After promise shown, UK’s offense disappeared last week. What happened?
Saturday’s performance against Mississippi State was a classic example of “two steps forward, one step back” for the Kentucky football team.
Defensively, the Wildcats for the first time were exactly what many expected them to be when they entered 2020 with a preseason top-25 ranking. Save for a botched snap that proved inconsequential, the special teams play was at its strongest so far.
Now, about that offensive display: Kentucky last week was the only team in the Southeastern Conference that finished with fewer than 200 total yards of offense. Even Vanderbilt, with only 56 scholarship players available in a 41-7 loss to South Carolina, moved the ball better last weekend.
Of course, UK prevailed for the first time this season after its defense was maligned through the first two weeks. Still, what happened to the group that outgained Auburn and Mississippi?
“It was a combination of things,” head coach Mark Stoops said during his Monday news conference.
Kentucky’s receivers accounted for four of Terry Wilson’s eight completions. Josh Ali reeled in two for 22 yards and was targeted three other times, putting up his first “dud” of the season after back-to-back games in which he almost cracked 100 yards. DeMarcus Harris (three targets) and Allen Dailey (three targets, one drop) each had one catch apiece for minimal gains.
Tight ends Brenden Bates, Justin Rigg and Keaton Upshaw each had a reception, all going for more than 10 yards. Upshaw scored the Cats’ first touchdown. Bates was injured after landing awkwardly on his catch (he’ll be out a few weeks, Stoops said) but Rigg (who had a drop) and Upshaw (only one other target) had the ball come their way four other times on Saturday.
“Certainly Terry didn’t have his best day. He missed some guys that were open,” Stoops said. “There were times that we had catches that could have been made, and there were times where they would have been very difficult catches because of the accuracy of the ball.”
Wilson was hurried or pressured on several of those incomplete passes. He was sacked twice.
“We had the worst protection issues we’ve had all year, so the O-line has some things that we have to get cleaned up,” Stoops said. “It was just overall. We’ve got to have all 11 guys playing at a high level to be efficient, and that didn’t happen on Saturday.”
The Cats failed to even get much going on the ground, where they’ve buttered their bread consistently the last few years. They were held to 84 rushing yards, matching their lowest total since a 70-yard night at Texas A&M in 2018 (they also put up 84 yards against Georgia later that year). It was the first time in 18 games, dating back to that season, that Kentucky was held to a double-digit rushing total.
UK “rushed” the ball 32 times, though Wilson’s sacks account for two of those attempts. He had 50 net yards, a game high, but 51 of his 75 gained came on a single carry. Chris Rodriguez and A.J. Rose combined for 60 yards on 15 rushes; Rose had UK’s only other reception, too.
“We tried pretty hard to establish the run game,” Stoops said. “I think you have to give them credit. They played really well at times and beat us at times. Again, just like anything, there are times where we need to block it better. Our guys have good experience but credit them. They do some different things, and twists, and put a little bit of doubt in your mind.”
Looking ahead to Tennessee, itself coming off a woeful offensive day compared to what it accomplished in its first game, Stoops seems optimistic about Kentucky assembling a game plan that gives it a chance to showcase fully what it can do in all three phases this Saturday.
“We need the offense to respond much like the defense did last week, to come out and put it all together,” Stoops said. “That’s what gives us hope moving forward. “
Etc.
▪ Kentucky’s missed connections with wide receivers extended beyond the field on Saturday when, soon after the game ended, sophomore receiver Akeem Hayes posted, and then quickly deleted, tweets that seemed to indicate concerns over playing time. Stoops said he planned to discuss the incident with Hayes later on Monday.
▪ Josh Paschal, who missed the second half against Mississippi State with a knee sprain, is day-to-day in practice this week but Stoops expects him to be available on Saturday.
▪ UK’s home game against Georgia on Oct. 24 will be played under the lights. Pending the outcomes of this weekend’s games, kickoff will be at 7 p.m. on ESPN or 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network.
Next game
Kentucky at No. 18 Tennessee
When: Noon Saturday
TV: SEC Network
Records: UK 1-2; UT 2-1
