One last chance for that SEC shine

In August there was hope. Those feelings faded away by the time we hit the Mizzou/Vandy skid. But Kentucky presents one last chance for this defense to put in a full four quarters against an SEC opponent.

"I think that's a little bit of a reflection of how these guys continue to grind and work," Grantham said. "The inconsistency is obviously something we've got to work on, but I saw a lot of passion out of the guys this past Saturday, and I saw guys taking it to another level with their passion for what they were doing and what our offense was doing and what our special teams were doing.

"I thought it was a step, because we made a lot of good things happen in the fourth quarter. We've just got to build on it."

By now everyone is hoping Saturday night is more of a look towards the future rather than a reflection of the past.