Auburn Football: Pre-Spring SEC Quarterback Power Rankings

Nov 29, 2014; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Patrick Towles (14) looks to pass against the Louisville Cardinals during the second quarter at Papa John

A lot of people expected Drew Barker, the highly touted 2014 recruit and incoming freshman quarterback, to emerge as Kentucky’s starter last season – if not by Game 1, at least later in the year. However, Patrick Towles not only won the job, he played well enough as a sophomore that head coach Mark Stoops opted to redshirt Barker.

Towles led the Wildcats to a surprising 5-1 start to the season in which he completed 120 of 192 passing attempts (62.5%) for 1,541 yards, ten touchdowns and four interceptions. The 6-foot-5, 238-pound signal caller also scored twice on the ground and spiked the hopes of the Big Blue Nation that Kentucky could make it to a bowl game just one year after stumbling to a 2-10 record.

However, Towles and the Wildcats didn’t win another game. Outside of a heroic performance in a 45-31 loss to No. 1 Mississippi State in which he threw for 390 yards and two touchdowns without a pick and rand for 76 yards and two scores, Towles slumped in the second half. In the other five contests, the Fort Thomas, Kentucky native was 81-for-157 (51.6%) for 787 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions.

The season proved that Towles has great promise, and he’s likely to beat out Barker and Reese Phillips again in 2015. The question is whether or not he’ll be able to help Kentucky finally snap a four-year bowl drought.

Next: 7. Arkansas