The Kentucky Wildcats earned a huge comeback win in Columbia this past Saturday against the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Wildcats found themselves down 17 points in the first half, but Kentucky managed to climb back to force overtime and then go on to win in dramatic fashion after a two-point conversion attempt.
With that, two Wildcats’ efforts are paying off this week. In the weekly SEC awards, both Kenny Darby and Lance Heard earned conference honors. Darby was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week. Against South Carolina, he set a single-game record by a Kentucky freshman with 12 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. Darby also now has the most receptions by a Kentucky freshman ever through five games with 25. He is also the first Wildcat since Randall Cobb in 2010 to have at least 12 catches, 96 yards, and a touchdown reception. Lance Heard earned SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week after his incredible play against the Gamecocks. He even went viral on social media for one of his blocks which was shared by SEC Network’s Cole Cubelic.
The hype around Heard is starting to make sense, especially after a summer of hoping the Kentucky offensive line would return to its Big Blue Wall glory. We also heard high praise from Stein on Darby, who was huge a few weeks ago in helping Kentucky notch a win over then top-10 Texas A&M on the road.
“Kenny is a football junkie. He loves it. He practices like a madman every single day,” Stein said. “If we ever have a walk-through, he’s literally going full speed. I’m like, dude, you got to slow down. This is not full speed. Like, he only knows one speed, and he loves it. He’s really intelligent. His football IQ is high. The sky’s the limit for that kid. I think he’s gonna continue to get better this year. And he’s great with the ball in his hands too, which is the sign of, I think, a really good receiver.”
Darby has been backing up that praise all season, and for Heard, he has really helped turn that offense around and, in the process, is turning into a legitimate NFL Draft prospect.
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