Observations

[The-Hack]

1. If you look back at our big wins the last 30 years against ranked teams, in each, Kentucky’s Quarterback played well.

Leary seems to be losing confidence. If 20 percent of your passes get dropped, and 20 percent are uncatchable, that leaves you at a maximum of 60 percent . . . and Leary is below 58 percent, for the season, and falling!

2. Penalties that extended their drives and ended ours. The Jager Burton personal foul was the worst. He had to have seen the end of the play, and then put his helmet into the back of the player he had already pancaked.
?!?!?

Apparently Deone thought he was blocking on a return? OK, don’t make that mistake, again!!

3. Defense. Maxwell Hairston must lead the nation for interception return yards. Otherwise, a performance as unsteady as was the offense. Georgia was as crisp as possible the first half, and if perfectly executed, any offense is hard to stop. That second TD . . . an example of the precision on the pass to the front corner of the end zone . . . in bounds by millimeters, and well defended.

4. Road Games vs. Home Games. Any Coach that could magically create the team chemistry felt at home, on the road, he’d be better than Bear Bryant. UGA made us look as bad as we made UF look at home in the first half. Home field advantage in the SEC is worth more
than 10 points, whatever Vegas says.

5. We’d better bring it verses Mizzou, crowd and team, or Mizzou could be the beginning of a long slide.

 

[entropy13]

Good points, Señor The-Hack. I'm just shocked out how bad to mediocre Leary has been. It's really surprising and troubling. Without at least above average QB play, the ceiling for this time is looking more like 7-5 than 9-3. I realize that historically, for UK, that's damn skippy, but expectations were higher for this year, and not without reason.

The Deone Walker PF was just stupid. He batted the pass down himself, he should know it's not returnable. And whoever it was that picked the ball up up for a "return" should perhaps be lobotomized.

Defense got absolutely shredded from start to finish. Brad White got completely schooled by Mike Bobo. Mike effing Bobo. He had zero answers schematically, simply p!ssed down his leg. It's just pathetic and honestly baffling.

 

[ArtLaibsGhost]

I observed UGA with poise And focus of which UK had none,what do you attribute that to. I didnt help that UHA had better talent at every Position but Running back. We are miles from cpmpeting at top SEC levels. Bama and UT will beat the spots off of us. Dont even want to speak of UL

 

[chevyman 50]

Ga is a great team, Ky is just is a very average team, Ga. was the first really good team we have played and they kicked our butt.

 

[Smashcat]

Leary seems to be losing confidence.

Did he ever have confidence here? I think his prior injury is still an issue.

 

[bluecoon1]

We came into Athens to play against a pissed off UGA team full of two deep 4* and 5* guys that was basically getting very little respect from the media. This was a statement game from Smart, normally the kind of guy who will call off the dogs after he gets up big but not tonight. Early penalties killed us and frustration set in fast, the stage was way too big and we folded. When we got behind early and Coen abandoned his game plan it was over. Just a disappointing and depressing game, hope they can recover but I have my doubts.

 

[mrschwump]

UK has won 12 games in its history vs GA and they've played, what 80 times? I've said for over a decade that if you want to see what 3* recruits look like going up against 4*/5* recruits....watch UK-GA. The gap between the 2 programs is bigger than the Grand Canyon and it's growing, not narrowing. UK took a step forward vs UF last week, took multiple steps backwards Sat night. UK is in a very precarious position and extended losing may be at hand if this bunch doesn't remove their collective heads from their collective asses.

 

[kspradlin]

The Florida streak has been replaced by Georgia

 

[mrschwump]

Couple of other things: If you want to get a player's attention, take away PT. That Burton was allowed to continue playing after his holding then BS personal foul was......ridiculous and disappointing. Bench his ass, I don't care if you have to play a 5'10 210lb walk-on.

DYK: Each of UK's starting OL had at least one penalty except Dylan Ray?

 

[bluecoon1]

Couple of other things: If you want to get a player's attention, take away PT. That Burton was allowed to continue playing after his holding then BS personal foul was......ridiculous and disappointing. Bench his ass, I don't care if you have to play a 5'10 210lb walk-on.

DYK: Each of UK's starting OL had at least one penalty except Dylan Ray?

Yeah, keeping Burton in is a head scratcher. He’s been one big liability all season yet gets a pass, makes no sense whatsoever. Makes you wonder about the quality of our depth.

 

[BigPeb]

Couple of other things: If you want to get a player's attention, take away PT. That Burton was allowed to continue playing after his holding then BS personal foul was......ridiculous and disappointing. Bench his ass, I don't care if you have to play a 5'10 210lb walk-on.

DYK: Each of UK's starting OL had at least one penalty except Dylan Ray?

Lack of discipline is a CMS hallmark. Useless personal foul penalties cost us/are ignored by this staff annually

 

[bluecoon1]

Lack of discipline is a CMS hallmark. Useless personal foul penalties cost us/are ignored by this staff annually

Yep, definitely agree with that.

 

[mrschwump]

Yeah, keeping Burton in is a head scratcher. He’s been one big liability all season yet gets a pass, makes no sense whatsoever. Makes you wonder about the quality of our depth.

Agreed but also sets a bad example for the team. One of those: "Well, he gets away with it" situations, don't think others don't notice, could cause them to not work as hard to keep their position.

 

[truebluewildcat]

Observations are clear that we just don't have the horses or fire power to keep up with that tier of program.

Especially offensively, specifically passing game.

One could make the mistake and get all bent with the defense, and they are on the hook to some extent, however in today's game vs a program like UGA you have to accept that they're going to score a lot. Therefore you're offense has to keep up.

We just don't match up well against teams like UGA because CMS hasn't built that type of program. He's never had that kind of QB, he doesn't recruit WRs at TE who can get chunk yards and score like that.

Stoops has had good RBs, running attacks, and defenses including this year. We have all that, but again like most every other year under CMS we do not have the QB or passing game to keep up.

At this point it's not an oops, it's not Leary, it's not the WR...it's just something in the DNA of his style/program building.

He and his staffs have not been able to recruit nor develop QBs, TEs, or even WRs for the most part. Not one of his that he's recruited from high school have seen significant action or turned out to be anything his entire career. It's been transfers. He has not had a modern play making TE. Until very recently he really hasn't been great in the WR department either.

 

[vhcat70]

^ It's not both lack of horses and DNA. It's primarily one or the other. We still don't have the Triple Crown competing horses. More like Grade II - vs. claimers before Stoops.

 

[mrschwump]

^ It's not both lack of horses and DNA. It's primarily one or the other. We still don't have the Triple Crown competing horses. More like Grade II - vs. claimers before Stoops.

Agree about the lack of talent. BUT, no matter how talented you are you can still play hard. I've heard/read about how "physical" UK is....somebody forgot to tell them. I thought vs GA they were incredibly passive, even tentative. I thought Ray Davis and D'Erick Jackson were the only players who played like they gave a shit.

Don't know if anybody noticed but UK could've lost 3 starting defensive players....Geiger, Silver and Wallace went out with injuries and didn't return. UK even played a walk-on MLB for several snaps so they're really thin.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

Couple of other things: If you want to get a player's attention, take away PT. That Burton was allowed to continue playing after his holding then BS personal foul was......ridiculous and disappointing. Bench his ass, I don't care if you have to play a 5'10 210lb walk-on.

DYK: Each of UK's starting OL had at least one penalty except Dylan Ray?

He didn't even come out one snap. It's nuts

We came into Athens to play against a pissed off UGA team full of two deep 4* and 5* guys that was basically getting very little respect from the media. This was a statement game from Smart, normally the kind of guy who will call off the dogs after he gets up big but not tonight. Early penalties killed us and frustration set in fast, the stage was way too big and we folded. When we got behind early and Coen abandoned his game plan it was over. Just a disappointing and depressing game, hope they can recover but I have my doubts.

This. They heard all the doubters and saw what we did to Florida. They were all amped up ready to send that message and they did. Second time in two years we walk into a buzzsaw in an ESPN night game on the road.

That said, the game should've been much closer. We killed ourself with dumb early penalties and a missed TD throw that put us down 21-0 in a blink. We never gave ourselves a chance to compete.

 

[billoliver40]

One of Stoops most maddening habits is keeping players in AFTER they've repeatedly had personal fouls, ridiculous reactions, etc.
While we definitely do not have the depth of a Georgia, Bama, etc, those are teams where hurting your team or simply not giving effort will get you a bench seat.

 

[JHannibalSmith]

UK has won 12 games in its history vs GA and they've played, what 80 times? I've said for over a decade that if you want to see what 3* recruits look like going up against 4*/5* recruits....watch UK-GA. The gap between the 2 programs is bigger than the Grand Canyon and it's growing, not narrowing. UK took a step forward vs UF last week, took multiple steps backwards Sat night. UK is in a very precarious position and extended losing may be at hand if this bunch doesn't remove their collective heads from their collective asses.

I agree with everything you said. But, we have good enough talent to keep the score at least close to the point spread against upper level SEC teams. The philosophy is a big problem, IMO. In games like this you can’t sit back in that weak, soft zone & let them pick you apart all night. You have to take chances & bring pressure in creative ways to keep them off balanced & create chaos to compensate for the talent disparity.

You have to try to score at the end of halves & every other opportunity you get. Have to play smart & disciplined & not beat yourself with stupid penalties & emotional outbursts, which has always been a problem. Maybe use the middle of the field occasionally in the passing game.

Perhaps watch film of their last two games & do a little of what South Carolina & Auburn did successfully to keep the game close. They both pressured the QB & had success running the ball outside the tackles. We rarely did either. And, we’re as talented as both of them, or, at least very close, if not.

I understood the ultra conservative approach when Stoops first got here & had no other way to be competitive. But, now we have good enough players to compete straight up with the proper game plan, mindset & and execution. By that, I mean, not getting beat by 4+ TDs. Playing not to lose won’t get it done. Bottom line.

You can have decent years like typical Stoops seasons, here. But, the program will never take the next step playing like that. Especially, when you continue with the soft prevent defense even after being shredded on every possession of the first half. Or, making zero effort to score before halftime.

And, it makes no sense to me why we’re still doing that crap 11 years in, with as much 4* & 5* level talent that we have. Might not be as much as the top shelf SEC teams, but, it’s enough to keep every game respectable, at least. There is no excuse for what happened last night, though. We should expect much more from the 9th highest paid coach in CFB.

 

[mebeblue2]

UK has won 12 games in its history vs GA and they've played, what 80 times? I've said for over a decade that if you want to see what 3* recruits look like going up against 4*/5* recruits....watch UK-GA. The gap between the 2 programs is bigger than the Grand Canyon and it's growing, not narrowing. UK took a step forward vs UF last week, took multiple steps backwards Sat night. UK is in a very precarious position and extended losing may be at hand if this bunch doesn't remove their collective heads from their collective asses.

yep
all anyone has to do is look at the teams playing for championships and their recruiting ranking to know that UK has to get more 4 and 5 star recruits if our team is is going to compete with the big boys

 

[mrschwump]

I agree with everything you said. But, we have good enough talent to keep the score at least close to the point spread against upper level SEC teams. The philosophy is a big problem, IMO. In games like this you can’t sit back in that weak, soft zone & let them pick you apart all night. You have to take chances & bring pressure in creative ways to keep them off balanced & create chaos to compensate for the talent disparity.

You have to try to score at the end of halves & every other opportunity you get. Have to play smart & disciplined & not beat yourself with stupid penalties & emotional outbursts, which has always been a problem. Maybe use the middle of the field occasionally in the passing game.

Perhaps watch film of their last two games & do a little of what South Carolina & Auburn did successfully to keep the game close. They both pressured the QB & had success running the ball outside the tackles. We rarely did either. And, we’re as talented as both of them, or, at least very close, if not.

I understood the ultra conservative approach when Stoops first got here & had no other way to be competitive. But, now we have good enough players to compete straight up with the proper game plan, mindset & and execution. By that, I mean, not getting beat by 4+ TDs. Playing not to lose won’t get it done. Bottom line.

You can have decent years like typical Stoops seasons, here. But, the program will never take the next step playing like that. Especially, when you continue with the soft prevent defense even after being shredded on every possession of the first half. Or, making zero effort to score before halftime.

And, it makes no sense to me why we’re still doing that crap 11 years in, with as much 4* & 5* level talent that we have. Might not be as much as the top shelf SEC teams, but, it’s enough to keep every game respectable, at least. There is no excuse for what happened last night, though. We should expect much more from the 9th highest paid coach in CFB.

Thought UK looked soft, unfocused, unmotivated. The stage was much too big for them.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

Agree about the lack of talent. BUT, no matter how talented you are you can still play hard. I've heard/read about how "physical" UK is....somebody forgot to tell them. I thought vs GA they were incredibly passive, even tentative. I thought Ray Davis and D'Erick Jackson were the only players who played like they gave a shit.

Don't know if anybody noticed but UK could've lost 3 starting defensive players....Geiger, Silver and Wallace went out with injuries and didn't return. UK even played a walk-on MLB for several snaps so they're really thin.

For whatever reason, UGA looked like different team than t he girdt 5 games offensively. That was what I expected us to be doing from the first snap. Instead of running 12-25 wr screens Beck attacked vertically. I don't know ow if he suddenly gained trust of the coached or if it was that old keeping it vanilla and not show anything. But not the same team I watched the first 5 games.

 

[docholiday51]

Ran into a team that was #1 but had played like crap for 5 games. Night home game + they had something to prove. Perfect storm for what we saw, we lost what(if any) composure we had. We aren't as bad as we looked last night. The Missouri game will tell us what this team is or isn't.

Chalk last night up to wrong place at wrong time.. If we follow up with another clunker next Saturday Stoops could lose this team for the rest of the season. There are winnable games left on the schedule if the team does a little soul searching.

 

[Dead Cat Bounce]

Ran into a team that was #1 but had played like crap for 5 games. Night home game + they had something to prove. Perfect storm for what we saw, we lost what(if any) composure we had. we aren't as bad as we looked last night. The Missouri game will tell us what this team is or isn't.

Chalk last night up to wrong place at wrong time.. If we follow up with another clunker next Saturday Stoops could lose this team for the rest of the season. There are winnable games left on the schedule if the team does a little soul searching.

Good post, Doc.

 

[JPFisher]

Ran into a team that was #1 but had played like crap for 5 games. Night home game + they had something to prove. Perfect storm for what we saw, we lost what(if any) composure we had. We aren't as bad as we looked last night. The Missouri game will tell us what this team is or isn't.

Chalk last night up to wrong place at wrong time.. If we follow up with another clunker next Saturday Stoops could lose this team for the rest of the season. There are winnable games left on the schedule if the team does a little soul searching.

Soul searching, for this team, may mean just finding at least one leader on each side of the ball who isn't afraid to knock heads with unfocused, bone-headed teammates.

Where are Jackson, Wallace, and Weaver? None of them have stepped up to the leadership plate? Really? We have guys in the secondary trying to play hero and they get us burned to a crisp. Wallace and Jackson are too damn good. They HAVE to be busting their asses in practice to the point where they can tell others to play up to their potential. Lay into em!

Burton was getting low-fives from teammates after his second penalty. Seriously? I expect teammates to jerk a knot in his tail – not coddle him for that stupid crap. It looked like Yenser chewed JB out a bit, but that can't JUST be the responsibility of coaches.

Unfortunately, the offense has no leaders because we've had to piecemeal it with transfers. Davis MIGHT be that guy, but he's gone after this year. Coen has work to do making that room a cohesive unit capable of withstanding adversity... Assuming he sticks around this time.

Just an absolute clunker of a game that fans thought we were past. We were sorely mistaken. Have to take our licks and hope we don't come out of the tunnel next Saturday already defeated.

 

[mrschwump]

Ran into a team that was #1 but had played like crap for 5 games. Night home game + they had something to prove. Perfect storm for what we saw, we lost what(if any) composure we had. We aren't as bad as we looked last night. The Missouri game will tell us what this team is or isn't.

Chalk last night up to wrong place at wrong time.. If we follow up with another clunker next Saturday Stoops could lose this team for the rest of the season. There are winnable games left on the schedule if the team does a little soul searching.

Talking heads said toward the end of the game that UK needs to put this game behind them and focus on what's left. Said UK should be favored in 4 of remaining 6 games that are very winnable. That's being optimistic I guess. At any rate, how they respond vs MO will be huge for the season.

 

[Johnfarrel]

1. If you look back at our big wins the last 30 years against ranked teams, in each, Kentucky’s Quarterback played well.

Leary seems to be losing confidence. If 20 percent of your passes get dropped, and 20 percent are uncatchable, that leaves you at a maximum of 60 percent . . . and Leary is below 58 percent, for the season, and falling!

2. Penalties that extended their drives and ended ours. The Jager Burton personal foul was the worst. He had to have seen the end of the play, and then put his helmet into the back of the player he had already pancaked.
?!?!?

Apparently Deone thought he was blocking on a return? OK, don’t make that mistake, again!!

3. Defense. Maxwell Hairston must lead the nation for interception return yards. Otherwise, a performance as unsteady as was the offense. Georgia was as crisp as possible the first half, and if perfectly executed, any offense is hard to stop. That second TD . . . an example of the precision on the pass to the front corner of the end zone . . . in bounds by millimeters, and well defended.

4. Road Games vs. Home Games. Any Coach that could magically create the team chemistry felt at home, on the road, he’d be better than Bear Bryant. UGA made us look as bad as we made UF look at home in the first half. Home field advantage in the SEC is worth more
than 10 points, whatever Vegas says.

5. We’d better bring it verses Mizzou, crowd and team, or Mizzou could be the beginning of a long slide.

Kentucky was not going to win that game playing their best but the first drives were going well until stopped by penalties and they had stopped Georgia's third drive until Deone's bonehead penalty. Once it reached 21-0, Davis was taken out of the game and there was no hope of keeping it close.

 

[thepip]

For whatever reason, UGA looked like different team than t he girdt 5 games offensively. That was what I expected us to be doing from the first snap. Instead of running 12-25 wr screens Beck attacked vertically. I don't know ow if he suddenly gained trust of the coached or if it was that old keeping it vanilla and not show anything. But not the same team I watched the first 5 games.

Because he wasn't playing against a D1 team, say what you will but that is how it was.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

For whatever reason, UGA looked like different team than t he girdt 5 games offensively. That was what I expected us to be doing from the first snap. Instead of running 12-25 wr screens Beck attacked vertically. I don't know ow if he suddenly gained trust of the coached or if it was that old keeping it vanilla and not show anything. But not the same team I watched the first 5 games.

Yep and it completely took UK off guard. We had our defense up expecting run and short game. Instead we got aggressive pass game. Nice plan for sure and our self destruction didn't give us enough time to adjust. 21-0 in a hurry.

 

[bigbluedon]

I agree with everything you said. But, we have good enough talent to keep the score at least close to the point spread against upper level SEC teams. The philosophy is a big problem, IMO. In games like this you can’t sit back in that weak, soft zone & let them pick you apart all night. You have to take chances & bring pressure in creative ways to keep them off balanced & create chaos to compensate for the talent disparity.

You have to try to score at the end of halves & every other opportunity you get. Have to play smart & disciplined & not beat yourself with stupid penalties & emotional outbursts, which has always been a problem. Maybe use the middle of the field occasionally in the passing game.

Perhaps watch film of their last two games & do a little of what South Carolina & Auburn did successfully to keep the game close. They both pressured the QB & had success running the ball outside the tackles. We rarely did either. And, we’re as talented as both of them, or, at least very close, if not.

I understood the ultra conservative approach when Stoops first got here & had no other way to be competitive. But, now we have good enough players to compete straight up with the proper game plan, mindset & and execution. By that, I mean, not getting beat by 4+ TDs. Playing not to lose won’t get it done. Bottom line.

You can have decent years like typical Stoops seasons, here. But, the program will never take the next step playing like that. Especially, when you continue with the soft prevent defense even after being shredded on every possession of the first half. Or, making zero effort to score before halftime.

And, it makes no sense to me why we’re still doing that crap 11 years in, with as much 4* & 5* level talent that we have. Might not be as much as the top shelf SEC teams, but, it’s enough to keep every game respectable, at least. There is no excuse for what happened last night, though. We should expect much more from the 9th highest paid coach in CFB.

Great points.