Five areas where Kentucky football needs to improve for the final five games
With five games to go, here are five areas where Kentucky football must get better for the home stretch:
1. Better third-down defense
Heading into Saturday’s schedule of games, Kentucky ranked 107th in third-down defense with opponents converting on 43.88% of their opportunities. Last season, the Cats ranked 21st in this category at 33.33%. Big difference.
In Missouri’s 38-21 win in Lexington, the Tigers were 6 of 14 on third down versus the Cats. The Tigers’ success on first and second down put the winners in manageable third downs. Mizzou faced four third downs of 2 or fewer yards. It converted all four. A Kentucky pass interference penalty also gave the visitors a first down on a third-and-2.
2. Better pass offense
Through seven games, Kentucky ranks 103rd nationally in passing yards per game. That’s not what we expected from this year’s model, not with Devin Leary at quarterback and a wide receiver room that includes Barion Brown, Dane Key and Tayvion Robinson.
Pass efficiency is a more accurate representation of a team’s passing game. Kentucky ranks 83rd in that category. Its completion percentage of 54.1, which ranks 119th, hurts the Cats in that area.
It’s not all on Leary. Kentucky’s receivers have a drop rate of 12.5%. That’s too high. Against Missouri, especially after the Cats fell behind on the scoreboard, Leary constantly operated with pass rushers in his face. Then again, on the wrong end of a 51-13 rout at Georgia, Leary flat-out missed a wide-open Robinson on a sail route that could have been an early tone-setter.
3. Better play in the ‘middle eight’
A game’s “middle eight” is defined as the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half. Those eight haven’t been great for the Cats.
Up 24-0 at Vanderbilt, Kentucky gave up a touchdown and a field goal in the last 2:51 of the second quarter to the Commodores. The Cats then went three-and-out to start the second half. Up 23-0 on Florida, the Cats allowed the Gators to score a touchdown with 34 seconds left in the first half.
Georgia scored a touchdown and a field goal in the final 1:01 of the first half to take a dominating 34-7 lead over Kentucky into the intermission. Kentucky then went three-and-out to start the second half.
And after UK jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter against Missouri, the Tigers scored 17 points in the second quarter. That included an 18-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds remaining for a 17-14 halftime lead. Kentucky responded by promptly fumbling the ball away on the first play of the second half.
4. Better punting game
Kentucky ranks 121st in the nation and last in the SEC in punting at 38.72 yards per punt. Wilson Berry is 69th nationally in punting average at 40.11 per kick. He shanked a 23-yard punt at Georgia and a 26-yard punt against Missouri.
The Cats have done a terrific job covering punts. Just six of UK’s 29 punts have been returned. The 10-yard return by Missouri’s Sidney Williams is the longest against UK all season.
Overall, Kentucky is 100th nationally in net punting at 36.52, however. When “hidden yards” are oh-so-important, that number needs to improve over the final five.
5. Better leadership
Mark Stoops’ best teams have been blessed by excellent player leadership. It’s intentional. The head coach has worked hard to develop good locker room leaders. That approach has produced leaders such as Josh Allen, Josh Paschal, DeAndre Square, Luke Fortner, Jacquez Jones, Will Levis and Wan’Dale Robinson.
With five of the seven elected captains for 2022 gone, the coach took a new, unspecified approach to this season when naming captains. That might have been an early sign this year’s group required a different way to identify and develop leaders.
So now’s the time for those leaders to, well, lead, especially after the undisciplined play that cost the Cats against Mizzou. With five tough games ahead, starting Saturday night when Tennessee comes to Kroger Field, it’s time for leadership to right the ship.
