The role of college athletics is supposed to be to generate revenue and positive public relations for schools, to provide a means for free education for talented amateur athletes, and to provide healthy entertainment for people most interested in the school. Until very recently, college athletics were supposed to be an expression of the best of amateur competition. College athletics were never intended as an alternative lifestyle or as a means for millions of bored, angry people to live vicariously. Now, we have militias and ideological militants butchering innocent people in Israel, Ukraine, Burma, and throughout various parts of Africa. Many US cities are becoming lawless and our national borders are becoming meaningless as rigid ideologies are causing selective enforcement or nonenforcement of our codified laws. Food and gasoline are becoming unaffordable because of inflation produced by irresponsible federal spending. This is the world we live in.
I just feel it is appropriate to maintain some kind of a sane perspective on college athletics, which are supposed to be healthy entertainment.
I have sat through every home game. I am a supporter of this coaching staff because I appreciate what they have gotten done here since 2013. I have especially been supportive of this staff's recruiting. Anyone who doesn't see huge improvement in our program and our recruiting since 2013 just has their head stuck up their large intestine. But I have also been candid when I have seen problems. So this is what I see now. Agree or don't, but let's at least try to maintain a realistic perspective.
Special teams
This morning, Wilson Berry's performance is being widely misrepresented. Berry had a poor game, but his per-punt stats were the same as MO punter Luke Bauer's. The reason was the weather, and anyone who was there knows what I am talking about. I will not get into a debate about how much the weather should affect punting. It's just a fact that the weather did hurt both punters equally. UK's special teams also get credit for blocking a MO FG attempt that could have, and should have, proven significant in the game. OTOH, UK gave up a TD on a fake punt while UK's coaches were frantically signaling from the sideline to be alert for a fake. The player who gave up the TD reception was Andru Phillips, one of our two best cover CBs.
Phillips was in good position but didn't get his head turned and didn't even attempt to make a play on the ball as MO scored a key TD that totally reversed momentum of the game. Phillips had a poor game last night.
Defense
UK's defense gave up 324 total yards and surrendered 3.1 yards per carry to MO's running game. The 324 total yards are better than UK's seasonal defensive average of 345 yards, which is still in the top half of the SEC even after being blown up by GA last week. Our defense against the run is #2 in the SEC. MO QB Brady Cook went 19-29 for 167 passing yards and 1 TD. Many of Cook's completions were checkdowns to secondary receivers when UK's defense had defended the primary well. But UK's defense only had one sack on Cook. On some of the checkdowns, UK defenders tackled the receiver after minimal gains. But on others, MO gained valuable first downs. Overall, these kinds of overall numbers would usually be associated with a UK W, not a L. But keep in mind that Zion Childress and Khalil Saunders committed stupid, unnecessary personal fouls that extended MO drives at a time when UK was still squarely in the game. Also, there were some missed tackles last night. Missed tackles can happen for several reasons. Last night, some happened because UK defenders were not in good position and therefore did not take ideal angles. Some happened because the MO ball carrier just tried harder than the tackler. Andru Phillips in particular did not tackle well. It must be emphasized that poor tackling was not ubiquitous on the evening. Some UK defenders such as Deone Walker, D'Eryk Jackson, Deveryn Rayner, and Alex Afari played well. We should mention here that UK's defense was hurt badly because three injured starters, Keeshawn Silver, Trevin Wallace, and Jalen Geiger, missed the game. But our defense was not responsible for this loss.
Offense
Where to begin? We can't blame this game on Devin Leary. Leary did not play badly, and the late picks came when Leary was trying desparately to make something happen. Once again, multiple catchable passes were dropped at key times. Leary was sacked four times and pressured numerous other times. Leary went 14-27 for 120 yards and two TDs, but his performance undoubtedly would have been more effective with better pass protection and sure handed receivers.
Ray Davis had another good game, but MO's defense made an adjustment by loading the box after the first quarter. Every future opponent will also do the same.
This brings me to our OL. Our OL may have appeared improved in earlier games, but that narrative is dead after yesterday. I lost count last night of blown blocking assignments and holding penalties. It was a total failure of our OL. I could blather on about this, but here is the bottom line. Our OL and, to a lesser extent, our receivers blew this game. We could have won it.
Summing up
Even with the large disparity in the final score, UK was outgained by only 324-299 total yards. If not for all the holding penalties and personal fouls, UK would have easily outgained MO. In the 1st quarter, UK got off to a 14-0 lead, and a blowout appeared to be in progress. Well, it was, but just not the sort of blowout we hoped for. It has become a ritual for this football team to let the foot off the pedal and get outplayed in the 2nd quarter every week. Lots of fans are dying to blame this on coaching although many won't give credit to our coaches for features of the game that go well. Nobody expected UK to beat GA, but the meltdown was evidence of deeper problems that struck again last night. Obviously, this team is not on the same page. There are problems in the locker room. Five of our starters and some key backups weren't even members of our team a year ago. They have displaced ther players who came here out of hs, and this is what can happen in the locker room. Plus, regression and lack of development on our OL and in our WR room tell us that those two position coaches are not getting it done and do not have the full attention of their players. We are halfway through the season now, so my opinions on Yenser and Woodward have hardened. Our OL is a disaster. The fact that our OL and WR position coaches have also had trouble on the recruiting trail only reinforces my conclusions.
There are no quick ways out of this. Despite what some are saying after yesterday, this will be another bowl season. But it doesn't look like what we were hoping for. Fortunately, we have an excellent 2024 recruiting class in the making. But unfortunately, they haven't signed yet. So here is the list of imperatives, as I see it now.
1. Do what is necessary to hold our 2024 recruiting class together. Stress to our commits that everyone will have opportunities to compete for jobs. Stay in close touch and convey the picture of a team and staff that continue to fight hard for improvement.
2. To the extent possible, transition from a portal-based talent acquisition system back to an evaluation and development system. We will still need to use the portal to plug roster holes, but we can't count on the portal to elevate our football program. That has to come through consistency in recruiting and development. Nevertheless, we will have to take a QB and a couple of OTs from the portal during the upcoming offseason because there is no choice at this point.
3. Zack Yenser and Scott Woodward will have to be terminated and replaced during the upcoming offseason, and planning for these new hires must begin now in the inner sanctum. I would also take a sober look at Frank Buffano's future. The new hires must be able to evaluate, recruit, AND develop young athletic talent, and they must have successful Power 5 experience. Mitch Barnhart must continue to keep Vince Marrow, Liam Coen, and Brad White happy in Lexington. We can cry all we want about one or two games, but Marrow, Coen, and White are the foundation for a better football program.
4. Identify the bad apples in the locker room and give them an off ramp for the coming offseason. This nonsense must stop.
5. Fans. Get a grip for heavens sake! Okay, this is not the SEC East Championship team we hoped. It's disappointing. I feel it at least as much as you. But this is sports, not an economic depression or a Presidential election. You are still alive. AU is 3-3, SCar is 2-4, and AR is 2-5. Would you trade places with them? Not if you are intelligent. Have those programs given up? No, they haven't. Anyone with a brain knows our football program is better off than it was in 2013. It isn't perfect, but nothing is. Competition is not for the faint of heart. We are 5-2. It isn't what we hoped for and, yes, it could be better. But it could also be worse. Our coaching staff is stable and they are working hard for improvement. Mark Stoops is not satisfied. But he is not a magician. He isn't giving up, and he isn't leaving. Our coaches can do better. Our players can do better. And the habitually-negative pansies in our fan base can do a lot better. All of us can focus on better outcomes and try to be more positive people. Competition is never going to get easier. But we can get better if we try.
I just feel it is appropriate to maintain some kind of a sane perspective on college athletics, which are supposed to be healthy entertainment.
I have sat through every home game. I am a supporter of this coaching staff because I appreciate what they have gotten done here since 2013. I have especially been supportive of this staff's recruiting. Anyone who doesn't see huge improvement in our program and our recruiting since 2013 just has their head stuck up their large intestine. But I have also been candid when I have seen problems. So this is what I see now. Agree or don't, but let's at least try to maintain a realistic perspective.
Special teams
This morning, Wilson Berry's performance is being widely misrepresented. Berry had a poor game, but his per-punt stats were the same as MO punter Luke Bauer's. The reason was the weather, and anyone who was there knows what I am talking about. I will not get into a debate about how much the weather should affect punting. It's just a fact that the weather did hurt both punters equally. UK's special teams also get credit for blocking a MO FG attempt that could have, and should have, proven significant in the game. OTOH, UK gave up a TD on a fake punt while UK's coaches were frantically signaling from the sideline to be alert for a fake. The player who gave up the TD reception was Andru Phillips, one of our two best cover CBs.
Phillips was in good position but didn't get his head turned and didn't even attempt to make a play on the ball as MO scored a key TD that totally reversed momentum of the game. Phillips had a poor game last night.
Defense
UK's defense gave up 324 total yards and surrendered 3.1 yards per carry to MO's running game. The 324 total yards are better than UK's seasonal defensive average of 345 yards, which is still in the top half of the SEC even after being blown up by GA last week. Our defense against the run is #2 in the SEC. MO QB Brady Cook went 19-29 for 167 passing yards and 1 TD. Many of Cook's completions were checkdowns to secondary receivers when UK's defense had defended the primary well. But UK's defense only had one sack on Cook. On some of the checkdowns, UK defenders tackled the receiver after minimal gains. But on others, MO gained valuable first downs. Overall, these kinds of overall numbers would usually be associated with a UK W, not a L. But keep in mind that Zion Childress and Khalil Saunders committed stupid, unnecessary personal fouls that extended MO drives at a time when UK was still squarely in the game. Also, there were some missed tackles last night. Missed tackles can happen for several reasons. Last night, some happened because UK defenders were not in good position and therefore did not take ideal angles. Some happened because the MO ball carrier just tried harder than the tackler. Andru Phillips in particular did not tackle well. It must be emphasized that poor tackling was not ubiquitous on the evening. Some UK defenders such as Deone Walker, D'Eryk Jackson, Deveryn Rayner, and Alex Afari played well. We should mention here that UK's defense was hurt badly because three injured starters, Keeshawn Silver, Trevin Wallace, and Jalen Geiger, missed the game. But our defense was not responsible for this loss.
Offense
Where to begin? We can't blame this game on Devin Leary. Leary did not play badly, and the late picks came when Leary was trying desparately to make something happen. Once again, multiple catchable passes were dropped at key times. Leary was sacked four times and pressured numerous other times. Leary went 14-27 for 120 yards and two TDs, but his performance undoubtedly would have been more effective with better pass protection and sure handed receivers.
Ray Davis had another good game, but MO's defense made an adjustment by loading the box after the first quarter. Every future opponent will also do the same.
This brings me to our OL. Our OL may have appeared improved in earlier games, but that narrative is dead after yesterday. I lost count last night of blown blocking assignments and holding penalties. It was a total failure of our OL. I could blather on about this, but here is the bottom line. Our OL and, to a lesser extent, our receivers blew this game. We could have won it.
Summing up
Even with the large disparity in the final score, UK was outgained by only 324-299 total yards. If not for all the holding penalties and personal fouls, UK would have easily outgained MO. In the 1st quarter, UK got off to a 14-0 lead, and a blowout appeared to be in progress. Well, it was, but just not the sort of blowout we hoped for. It has become a ritual for this football team to let the foot off the pedal and get outplayed in the 2nd quarter every week. Lots of fans are dying to blame this on coaching although many won't give credit to our coaches for features of the game that go well. Nobody expected UK to beat GA, but the meltdown was evidence of deeper problems that struck again last night. Obviously, this team is not on the same page. There are problems in the locker room. Five of our starters and some key backups weren't even members of our team a year ago. They have displaced ther players who came here out of hs, and this is what can happen in the locker room. Plus, regression and lack of development on our OL and in our WR room tell us that those two position coaches are not getting it done and do not have the full attention of their players. We are halfway through the season now, so my opinions on Yenser and Woodward have hardened. Our OL is a disaster. The fact that our OL and WR position coaches have also had trouble on the recruiting trail only reinforces my conclusions.
There are no quick ways out of this. Despite what some are saying after yesterday, this will be another bowl season. But it doesn't look like what we were hoping for. Fortunately, we have an excellent 2024 recruiting class in the making. But unfortunately, they haven't signed yet. So here is the list of imperatives, as I see it now.
1. Do what is necessary to hold our 2024 recruiting class together. Stress to our commits that everyone will have opportunities to compete for jobs. Stay in close touch and convey the picture of a team and staff that continue to fight hard for improvement.
2. To the extent possible, transition from a portal-based talent acquisition system back to an evaluation and development system. We will still need to use the portal to plug roster holes, but we can't count on the portal to elevate our football program. That has to come through consistency in recruiting and development. Nevertheless, we will have to take a QB and a couple of OTs from the portal during the upcoming offseason because there is no choice at this point.
3. Zack Yenser and Scott Woodward will have to be terminated and replaced during the upcoming offseason, and planning for these new hires must begin now in the inner sanctum. I would also take a sober look at Frank Buffano's future. The new hires must be able to evaluate, recruit, AND develop young athletic talent, and they must have successful Power 5 experience. Mitch Barnhart must continue to keep Vince Marrow, Liam Coen, and Brad White happy in Lexington. We can cry all we want about one or two games, but Marrow, Coen, and White are the foundation for a better football program.
4. Identify the bad apples in the locker room and give them an off ramp for the coming offseason. This nonsense must stop.
5. Fans. Get a grip for heavens sake! Okay, this is not the SEC East Championship team we hoped. It's disappointing. I feel it at least as much as you. But this is sports, not an economic depression or a Presidential election. You are still alive. AU is 3-3, SCar is 2-4, and AR is 2-5. Would you trade places with them? Not if you are intelligent. Have those programs given up? No, they haven't. Anyone with a brain knows our football program is better off than it was in 2013. It isn't perfect, but nothing is. Competition is not for the faint of heart. We are 5-2. It isn't what we hoped for and, yes, it could be better. But it could also be worse. Our coaching staff is stable and they are working hard for improvement. Mark Stoops is not satisfied. But he is not a magician. He isn't giving up, and he isn't leaving. Our coaches can do better. Our players can do better. And the habitually-negative pansies in our fan base can do a lot better. All of us can focus on better outcomes and try to be more positive people. Competition is never going to get easier. But we can get better if we try.
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