Really no excuse for losing in that fashion against a Mississippi State team that's not as good as they were a year ago. Was mostly a matter of the wheels coming off. The team did look prepared and poised to start the game, but that only matters so much if you're going to respond to the first sign of adversity with the same poise. Wasn't their night.
The turning point was obviously the missed field goal that followed the apparent make. Don't want to make that out to be more than it was, but Kentucky was very competitive up to that point.
But the 'hidden' turning point that I saw few tweets about later in the game? Johnson's long run after the catch negated by the strange out of bounds overturn.
Defense had a couple of bright moments early, with the three and out to start the game and the Chris Westry interception, but what a horrible regression for the defense overall. Prescott with nearly 500 yards, six touchdowns and newfound Heisman momentum. The secondary made their share of plays but also made their share of bad plays. The defensive line really didn't get any momentum.
Didn't think Matt Elam played well at all. Eat me up for saying this all you want, and I didn't have anything to do with his ranking, but he's still got a very long way to go. He's looked rather pedestrian and haven't really seen many glimpses of dominance.
Stanley Williams is a flat out stud and if his line was blowing open holes he'd be getting national attention. It's amazing what he's able to do when it looks like a play is going nowhere. There is a tremendous drop off from Williams to the two backs behind him.
UK's got a couple of receivers that have the potential to be fantastic on any given night but consistency is still an issue. I like the way Baker and Johnson block for one another on the short stuff. But Baker's hands were an issue, Johnson had a couple of drops (including one in the end zone, although there was a flag that would have negated it).
C.J. Conrad got more involved in the passing game and that was one of the few bright spots. Looks like he's getting a solid rapport with Towles and that'll be helpful the rest of this year and next.
The offensive line is what it is. Probably the worst moment was Ramsey Meyers' penalty on the quasi-punch/block that put them a long way from the goal line.
Officiating wasn't great. I thought UK might have gotten away with a PI on the first drive. I didn't think the PI that Stoops got irate about was really all that bad, because it was going to be an incompletion either way. But calling Towles down before the goal line, calling Johnson out of bounds, and a couple of other strange calls -- didn't think they seemed in command.
At first glance Barker didn't respond well to pressure but thought it bodes well that he could make that long throw to the sideline.
The difference between average QB play and great QB play was noticeable. The QB's that Kentucky has played so far? Very average. The QB they faced tonight? Gives you no margin for error.
The turning point was obviously the missed field goal that followed the apparent make. Don't want to make that out to be more than it was, but Kentucky was very competitive up to that point.
But the 'hidden' turning point that I saw few tweets about later in the game? Johnson's long run after the catch negated by the strange out of bounds overturn.
Defense had a couple of bright moments early, with the three and out to start the game and the Chris Westry interception, but what a horrible regression for the defense overall. Prescott with nearly 500 yards, six touchdowns and newfound Heisman momentum. The secondary made their share of plays but also made their share of bad plays. The defensive line really didn't get any momentum.
Didn't think Matt Elam played well at all. Eat me up for saying this all you want, and I didn't have anything to do with his ranking, but he's still got a very long way to go. He's looked rather pedestrian and haven't really seen many glimpses of dominance.
Stanley Williams is a flat out stud and if his line was blowing open holes he'd be getting national attention. It's amazing what he's able to do when it looks like a play is going nowhere. There is a tremendous drop off from Williams to the two backs behind him.
UK's got a couple of receivers that have the potential to be fantastic on any given night but consistency is still an issue. I like the way Baker and Johnson block for one another on the short stuff. But Baker's hands were an issue, Johnson had a couple of drops (including one in the end zone, although there was a flag that would have negated it).
C.J. Conrad got more involved in the passing game and that was one of the few bright spots. Looks like he's getting a solid rapport with Towles and that'll be helpful the rest of this year and next.
The offensive line is what it is. Probably the worst moment was Ramsey Meyers' penalty on the quasi-punch/block that put them a long way from the goal line.
Officiating wasn't great. I thought UK might have gotten away with a PI on the first drive. I didn't think the PI that Stoops got irate about was really all that bad, because it was going to be an incompletion either way. But calling Towles down before the goal line, calling Johnson out of bounds, and a couple of other strange calls -- didn't think they seemed in command.
At first glance Barker didn't respond well to pressure but thought it bodes well that he could make that long throw to the sideline.
The difference between average QB play and great QB play was noticeable. The QB's that Kentucky has played so far? Very average. The QB they faced tonight? Gives you no margin for error.
