Looks like a 12:00 kickoff

First of all, thank you for letting me know that the forum was down, I'm glad they were able to get it up quickly again. Thanks for your patience, really do appreciate all you here very much.

On the game...

That was a bad loss. No escaping it. It's the kind of loss that all but ensures that you look back on the season and think the team just wasn't all that good. They've beaten Florida and Mississippi State. It's something, but losing all of your other big games and now to South Carolina - which hasn't been a good team this year. The Gamecocks have been a bottom tier of the conference team all season long.

On offense the issues were penalties and Leary. From having his passes batted to missing on long throws and turning it over, he had a brutal night. I did expect him to have a really good year. I honestly think almost everyone felt that way. I was slow to acknowledge it earlier this year but then he started playing well. Tonight was just rough for him. South Carolina hasn't been good on defense this year. Penalties and Leary were the issues, I think. Doesn't mean everybody around him was great.

Defense started very slow then took control in the middle part of the game. But too often they let South Carolina rip off chunk gains when they had a chance to close them out even more. They'll look back on that with regret.

Still a chance to do something with top-10 Louisville on the road, but this isn't the time you want to be facing a very rough finish with the portal season and SEC next year.

Face it...he won't be fired anytime soon. So he should resign.

Leary missed plenty of throws, but I continue to be baffled by a lot of the play calls we make. If anyone watched UL play today or much at all this year; their offense’s success is based upon great play calling. UL’s qb is even worse than Leary, their rb’s no better, yet they consistently scheme people open and keep defense on their heels. They play with tempo and aggression… there is a major difference in play calling between the schools and that’s reflected in the records… I do not believe UL has a better qb, rb, or maybe even wr’s thanks, but yet their game plan is so much better.

When does Liam coen get legit criticism for our struggles?

I was thinking “ WTH are we doing “ and it was a horrible time to gamble .. punt the ball , pin them deep , and let the D work . Which is what happened after we couldn’t get the play off .. just a barrage of stupidity in my opinion. It worked out great , we got the ball back in great shape , but the staff was about to screw that up big time , only our incompetence saved us - agreed ?
And thankfully SC staff actually coached a pretty stupid game as well , kept going wildcat and it wasn’t working at all .

I was listening on the radio and was calling exactly what USCj would run offensively on their last scoring drive, while driving in heavy interstate traffic. Wtf was our staff watching?

The gamecock defense is giving you 4-5 yard routes, and you throw the ball deep? What kind of idiot doesn't take those completions all day knowing your players could bust any one of them for a score, then counter with a Davis quick hitter when they are on their heels?

Haven't seen this kind of ineptitude since we left 2 receivers uncovered for Gator TDs in one game. Has this staff already accepted job elsewhere?

I’m a season ticket holder to football and have been for a few years now. I’ve always felt like the game day atmosphere at Kroger field was lacking But I didn’t really have anything to compare it to; don’t go to away games and hadn’t been to a game at Rupp in 10 years. This was my first game back at Rupp and holy hell is football behind. It’s not even close, everything from the concessions and merch in the concourse to the Led lights that go to blue. Even the music they were playing was better than what they’ve played at the football games. And that’s all not to mention the pure looks of the two, Rupp looks like a palace inside and out compared to Kroger field and those double wides we call suites. For those of you who do go to away games, we gotta be the worst for this type of stuff right? Except for Vandy of course.

Anyways, that’s the end of my rant.

I’ve been super critical of Stoops so I’m not a big fan of his. But last year ended poorly and the future looked bleak. Kinda where we’re at now. Stoops did a nice job of getting Coen, Leary, Cox, etc. He made enough changes to the point that a lot of folks thought we would finish 2nd in the SEC. There was a lot of excitement from the fan base. It didn’t pan out but it wasn’t ALL Stoops’ fault. Sometimes you just swing and miss. What went wrong?

1. Coen did not adapt his scheme to his players. We have good athletes at WR but they are not good route runners and they don’t catch the ball well. These guys are made for the short passing game. Leary is a spread QB used to playing tempo. Coen never adapted and played a slow, complex, pro style offense not suited for the personnel. No identity.

2. OL recruiting/development has not been good. We’ve been much better on the edges this year but our interior guys are not talented and are very inconsistent. Despite the improvement year over year, Yenser may need to go.

3. As mentioned above, our WR group, which was supposedly one of the best in the SEC, turned out to be one of the worst. No growth from this group from year to year. Tried to fit squares into round holes (Barion is not a deep threat for instance). Woodward should probably go but won’t.

4. The talented tight ends were under utilized as is typical of UK offenses.

5. Leary was not as good as advertised. Probably should have gone with the Florida kid. Not sure the coaches are to blame for this one.

6. Inability to apply QB pressure. Probably worst in the SEC. Guys who were supposed to be dominate like Weaver have been terrible. Very little help for guys like Walker. Couldn’t get off the field on 3rd downs. Anwar Steward should be fired.

6. Lack of talent in the secondary. Struck out in the portal. Poor coaching. This entire area needs major work. Must look at all coaches and hit the portal.

Some things we have to have in the offseason in no particular order:

1. Major changes in the staff and philosophy. Stoops finally needs to look in the mirror or walk away.
2. A good QB, WR, secondary players from the portal
3. Must keep guys like Walker, Wade brothers, Adair, Cox, Hairston, etc.
4. Must keep 2024 recruiting class intact
5. Somehow win back the fans after back to back poor seasons and comments like “pony up”
6. Improvements to NIL
7. Offseason development of players

Line is UK -15. O/U 147

How you go?

I have been VERY IMPRESSED with his kicking this season. He is listed as a Senior, but is there a chance he could return with a Covid year ?? That would be tremendous, if he could !!

Things are changing with the fanbase.

I’ve thought UK football fans are the most patient in Power 5 football. If you want to be more you have to do things you haven’t done before. I think it’s time for a refresh for both parties.

Out of the top 8 paid coaches last year. The first 5 were legends.

Mel Tucker- fired
Jimbo- fired

Then Stoops.

That’s the list. We are owed more than what we are getting.

Next six weeks will be interesting for the program. I figure that means roster shakeup, coaches shown the door, and back room meetings with agents. Thoughts?

We opened -1.5 and it’s at +1.5 now.

They got smashed at home by New Mexico st.

Talk about a fall from grace. Auburn is proud football school. With a recent title and 5 star kids coming in every year. How does this happen at a place like that?

Any modicum of legit success for the season boils down to defeating Louisville.
Right now, to me, it is just that simple.

Let’s go ahead and get the thread going. Login to view embedded media

I realize that Stonehill was packing it in, but still can't see why he wasn't trying to penetrate the Zone instead of just jacking up 3's.

Cats' offense sputters in 17-14 loss at South Carolina​

A South Carolina defender stripped the ball from Kentucky wide receiver Dane Key during the first half of Saturday's game in Columbia. (Jeff Blake/USA Today Sports)

Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor Edit
@JDrumUK

Kentucky's once-promising season has nearly cratered after a 17-14 loss on Saturday night at South Carolina.

The Wildcats, who opened the season 5-0 and briefly entered the Top 25 rankings, lost for the fifth time in six games and find themselves limping into the regular-season finale next week against a 10-1 Louisville squad in the annual Governor's Cup game.

"This one... it really bothers me," Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said. "We had so many opportunities and couldn't put it away. I've been doing this a long time, and it's about as rough as it gets because I just felt like there were so many opportunities for us out there, and we left it on the field."

South Carolina (5-6, 3-5 SEC) scored on its first two possessions of the game at raucous Williams-Brice Stadium against a shell-shocked UK defense. Spencer Rattler connected with Xavier Legette for a 13-yard touchdown pass on the Gamecocks' opening drive, and Mitch Jeter kicked a 23-yard field goal to make it 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Kentucky (6-5, 3-5 SEC) clamped down defensively at that point, forcing six consecutive punts to get back in the game and take a 14-10 lead on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Devin Leary to Barion Brown and a 31-yard touchdown run by Ray Davis.

The Gamecocks finally came up with a drive, however, when they needed it most. Once again, it was Rattler finding future NFL wideout Legette on a 17-yard touchdown pass with 7:44 remaining that proved to be the game-winner.

Rattler, who was held well under his season average with just 207 yards passing, still managed to make big plays with his arm and his legs in clutch situations. On the game-winning drive, he completed six of seven passes, including a 28-yard strike to Legette on 3rd-and-15 and back-to-back 17-yard completions to Legette on 2nd-and-26 and 3rd-and-9.

"Such a weird game because we played such good defense at times," Stoops said. "But that one drive... it was just heartbreaking to give up the score."

Kentucky still had one last chance after forcing its eighth punt in nine defensive possessions. The Cats took over at the South Carolina 49-yard line with 2:10 remaining, but Leary held the ball way too long in the pocket, was struck from behind as he prepared to throw, and lost the ball on what was ultimately ruled a fumble.

The Cats lost the turnover battle 3-0 and committed seven penalties on the night, undisciplined play that has contributed heavily to their fall from a 5-0 record. They finished with only 293 total yards against a South Carolina defense ranked 106th nationally and came into the matchup surrendering 413 yards per game.

All three UK turnovers occurred in South Carolina territory with an interception in the end zone, a fumble at the 34, and another interception at the 49.

"We left so many plays out there, it makes me sick," said a dejected Stoops.

*****

In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK loss...

KEY MOMENT:

Neither team played very well in this one, but it came down to one final possession with Kentucky holding the ball on the South Carolina 49-yard line and 2:10 on the clock. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, who needed only about 19 yards to reach field goal range and possibly force overtime at worst, South Carolina's Jordan Strachan beat UK offensive tackle Marques Cox off the left edge and stripped the ball from quarterback Devin Leary as he was setting to throw downfield. The ball wound up in the arms of defensive lineman Tonka Hemmingway for a game-ending interception (although it was ruled a fumble by the official stats crew).

GAME BALL:

Xavier Legette, South Carolina - The Gamecocks' stud wideout caught six passes for 94 yards and two scores. Those numbers were under his averages on the season, but he still dominated the game in key moments.

BY THE NUMBERS:

2 - South Carolina opponents failed to score at least 21 points against the Gamecocks this season: Vanderbilt and Kentucky

3-43 - Receptions and yards for UK tight end Izayah Cummings, who entered the game with no catches this season.

9 - Tackles for UK defensive tackle Deone Walker, tied for team-high honors with linebacker D'Eryk Jackson.

17 - Touchdowns scored by UK running back Ray Davis this season, tying Moe Williams (1995) for second place for most in a season.

20-14-1 - South Carolina extended its lead in the all-time series against UK.

50 - Yards rushing by the Gamecocks on 33 rushing attempts.

QUOTABLE:

"It's so damn frustrating... We let them off the hook." -- UK head coach Mark Stoops.

UP NEXT:

Kentucky returns to action next week at Louisville in the annual Governor's Cup game. The Cardinals improved to 10-1 on the season with a 38-31 win at Miami on Saturday and clinched a spot in the ACC Championship game against Florida State. It's a Noon ET kickoff on ABC for the Cats and Cards.

Login to view embedded media

"We're just gettin' started Bro" ... OK, now what?

Wished we played in these tournaments again. They are so much fun. I thought Cal like neutral court games?

The league is officially on notice.