UK football mailbag: How early is too early to ponder a quarterback change?
Welcome to our weekly mailbag addressing your questions about the game behind us, the game in front of us, and anything else related to (and maybe even a couple things unrelated to) UK football that come to mind each week. As the season rolls along, please direct your questions to me on Twitter (@JoshMooreHL) or email them (jmoore@herald-leader.com).
Ah, 0-2. Few expected this is where the University of Kentucky football team would be sitting as it prepared for its reunion with Mike Leach and Mississippi State, but if 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that expectations are feeble.
Dreams of a special season are on life support mere weeks after they were thriving. What’s on your all’s mind as you sit in the waiting room?
(Note: Some questions edited for clarity.)
I don’t think you can say there was “no” pressure brought against Matt Corral — he was sacked twice, and in the first half there were guys in his face somewhat frequently — but I do think it was, more often than not, in the Wildcats’ best interest to sit back rather than create havoc up front.
Exhibit A: UK brought pressure (in the form of J.J. Weaver) on a second-and-10 pass attempt that resulted in a first down via an Elijah Moore reception during the Rebels’ third-quarter drive to the goal line. If Weaver on that play dropped back and occupied the space Moore rushed through, it probably would have become a third-and-long around the Wildcats’ 40.
Exhibit B: A couple plays later, UK sent a linebacker to the left and Quinton Bohanna was able to spin off his man to see a wide-open path to Corral. The nose guard got close but was evaded by the Ole Miss quarterback, who ran for a first down (which was erased by a holding penalty).
Exhibit C: The best recipes involve a lot of ingredients, of course, but everything has to complement one another. The very next play after that holding penalty, UK again brought pressure and got Corral to the ground, but not before he completed a pass behind the line of scrimmage to Jonathan Mingo; he picked up 11 yards after manhandling Brandin Echols. Boogie Watson was within arm’s length on the next play but couldn’t get to Corral, who took off for a 14-yard scamper on the next play.
That’s all from a single series that, surprisingly, didn’t end in points for the Rebels. UK sent pressure on the play that tied the game on Ole Miss’ next possession. I don’t think defensive line/outside linebacker play is as much of a concern as it might have seemed in real time; it certainly doesn’t seem that way picking through the TV replay. The secondary, on the other hand ...
@CollanMcCoy: What do you think is the final QB depth chart later in the year? Top to bottom?
Was not expecting to be asked about what the quarterback depth chart will look like come, say, November, but I suppose it’s good for fans to have something else to think about or look forward to (?) with the current state of the season (and, the world, if we’re being honest) in limbo.
I’m not sold on this being a lost year just yet. I was convinced Kentucky would be 3-0 heading into the Tennessee game before the season started. At this juncture, 0-3 seems a realistic possibility. For the sake of hypothesizing, let’s say that happens. Who gives you the best chance to win in Knoxville against what could be a top-10 Tennessee team: a proven starter who played one of his best games as a Wildcat against Ole Miss or a wild card like Joey Gatewood?
My hunch is Mark Stoops and his staff ride with Terry Wilson until this season is, in fact, toast. How fans set the parameters for that and how the coaches do might be a lot different; some in the bleachers would have started Gatewood last week against the Rebels, after all. I don’t know that even an 0-5 start would guarantee a change under center, if only because so far, the quarterback position (and the offense in general) is much, much less of a concern than Kentucky’s lapses on defense. You could argue that Wilson kept UK from winning its season opener; you can’t really make that case for the Ole Miss loss.
Maybe Gatewood gets to start for a 2-7 Kentucky team against South Carolina, to start laying some foundation for 2021. Then again, that would be UK’s Senior Day, and even if he lost every game this season, Wilson would still warrant recognition. I’m leaning toward Wilson being at the top of the depth chart until injury or catastrophic performances keep him from being there; UK’s coaches have shown enough loyalty over the years to support that assumption.
Gatewood is the backup, and probably starts getting some snaps in the coming weeks, and Beau Allen will be doing as much as he can to push him in the meantime. Sawyer Smith is your “break-in-case-of-emergency” arm. I think that holds through the end of 2020.
Tremendously. What issues exist for the offense stem more from mental errors and the failure of targets to reel in home-run balls than anything happening up front.
I don’t see how John Schlarman grades his guys, but I’ve not seen anything from them to indicate they’re not doing their jobs well. Through two games that unit has been responsible for only one of Kentucky’s 12 penalties (a hold against Luke Fortner). It has helped Kentucky rush for 145 and 408 yards, making its per-game average (276.5) the best among all Southeastern Conference squads, and by a wide margin.
Going back to the first question, I think the defensive line isn’t getting enough credit for what it’s done because of the end-of-game results. The main three — Quinton Bohanna, Phil Hoskins and Josh Paschal — have played a lot of snaps, and at a high level. I’m eager to see, as the staff looks to mix in more reserves (or, if it needs to due to injury), if the consistency holds up on that side.
