How good are we?
- Thread starter wobycat
- Start date
I would say we're dangerously inconsistent. Good enough to make some big time plays against anyone but also prone to lapses that can cost us against anyone. I think the best approach (philosophy) is to relax and enjoy the ride. We have as much reason to be optimistic as 90% of the top 25 teams. We will only get better.
I think we are still a question mark and will be tested much more.
ULL was a solid Sun Belt team, no more, and yes other schools have struggled with these types teams this week. So what? That does not help our case against the big dogs on our schedule. We do not play Arkansas.
SC has many problems, they looked bad.
We did what a good team needed to do both first halves. ULL second half wasn't good despite all the excuses.
SC 2nd half was a combination of two drives with big penalties out of the gate and conservative play calling. However, we were clearly the better team.
Florida is the next big test. Was ECU a fluke? The Gators gave up -13 yards rushing, can we impose our will on them and get our backs free? That will be huge.
ULL was a solid Sun Belt team, no more, and yes other schools have struggled with these types teams this week. So what? That does not help our case against the big dogs on our schedule. We do not play Arkansas.
SC has many problems, they looked bad.
We did what a good team needed to do both first halves. ULL second half wasn't good despite all the excuses.
SC 2nd half was a combination of two drives with big penalties out of the gate and conservative play calling. However, we were clearly the better team.
Florida is the next big test. Was ECU a fluke? The Gators gave up -13 yards rushing, can we impose our will on them and get our backs free? That will be huge.
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I think Kentucky has the offensive firepower to put a ton of points up on the board against any team in the country. I as mentioned though, prone to lapses. That will come with experience, in part with the offense, and in part with our coordinator. Keep in mind, he's relatively new to doing this at this level as well.
Dawson was praised for always having a tremendous gameplan going into games, and being outstanding when it comes to the preparation leading up to the game, which also explains how Kentucky comes out guns blazing and puts up 300+ yards in a half in 2 consecutive games. He just needs to grow into the halftime adjustments part of the game, which I'm sure Dana Holgorsen handled. I seen some real growth from him in the final minutes of the South Carolina game though. Perfectly called, and perfectly executed 4 minute offense to cap off the game.
I don't think you can place as much blame on Dawson with the game planning going into the second half as some may try to do though. Very real possibility that our drives get extended quite a bit if it wasn't for 2 consecutive drives of holding calls right out of the gates (1st and 20 is hard to overcome), and if we extended the drive, it's very possible that if we didn't come away with TD's, like we did all game long, we would come away with field goals at least. If nothing else, punting from your own 15, and punting from your own 30 make a world of difference.
I believe Dawson should improve his playcalling in those scenarios (1st and 20 being the main example), but overall, I'm very pleased with him.
I also believe we're going to see, yet again, a much improved defense between yesterday, and this upcoming Saturday. Staff have made it abundantly clear that Hatcher is, hands down, by far, our most explosive, and best pass rusher. They've also made it clear that if not for Flannigan's injury, he would be playing first string from the first snap of the season. Missing 2 starters in your linebacking corps, which is where most of your pressure is coming from in a 3-4 (which we run), that's a pretty big deal. Despite that though, overall, I think our defense has improved markedly since the end of last season.
Overall though, you can see good football, and in the first half of these games, especially against South Carolina, few teams in the country could stop Kentucky's offense. The offensive execution was absolutely flawless, and if he can throw the ball like he did against South Carolina, all the time (and he put it on the money in one helluva environment, about 23 times out of 29 [there were 2 drops that I seen]), then we're in good shape.
The improvement between last season and now is night and day though. Hell, the improvement between week 1 and week 2 is night and day. Just executed at a high level in that first half, blocked very well, ran routes great, caught the football, fought for extra yards, blocked downfield and on the perimeter, etc. I think we have an outstanding chance to win these next 2 SEC games, based on what I've seen.
Dawson was praised for always having a tremendous gameplan going into games, and being outstanding when it comes to the preparation leading up to the game, which also explains how Kentucky comes out guns blazing and puts up 300+ yards in a half in 2 consecutive games. He just needs to grow into the halftime adjustments part of the game, which I'm sure Dana Holgorsen handled. I seen some real growth from him in the final minutes of the South Carolina game though. Perfectly called, and perfectly executed 4 minute offense to cap off the game.
I don't think you can place as much blame on Dawson with the game planning going into the second half as some may try to do though. Very real possibility that our drives get extended quite a bit if it wasn't for 2 consecutive drives of holding calls right out of the gates (1st and 20 is hard to overcome), and if we extended the drive, it's very possible that if we didn't come away with TD's, like we did all game long, we would come away with field goals at least. If nothing else, punting from your own 15, and punting from your own 30 make a world of difference.
I believe Dawson should improve his playcalling in those scenarios (1st and 20 being the main example), but overall, I'm very pleased with him.
I also believe we're going to see, yet again, a much improved defense between yesterday, and this upcoming Saturday. Staff have made it abundantly clear that Hatcher is, hands down, by far, our most explosive, and best pass rusher. They've also made it clear that if not for Flannigan's injury, he would be playing first string from the first snap of the season. Missing 2 starters in your linebacking corps, which is where most of your pressure is coming from in a 3-4 (which we run), that's a pretty big deal. Despite that though, overall, I think our defense has improved markedly since the end of last season.
Overall though, you can see good football, and in the first half of these games, especially against South Carolina, few teams in the country could stop Kentucky's offense. The offensive execution was absolutely flawless, and if he can throw the ball like he did against South Carolina, all the time (and he put it on the money in one helluva environment, about 23 times out of 29 [there were 2 drops that I seen]), then we're in good shape.
The improvement between last season and now is night and day though. Hell, the improvement between week 1 and week 2 is night and day. Just executed at a high level in that first half, blocked very well, ran routes great, caught the football, fought for extra yards, blocked downfield and on the perimeter, etc. I think we have an outstanding chance to win these next 2 SEC games, based on what I've seen.
Florida really let ECU's passing game get to them. Particularly weak at passes in the middle of the field (much like South Carolina, but Florida's CB's are much better. Not sold on the safeties though).
What struck me as odd, Florida abused ECU's offensive line (expected), took the run away entirely, made their offense one dimensional, and couldn't stop the ECU passing attack.
Keep in mind, this is not last year's ECU. Last year's ECU had their all-time leading passer, all-time leading receiver, and an offensive coordinator that now calls Oklahoma his home. They found a way to absolutely abuse Florida's pass defense.
I can imagine that the staff will pay close attention to their game tape, but I saw a lot of weakness at defending the pass in the middle of the field, which is something that UK has proven to be very good at, even without using the TE in the passing game. I think this will be Conrad's kind of game. I also think Dawson's offense will cause Florida a ton of fits, especially motioning the backs out of the backfield and onto the perimeter. Really opens up the box, which is something that Florida doesn't like to do.
I think our offense can come out very hot again, despite Florida having a terrific overall defense.
They were without arguably the best defensive back in college football in Hargreaves which i'm sure had something to do with their struggles. It'll be interesting to see if he's ready to go against us, and if he is how healthy he will be. They also can't sell out against the run like they did against UK because if Towles is on like he was against South Carolina they will get gashed all night.
You mean if PT maintains his awful inconsistent 73% completion rate? I think some require 85 to 90% before complimenting him...
The beauty of this years schedule is this young team can improve while winning which is alot easier to do when you win and have confidence.
Towles has been overall mediocre in the first 14 games at QB imo. That being said, he came back and played very well yesterday after a horrible week one matchup. His stat line doesn't look the best due to a couple of drops and that INT after he was hit though. I think part of peoples issues with him is how good he can be. He has a big time arm and is good at gaining extra yards if he decides to run with it (not flailing around in the pocket until someone sacks him which he is also good at...) It's frustrating to see a guy with that much talent/potential be inconsistent. Hopefully this is the start of a good run for Towles, because if he plays well there isn't really anyone on our schedule (besides Georgia) that is a game we have no shot at winning.
It was also the ECU QB's second game as a college QB for what thats worth.
We are an extremely young and raw team. However, we have already shown a lot of grit. These next 2 weeks could make our program the talk of the whole college football world if we were to end the UF streak and finally beat Mizzou.
I LOVE where our program is right now!!!!
"We're just getting started Bro"!!!!
I LOVE where our program is right now!!!!
"We're just getting started Bro"!!!!
If you had said that he was on a mediocre young team in the first 12 games I would have probably agreed but the last two games calling him mediocre really isn't accurate. He hasn't been great but much improved from last year.
As this team matures, and hopefully remains healthy and adds Flannigan and Hatcher.....really good.
We are a work in progress. We are talented but young at several key positions. If we stay healthy we will get a lot better as the year goes on. The first two games were great in the fact that we got wins, faced adversity, overcame it and learned from it. These young guys are learning how to win.
Against ULL he was very mediocre. Had a couple of nice throws early but was consistently under/over throwing the ball to wide open guys. He was better Saturday, even if his stat line didn't show it.
I agree with this. I think we could beat any team left on our schedule but also lose to every team, except eku and charlotte.
We've looked utterly dominant in the 1st half of both games, nearly doubling our opponent's yards gained and being up 24-7 in both games. In the second half of both games (except 1 drive in each) we looked like we could lose to every single fbs team. Prove that the 2nd half has been the anomaly and not the 1st half and I think we'll all be very pleased when December rolls around.
Keep in mind that we've been out gained in both games. There's still tons to shore up.
I think, at this point, what we've seen from Towles is what we're going to get. He has the ability to make big time throws, but he's also going to miss a few every game. His ceiling is higher than a guy like Hartline (IMO), but he's not going to have MH's consistency. This is his fourth year in the program, so I wonder when people act like he'll figure it out any game now.
I think if (hopefully when) we see him put big games together, it'll be because Dawson has sorted out how to design a gameplan for him, not necessarily because PT somehow has erased all of his weaknesses.
I think if (hopefully when) we see him put big games together, it'll be because Dawson has sorted out how to design a gameplan for him, not necessarily because PT somehow has erased all of his weaknesses.
We've been out-gained, but not out-scored. That happens with a Stoops defense.
When we finally start utilizing the entire field and bringing Conrad into the passing game, opposing defensive coordinators will shudder.
When we have our best OLB and hybrid OLB/DE back (Flannigan and Hatcher, respectively) the line play should improve substantially and the run should become even less of an issue.
With the amount of youth, though, this team is looking for breaks at times that I'm not sure will present themselves. This team could beat anyone on our schedule. Is it likely we beat Auburn and Georgia? No. But, it is a lot more possible now than it has been in years past.
If we bring our B game for two whole halves every time, we're a seven win team at least. However, A/B game in the first half and D in the second half will cost us.
When we finally start utilizing the entire field and bringing Conrad into the passing game, opposing defensive coordinators will shudder.
When we have our best OLB and hybrid OLB/DE back (Flannigan and Hatcher, respectively) the line play should improve substantially and the run should become even less of an issue.
With the amount of youth, though, this team is looking for breaks at times that I'm not sure will present themselves. This team could beat anyone on our schedule. Is it likely we beat Auburn and Georgia? No. But, it is a lot more possible now than it has been in years past.
If we bring our B game for two whole halves every time, we're a seven win team at least. However, A/B game in the first half and D in the second half will cost us.
I don't think we're that good, honestly. Lets be honest, South Carolina is awful this season. One of Spurrier's worst teams ever at SC.
ULL is a Sun Belt team that we barely beat.
Those are the facts about the win/loss column at this point.
As many of you know, I don't believe Towles is a great QB for Dawson's system because he doesn't make reads well and he is innacurate on short/medium throws. I am hoping Barker is better eventually. I will give PT props for making that physical running TD. That took some toughness at least, which I like.
What I see is a UK team that still lacks a lot of depth on Defense because Joker put us in such a big hole. Most of our D talent are redshirt Freshmen. That probably means we will struggle in the SEC on the defensive side of the ball for this season. It's going to take 1-2 more years of recruiting to dig ourselves out of the defensive problems. Our LB play is not great and DE spots are weak after Bud and Z left. In addition, we can't stop the run up the middle consistently.
I still think we have one of the best groups of receivers in the whole SEC if Towles can consistently put the ball in their hands. Our RBs are the other strength of the team. Boom, Horton, King, and Kemp are an awesome group. I was pleasantly surprised with some of our run-blocking by the O-Line against SC. That really excites me if that continues.
Basically, our offense will have to carry the load this season. Can we outscore some SEC teams in high scoring games? That is the question. Our Defense will not slow down many SEC teams this season.
Do think with addition of Jason and Ryan plus defense coming off a good performance versus South Carolina Gators are going to find much tougher going than their first two. Really confident CATS offense will score enough points to beat Florida. Our squad is now up of high caliber recruits that were winners when they signed with CATS. Much incentive to win this Saturday, I'm sure players are aware and reminded by our staff daily!
If our offense ever learns that there are 60 minutes in a game, i think we're Top 25.
Arkansas lost to Toledo
Mississippi State had a tough game against Southern Miss
Auburn came dangerously close to losing to Jacksonville State
Florida nearly lost to East Carolina
Tennessee gave up 30 to Bowling Green
Mizzou barely beat Arkansas State, a Sun-Belt team that has lost to Louisiana-Lafayette for the past 2 years, while La-Laf won the conference for the past 2 years
Louisville lost to Houston
It happens, give the Sun-Belt BS a break.
I'm not entirely sure how you drew the conclusion that UK is a team that lacks depth, when our second string CB is making plays on Pharoh Cooper to keep him out of the end zone, our backup linebackers are playing great games, even recovering fumbles and taking them to the house. We've played with a LB corps that consists of 2 linebackers that are backups, in a 3-4, where linebackers are the premier position for playmaking on the defense. Safely may be out deepest position with talent on the team, and we seen our line on both sides of the ball man-handle South Carolina, who man-handled North Carolina the previous week.
I also don't know how much we can truly question Towles' mid-range passing game, considering that he just threw it for over 70%, and even in 2 of the drops, he hit the receivers right in the numbers.
Also, you shouldn't try to determine whether or not our defense can stop SEC teams. Right now, Kentucky is handling red zone defense in an outstanding way, and in the first half, Kentucky has man-handled teams while on defense.
You're trying too hard to find negatives, some of which aren't there, some of which may be premature, of course, it is UKWinsAgainYep.....
This is very true. He was only our OC in title. Dana is the OC and all Dawson did was feed him info from the booth to help Dana facilitate the actual calls.
I don't know where you got this. Dawson spent more time at Owen Schmidt's bar than he did game planning. Make no mistake, Dawson is a very likable fella, but he likes to party. I'm sure you'll hear about it in and around Lexington.
We need more data points. Important clues will come in the next 2 weeks. Some will say look what happened last year, but that is garbage. Somewhere deep down inside, they just want a repeat of last year. I discard those kinds of comments. Every season is different. Every team must learn to establish and maintain momentum if they can. But it looks to me like Kentucky is headed for a 7-5 or possibly 8-4 season, and a #2, 3, 4, or 5 finish in the SEC East. Unless Towles, Boom, or Forrest has a significant injury. You can never see the big injuries coming. 8-4 would mean a top 25 national ranking. To get there, we need to handle Florida and Mizzou at home this month.
I think so too. But this isn't about the Governors Cup. This is about SEC football. The elite. If we have 1 of the better teams in the SEC East, and we will know that in the next 2 weeks, then I'm not worried about the Governors Cup.
Probably not as good as we think
Probably not as bad as some think.
Probably not as bad as some think.
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