Kentucky Football Should Have Open QB Competition

The Kentucky Wildcats started 2014 with a 5-1 record and appeared ready to end a four-year streak without playing in a bowl game. However, the second half of the schedule proved to be much tougher than the first half, and Kentucky finished with six-straight losses and a 5-7 record.

Early last season, the Wildcats’ offense was clicking behind first-year starting quarterback Patrick Towles. The sophomore put up some big numbers in Kentucky’s five wins and he appeared to be the quarterback of the future for the Big Blue. But the last six games of the season, the offense, and Towles, struggled. In Kentucky’s last four games, Towles passed for just 641 yards (160.3 per game). In the previous eight games, Towles had averaged nearly 100 more yards per game (259.6).

Whether it was the rigors of a tough SEC schedule or teams figuring out what Kentucky was doing on offense, something wasn’t working right during the second half of the season.

Now, offensive coordinator Neal Brown has left and Mark Stoops has hired Shannon Dawson to replace Brown. Dawson comes from the West Virginia Mountaineers, where he ran his version of the “Air Raid” offense that Hal Mumme ran at Kentucky in the 1990s.

With the struggles that Kentucky showed at the end of last season combined with a new offensive coordinator, the Wildcats should open the quarterback position during spring practice. There are two other capable quarterbacks on the roster, and Dawson should give each of them a chance to win the job.

Reese Phillips, who will be a sophomore next season, was the backup last season. He played very little, but is known as an accurate passer. The other quarterback is Drew Barker, a highly-regarded prospect who was redshirted last season. It would be a disservice to both of those players if Towles were immediately named the starter.

New coordinator, new season and possibly new quarterback for Kentucky? That remains to be seen.

Tim Letcher is a contributing writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.