By Nick Jones, UK AthleticsKentucky fans have been outspoken in their appreciation for head coach Mark Stoops and his ability to recharge the program with high-level athletes. The influx of youth has surpassed all expectations throughout the first seven games in Stoops’ second year at the helm. And despite a 41-3 letdown at Louisiana State Saturday night, this young team is still holding onto a 5-2 overall record. It’s hard to imagine UK starting the 2014 nearly so well without Demarco Robinson, a player who came to Lexington before Stoops’ talent infusion.”Demarco’s a really good player,” said sophomore quarterback Patrick Towles following Tuesday’s practice. “He’s been here; he knows what works, what doesn’t; he’s quick and he’s strong for his size and he makes plays on the football. It’s nice having him out there.”The numbers do not necessarily to jump off the page, but Robinson led the Kentucky receiving corps in Saturday’s loss with three catches for 52 yards. In fact, he was one of the only players among the skill positions to earn praise from the coaching staff following the disappointment in Death Valley.”There were some times, like Demarco Robinson got open a lot,” offensive coordinator Neal Brown said Tuesday. “And there were some times some other people got open. But Demarco, he won more of his battles than anybody else.”His speed, quickness and attention to fundamentals has helped Robinson rank second on the team with 20 catches for 306 yards on the season while averaging 71.6 all-purpose yards per game as a starter at wide receiver and the team’s top punt returner.And while the on-the-field production may be appealing to box score fanatics, the statistics pale in comparison to the daily leadership Robinson brings to the locker room.”I’m the leader of the wide receiving corps because I’m one of the oldest guys,” Robinson said. “I’ve been through a lot in my time here and I’ve played against a lot of guys in our league in either high school or college.”Just as any adept leader would, Robinson came off as a bit a bashful in his response when asked to talk about himself. He is an unselfish teammate who, in his senior year, brings an invaluable set of intangibles to a group of young receivers that do not hesitate to look to him for guidance.Freshman wideout Garrett Johnson came off the practice field on Tuesday with yet another update on Robinson’s role as a leader.”Today I was just out working on some routes during practice and he was right there kind of critiquing me on the fly,” Johnson said. “A lot of times we’ll sub in and out and as he is coming in he’s telling me what I did wrong on the route and giving me tips to improve. And that’s an everyday thing with him. He challenges the rest of us to be all-in with everything.”Possibly the most difficult challenge of the entire 2014 season awaits Kentucky this week as the nation’s top-raked team rolls into town. The Cats will take on No. 1 Mississippi State on Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium.College football experts, as well as previous opponents, have raved about the Bulldogs’ front seven. However, not much has been made of the MSU secondary, which is giving up 308.3 yards per game in the air as the Bulldogs have built big leads of at least 20 points in every game this season.This could be a perfect opportunity for Demarco Robinson and the rest of the Kentucky wide receivers to come up big against Mississippi State. So what is the message from the senior to the rest of his team?”Step up,” Robinson said. “It’s a big game so you’ve got to show up to the party.”