At the season’s midpoint, here are 5 questions this Kentucky football team must answer
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Preview: No 22 Kentucky vs. No. 16 Mississippi State
Click below to read more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s preview coverage ahead of Saturday’s Kentucky-Mississippi State football game scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Kroger Field in Lexington.
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Kentucky football 2022 is at the midpoint. Six regular-season games down, six to go. The Cats are 4-2 overall, 1-2 in the SEC. They’re ranked 22nd in the latest AP poll as No. 16 Mississippi State comes to Kroger Field on Saturday night.
With that in mind, here are five questions Mark Stoops’ team needs to answer over the season’s second half:
1. Can the offense improve?
It has been a rocky road for new coordinator Rich Scangarello. Kentucky ranks 87th nationally in scoring offense, 99th in total offense, 123rd in rushing offense. Just when the offense showed signs of life at Ole Miss, quarterback Will Levis missed last Saturday’s South Carolina game with a foot injury. The Cats lost.
Obviously, Scangarello needs Levis back. The QB did practice Monday and Tuesday. A good sign. Chris Rodriguez shaking off the rust is another good sign. The All-SEC running back rushed for 126 yards against the Gamecocks. But the OC also needs better play around his star QB and star RB. (See question No. 2.)
2. Can the offensive line improve?
It has been a rocky road for new offensive line coach Zach Yenser. His first order of business was replacing two NFL Draft picks in right tackle Darian Kinnard and center Luke Fortner. Left tackle Dare Rosenthal was also gone. Injuries have slowed that process.
Last Saturday, Kentucky started its fifth offensive line combination of the season. That’s not a recipe for success. Continuity works like compound interest. Right tackle Jeremy Flax was out last Saturday. The hope is he’ll be back Saturday.
“We’ve got to cut down on guys getting beat one-on-one,” Yenser said Tuesday.
3. Can UK clean up its special teams?
Barion Brown has been brilliant. The fleet freshman from Nashville has kickoff returns of 100, 85 and 54 yards this season. And Tayvion Robinson is a reliable punt returner. UK has done well covering kicks.
Its kicking game is a different issue. South Carolina blocked a UK punt. The previously reliable Matt Ruffolo has missed makeable field goals each of the last two weeks. It’s not all on him. Snaps and holds have been a problem. Those are among the little things that get teams beat.
4. Can the defense get off the field?
The first three games of the season, UK opponents converted a meager seven of 37 third-down situations for 18.9%. The last three games, UK opponents have converted 19 of 43 third down situations for 44.2%.
Ole Miss converted a third-and-11, a third-and-8 and a third-and-15 on the way to beating Kentucky 22-19. South Carolina converted three separate third-and-9 situations, including two in the third quarter as the Gamecocks made a 7-7 deadlock a 17-7 lead.
“In those third-and-long situations we’ve got to find a way to get off (the field),” defensive coordinator Brad White said last Saturday. “Somebody’s got to make a play in the pocket at the quarterback. Somebody’s got to make a play on the ball when it’s a competitive throw. As a coaching staff, we’ve got to continue to try and find ways to get guys free.”
5. Can Kentucky get a little help?
The goal was to win the SEC East. The goal was to get to Atlanta for the conference title game. The goal was to make that Nov. 19 game against Georgia at Kroger Field meaningful. Those goals haven’t been mathematically eliminated, but the Cats will need some help.
For example, it would help the cause if Alabama beats Tennessee on Saturday. It would help the cause if Kentucky beats Tennessee in Knoxville on Oct. 29. It would help the cause if Tennessee won at Georgia on Nov. 5. None of that will be easy, however. The Cats know it.
They also know they must first snap this two-game losing streak. Beating Mississippi State is no easy task. To accomplish it, the Cats must play cleaner than they did at Ole Miss, and better than they did against South Carolina.
Said Scangarello, “I think this week we’ll come out and put a helluva product on the field.”
This story was originally published October 12, 2022 at 1:13 PM.
