Is it time for Big Blue Nation to panic after Kentucky football’s loss to Missouri?
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Game day: Missouri 38, No. 24 Kentucky 21
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Missouri football game at Kroger Field.
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It might be time to hit the panic button for Kentucky football after a 38-21 loss to Missouri on Saturday. The Wildcats were unable to bounce back from the drubbing at No. 1 Georgia last week and now head into an off week facing a crisis point in the season.
Here is a closer look at what the loss means beyond the field.
Season on the brink
On the surface, a 5-2 overall record and 2-2 record in Southeastern Conference play would put the Wildcats far from panic mode, but back-to-back losses heading into the off week means morale has cratered.
The second half of Kentucky’s schedule was always considered more difficult than the first, and that dichotomy has only become more pronounced with Louisville’s strong start to the Jeff Brohm era (though the Cardinals were upset by Pittsburgh on Saturday). Now, Kentucky looks likely to be an underdog in its two remaining home games against Tennessee and Alabama as well as in the road game at Louisville. The Wildcats would be slotted ahead of November opponents Mississippi State and South Carolina in the SEC pecking order currently, but both those games are on the road and UK has not won at Mississippi State since 2008.
The Tennessee and Alabama games are already sold out, but basketball season starting means fan interest could lag in the weeks ahead. How Kentucky responds after the off week will be a real test of whether Stoops was successful building his normal team-first culture with a team built largely around transfers-for-hire.
Pressure on the Tennessee game
Of course, all the negativity resulting from the last two weeks could be silenced quickly if Kentucky beats rival Tennessee in its next game on Oct. 28.
While the Volunteers have not lived up to preseason hype yet, they still are 5-1 after a 20-13 win over Texas A&M on Saturday. Considering Kentucky has struggled to take advantage of Tennessee’s recent down seasons, this still looks like a tall task for the Wildcats.
The flip side of a daunting home stretch to the schedule is if Kentucky can beat Tennessee (or Alabama on Nov. 11) those are the type of victories that can flip the narrative again and still position the Wildcats for an exciting bowl trip. Kentucky rallied from a three-game losing streak in 2021 to reach the Citrus Bowl, so it’s too early to call the Tennessee game a must-win. It might be the last realistic chance to build toward a special season though.
Kentucky needs an off week desperately
It would be easy to add the Missouri loss to the narrative that Stoops’ UK teams have struggled to bounce back from defeats in high-profile games like the Georgia contest last week, but a number of key injuries make it harder to blame mindset alone.
Star linebacker Trevin Wallace was the biggest absence against Missouri after leaving the Georgia loss early with an undisclosed injury. Right guard Jager Burton, who has struggled for much of the season and might have lost his starting job after multiple high-profile mistakes at Georgia anyway, was also unavailable. Stoops announced earlier in the week safety Jalen Geiger was expected to be out multiple weeks with an injury suffered at Georgia.
Senior left guard Kenneth Horsey did return from a five-game absence. Wide receiver Barion Brown played but did not return kicks for the second consecutive week after tweaking a hamstring against Florida.
Maybe Kentucky still does not beat Missouri with a full complement of players considering how quickly a dominant first quarter turned into disaster, but the second half schedule looks even more daunting if key players like Wallace are missing.
This story was originally published October 14, 2023 at 10:56 PM.
