sitting on 977 career yards, ready to join the club with a couple of catches against the Yellowjackets.
Badet has tremendous speed, and has seven plays of 40-plus yards this season, including a 72-yard touchdown. As such, Badet ranks fourth in the nation in yards per catch, at 22.82. Johnson is also explosive, with three touchdowns of 40 yards or more in the last two games, including those two sensational bombs (75 and 63 yards) that helped the Cats upset Louisville.
Baker, though hobbled some this season with injury, is a serious matchup problem for opposing defenses, making him a constant red zone threat. At 6-3, 208 pounds, Baker is a big, physical target. If that Cats get held up inside the 10-yardline, Baker remains a solid option for the fade or back shoulder throw.
Tight end C.J. Conrad is probably are most underutilized target. A freshman All-American in 2015, Conrad has 16 catches for 248 yards, an average of 15.5 yards per catch, and four touchdowns.
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The Louisville game was eye-opening, as Johnson proved, on a big stage, he could make all kinds of throws, under pressure, when it matter most. Should Georgia Tech commit to stopping the run, Kentucky’s big-play receiving corps might just be called on to make a big play.
