I was wrong. Again. What else is a new? Two weeks ago in this space, after Kentucky’s loss at No. 1 Georgia, I wrote these Wildcats would not lose another football game. I wrote they’d run the table, win their final five, close out the regular season in fine fashion to go 11-1. Oops.
So what to write now? What do you say about a Kentucky team that was “outcoached and outplayed,” to use the words of the head coach Mark Stoops, in a dreadful 31-17 loss at Mississippi State on Saturday night? And it wasn’t even that close. Total yards: Mississippi State 438, Kentucky 216.
“They kicked our butts,” Stoops said afterward.
The Bulldogs did some butt-kicking alright. No doubt they remembered last season’s 24-2 loss in Lexington in which UK picked off six Mississippi State passes. Personally, I’m a little tired of the Mike Leach media-lovefest. (Hopefully, when Halloween’s behind us we’ll be spared the Mississippi State coach’s opinion on candy corn, at least until next year.) But Leach didn’t fall off the turnip truck yesterday. He can coach. And in Zach Arnett, Leach has a bright young 35-year-old defensive coordinator with a bright future.
As for Kentucky’s coach? There is at least one of these stink bombs on UK’s road résumé every season. There was the 24-7 egg laid at Tennessee in 2018. There was the 24-7 loss at South Carolina in 2019. And there was the 20-10 no-show in the “Show Me” state of Missouri last season.
Can we blame the 2021 version on Kentucky enjoying a bye week the week before? Sorry, not buying it. The time off allowed some players to get at least healthier. We speak specifically of Josh Ali, who after a two-game absence claimed the Cats’ lone highlight with a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown. Plus, Stoops was 3-1 off his last four bye weeks, beating Vanderbilt in 2018, splitting with Arkansas (win) and Tennessee (loss) in 2019 before beating Vanderbilt again last season.
Now, this Saturday, Tennessee hits Kroger Field off a bye week of its own. The Vols are 4-4 overall and 2-3 in Josh Heupel’s first season as head coach. Considering the Big Orange mess left after the abrupt firing of former coach Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee has overachieved this season. The Vols can score points. Their 16th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 37.4 points per game. UT is dangerous.
Kentucky dealing with injury problems
Meanwhile, Kentucky is nursing its wounds, physically and mentally. This is a beat-up football team. The absence of Marquan McCall and Octavious Oxendine on the defensive line are taking their toll. (Leach’s Air Raid actually outrushed UK 94-66.) Outside linebacker Jordan Wright was carted to the locker room Saturday night. Linebacker DeAndre Square was seen visiting the trainers. Defensive back Vito Tisdale needed assistance to leave the field. Afterward, Stoops admitted that running back Chris Rodriguez is dealing with a physical issue, but added that was not an excuse for his fumbles.
Then there’s the mental part. New offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s immediate challenge is getting Will Levis back on track. The UK quarterback suffered an acute case of scattershot on Saturday, underthrowing some receivers, overthrowing others. Three of his passes were picked off by a State secondary that was missing two starters.
Did Saturday change the way I feel about this 6-2 football team? Not really. It was a bad performance on a bad night. Here we might be wise to remember the words of a certain basketball coach in these parts, who is fond of saying, “They’re not robots.”
“BBN sorry for that one,” tweeted UK recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow afterward. “You deserve better and we will respond.”
Still, Stoops said something notable in his postgame Zoom session. “I don’t want to have a football team like this,” later adding, “(We want) to make sure we get the right guys out on the field that play how we want to play.”
Players who play — and coaches who coach — nothing like how Kentucky played Saturday night.
Discover more from Today Headline
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.