This comment sums up Stoops can't fix the program

[bigblueinsanity]

I'm glad you posted this....both of these are coaching issues....not play calling.

1. Part (not all) of the pass blocking problem was Brock pussing out and not stepping up in pocket. When you try to escape pressure vs. climb the pocket....it makes the Oline job much harder. In the first clip....the blocking was adequate....Brock just pussed out and missed a window to throw in middle of field. Brock, Bush and Stoops are the blame.
2. I don't agree with Van Hiles...Barion was running a 10 yard in route (not a slant)....I can't even see the first part of the route in the camera angle....so to call lazy route by Barion...I just don't see enough evidence to make that case. USC brought 6 rushers and UK Oline was obliterated. UK had not hot route or adjustments to audible from pressure look. Plus it's hard for any offense to win on 3rd and long....that will only be compounded by an Oline like UK...which is why staying in good down and distances is vital for this offense to succeed.

I like Van Hiles alot...but he tends to blame the players too much and it's hardly ever the coaches he faults. But to be fair.....that is what makes a coach great....he gets his players to execute the gameplan more often than another coach can. To have a QB in this 3rd year of college that can't climb the pocket....that is a coaching issue as much as player problem. If the kid can't do it....it's your job to have a QB that will execute the gameplan.

He often calls out offensive play calls. The difference is fans usually want to blame the coaches when it's mostly the players' fault.

Brown is a great example. Fans will defend him to the hilt because he gives us a few explosive plays a year. They completely ignore the half ass effort, the drops, the amount of touches he demands that completely derails offense, the nil money from constantly threatening transfer, etc.

This play is a good example. Of course the ol got obliterated because they brought more than we had. Simple numbers. Its a half ass effort because he never even makes it into the frame until the very end despite him being the hot man. Thats 1000% evidence of low effort and unacceptable. On this snap given the package ol did their job, qb did his job because hes looking hot, but wr is jogging and we ate it.

 

[catsfanbgky]

Cal was an innovator in several coaching things? Cant wait to see this list? Already acknowledged cal did a fine “coaching” job at UMASS but once he went to the nba and came back to college, he relied on talent and talent alone which he amassed a great deal of. He told us himself, I recruit the best of the best. He was never innovative in any aspect of actual coaching, ever. He sucked at coaching, period. I’m not even saying stoops is a good coach here, he’s slightly better than cal which isn’t saying much because cal sucks. Don’t give a rats ass if I’m on this island alone or not. Give cal a mediocre roster and see how well he coaches them up. Hint::he can’t, he doesn’t know how.

NO, you said "Cal won at the Alabama of college basketball", Memphis and UMASS is NOT the Alabama of college basketball, the opposite really, UMASS and Memphis basketball is more like the UK in football, or in UMASS case, less than that. You never mentioned the job he did at those 2 schools, ONLY at the "Alabama of basketball"
I do not have to list the things he is considered a innovator in, the people who know and his peers have agreed. Like I said, one of the two is a HOF coach, considered one of the best by fellow coaches / media, has won everywhere he has been. The other is a .500 coach who doesn't not know a GD thing about winning, how to or actually doing it. Cal has done things to change the game, and has come up with several ideas to make the game a better product not just on the floor, but off. Stoops is a coach who is in way over his head and doesn't have clue how to swim to get to safety. He has done SOME good for UK football, but he has reached his APEX and is just simply not a coach who knows how to advance his abilities to lead a team and win, he is a 6-6 / 7-5 coach, that is his mountain top outside a few better years here and there, but he also tears it all down with years where he is lost. He can't manage a game clock, have a offense that can beat the Elite teams fairly consistent. Everything he does in game is conservative and scared to try new things. He is a guy who plays not to lose and is scared to play to win. Once again, he has not balls to him. He is afraid of failure, coaching scared.

 

[MadaboutBlue]

Cal was the best recruiter in the game, no doubt, which aside from his UMASS days was the catalyst of his success. He got loads of talent at Memphis and UK yet never knew how to coach it. Really don’t care about his hall of fame induction as that is a mere slap in the face to those who actually belong. Stoops has taken UK and made them a respectable program in the best conference in the land despite coaching like a scared pussy the majority of the time. UK might never take that next big step of being a consistent competitor in the SEC and top 15 but it certainly will not with stoops as he cannot or will not adjust his coaching schemes.

No one is taking up for Cal that I read, you just made a laughably ignorant and indefensible comment.

Cal got the Kentucky job because he was perceived at the time to be one of the very best coaches in America...BASED ON HIS PREVIOUS TRACK RECORD. In 2009 just about everyone I know was delighted to get a proven coach of that stature. Don't forget, when got there...he inherited a program that Billy Gillespie had smashed into smithereens. Cal resurrected it to the point it reached the Elite Eight in the span of one season. He went on to achieve a national championship, four Final Fours, Seven Elite Eights, and Eight Sweet Sixteens and 32 NCAA Tournament wins.

After 11 years, Stoops has yet to even sniff his first playoff, and it doesn't look like we're headed in that direction anytime soon. The real proof is in the pudding, however.. Even considering his recent lack of success, Cal was hired away by a school with a respectable basketball tradition, and they seem delighted to have him, at least for the time being. By the same token, when word got out that A&M was considering Stoops, all hell broke loose, with the fans and boosters revolting en masse. The prevailing sentiment was "hell to the no on that one". They weren't having it, for obvious reasons.

 

[cats2010]

NO, you said "Cal won at the Alabama of college basketball", Memphis and UMASS is NOT the Alabama of college basketball, the opposite really, UMASS and Memphis basketball is more like the UK in football, or in UMASS case, less than that. You never mentioned the job he did at those 2 schools, ONLY at the "Alabama of basketball"
I do not have to list the things he is considered a innovator in, the people who know and his peers have agreed. Like I said, one of the two is a HOF coach, considered one of the best by fellow coaches / media, has won everywhere he has been. The other is a .500 coach who doesn't not know a GD thing about winning, how to or actually doing it. Cal has done things to change the game, and has come up with several ideas to make the game a better product not just on the floor, but off. Stoops is a coach who is in way over his head and doesn't have clue how to swim to get to safety. He has done SOME good for UK football, but he has reached his APEX and is just simply not a coach who knows how to advance his abilities to lead a team and win, he is a 6-6 / 7-5 coach, that is his mountain top outside a few better years here and there, but he also tears it all down with years where he is lost. He can't manage a game clock, have a offense that can beat the Elite teams fairly consistent. Everything he does in game is conservative and scared to try new things. He is a guy who plays not to lose and is scared to play to win. Once again, he has not balls to him. He is afraid of failure, coaching scared.

See bold and underlined part above, it’s because you can’t. List 3, heck even 1 or 2. You can’t because he never innovated shit. He relied on talent after his UMASS days and even at UMASS he had camby and a good supporting cast. Still not taking anything away from his UMASS days however as he did a good coaching job there. Memphis was all recruiting of talent which followed him here. Great recruiter, one of the best but not what this topic is about. It’s actual coaching. Cal did something here accomplished by 4 others which is win a title. Stoops accomplished something here no other coach had since 1977 which was to win 10 games in a season. He now holds 2 of the 4 10 win seasons in our schools history. Reasons behind that obviously but still a great accomplishment. That being said, it is time for stoops to go. Have never been a fan of his style of play and he is on the verge of taking us backwards. This season will be bad, and next season will be even worse and the fan resentment will grow just as it did with CCC.

 

[Hjack]

44 yards. I can’t even wrap my mind around that.

I think 20 of those yards must have been the lateral throw with 3rd and 1.

 

[ukfan1622]

I think that 1st touchdown by USCjr told the story. It's a passing situation and they send 3 wide receivers down field and one catches the ball near the 10 yard line and UK doesn't have a back within 20 yards of him. If UK was playing man to man you could say it was an athletic mismatch but when that happens and you're playing zone then that's a coaching mistake...and you can't call that a fluke when we did the same thing against Florida TWICE in one game. Yes, a player made a mental mistake but when they happen too often it's time to face the facts that the coaches are not teaching the players a system in which they can be effective.

They're making things too complicated for the players; too many players making too many decisions just means somebody is going to make the wrong decision too often. Playing zone defense and leaving receivers uncovered is not a talent issue. It's a coaching issue and I've only been talking about the side of the ball where we're better...

 

[gamecockcat]

K,
You're absolutely correct - we had no 'hot' route, no audibles to a play that develops quicker, no adjustments whatsoever. That is 100% on coaching. Brock has to call the play that is sent in. However, you absolutely HAVE to give your QB an audible if the played called is going to be a disaster. If Brock reads a blitz pre-snap, he's still supposed to run a jet sweep into the teeth of it? Or a pass play that requires 4 seconds of protection against a team we were struggling to produce 2 seconds of pass pro?

 

[K_TIME]

He often calls out offensive play calls. The difference is fans usually want to blame the coaches when it's mostly the players' fault.

Brown is a great example. Fans will defend him to the hilt because he gives us a few explosive plays a year. They completely ignore the half ass effort, the drops, the amount of touches he demands that completely derails offense, the nil money from constantly threatening transfer, etc.

This play is a good example. Of course the ol got obliterated because they brought more than we had. Simple numbers. Its a half ass effort because he never even makes it into the frame until the very end despite him being the hot man. Thats 1000% evidence of low effort and unacceptable. On this snap given the package ol did their job, qb did his job because hes looking hot, but wr is jogging and we ate it.

He was running a 10 yard in route (off bump and run man coverage)....the sack got to Brock less than 2 seconds to which a 10 yard in route can't be run in 2 seconds.....the WR on opposite side of field (Maclin I think)were running the same route concept. Maclin had off coverage as safety was lined up 10 yards off LOS and he barely beats Barion to the 10 yards and cuts in....so It appears to be the same route concept for all WR. I have no idea if Barion was the hot route...the best route to beat that pressure would have been a slant....but it was not a slant (maybe that should have been an audible). But again...that is coaching and scheme....and Brock needs to check to the route but Barion can't just run any damn route he wants...he has to run the route that is called.

I agree last year Barion jogged routes and was bullcrap way too much. But I can't say in 2 games this year the same stuff is happening.

 

[CrimsonCats]

I’m not going to get into the weeds of who’s better between Stoops and Cal, but the parallels in general attitude are definitely a bit uncanny. They both have clear issues with their schemes and philosophies having deficiencies and/or being outdated, but both keep doubling and tripling down on cliches about how we just need more toughness rather than acknowledging that.

I’m prone to complaining about how mediocre we’ve looked the past 2-3 seasons, but Stoops does deserve some credit for taking us from laughingstock to mediocre and even hitting a couple of higher points in the process. Despite that, the increasingly frustrating thing about him is that he’s never really grown as a coach. We’re still an undisciplined team more often than not. We’re still recruiting almost exclusively for run stopping on the defensive line and then struggling to get off the field on 3rd down because we’re using those players in 3 man rush packages that generate no pressure at all. We’re still struggling on offense, and even though he’s not directly calling the plays, I feel like the problems have been too similar between multiple coordinators for him not to shoulder some of the blame there too. I don’t know if he’s too stubborn to change or if he genuinely only knows one way to play and is at a loss now that it’s not working like it used to, but it does feel like he doesn’t have any real answers to our current struggles.

 

[catsfanbgky]

See bold and underlined part above, it’s because you can’t. List 3, heck even 1 or 2. You can’t because he never innovated shit. He relied on talent after his UMASS days and even at UMASS he had camby and a good supporting cast. Still not taking anything away from his UMASS days however as he did a good coaching job there. Memphis was all recruiting of talent which followed him here. Great recruiter, one of the best but not what this topic is about. It’s actual coaching. Cal did something here accomplished by 4 others which is win a title. Stoops accomplished something here no other coach had since 1977 which was to win 10 games in a season. He now holds 2 of the 4 10 win seasons in our schools history. Reasons behind that obviously but still a great accomplishment. That being said, it is time for stoops to go. Have never been a fan of his style of play and he is on the verge of taking us backwards. This season will be bad, and next season will be even worse and the fan resentment will grow just as it did with CCC.

Dribble drive offense
Elite recruiting (one and done)
Getting players to buy into a team concept and mega talented players to play as a team. Getting players to put egos aside for the sake of the team, is not easy to do.

I guess he just got "lucky" all those years. Why hasn't Memphis and UMASS done anything after Cal left ? I guess Coach K sucks to, he relied on talent. No shit, K relied on talent, doesn't make him any less of a coach. Also, look at the UMASS team, couldn't shoot for shit. The scoring guard made 1 (ONE) three all year. The team as a whole made only 5 per game. The team won because they played their ass off and as a team, along with elite defense. They only scored 72 ppg, but only gave up 61. He took that team, got them to buy in, played their asses off for 40 minutes, that is how they won so much. Great supporting cast ? LOL, Donta Bright, Dana Dingle, Carmelo Travieso, and Edgar Padilla, a true whos who in college basketball. He had less talent than UK (beat by 10 in regular season), Georgetown, and several other teams they beat that year.

 

[truebluewildcat]

Stoops' issue is that he, nor Gran, nor Marrow can find, evaluate, recruit, or develop passing game. Most importantly QB.

They can do all that with RBs, OL, defense across the board. Passing game and QB talent has eluded them their entire tenure here.

Which is ironic. It's exact opposite of Mumme/Brooks eras. Had those coaches and programs had the overall talent, defense, and ground game things would've been different.

If Stoops had Mike Leach, Joker Phillips (and Randy Sanders) to go with the RBs and defenses he's had we'd be in the play offs.

The previous era offensive guys we're before their time. Air Raid with Mumme. Joker and Sanders had TEs producing on pace with receivers and little utility scat backs catching out of the backfield 20 years before Christian McCaffery and Travis Kelce, along with all the other TEs and multiuse RBs, were a thing.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

He was running a 10 yard in route (off bump and run man coverage)....the sack got to Brock less than 2 seconds to which a 10 yard in route can't be run in 2 seconds.....the WR on opposite side of field (Maclin I think)were running the same route concept. Maclin had off coverage as safety was lined up 10 yards off LOS and he barely beats Barion to the 10 yards and cuts in....so It appears to be the same route concept for all WR. I have no idea if Barion was the hot route...the best route to beat that pressure would have been a slant....but it was not a slant (maybe that should have been an audible). But again...that is coaching and scheme....and Brock needs to check to the route but Barion can't just run any damn route he wants...he has to run the route that is called.

I agree last year Barion jogged routes and was bullcrap way too much. But I can't say in 2 games this year the same stuff is happening.

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He looked to be running a 10 yard in or skinny post. Either way he either dogged it or was physically dominated because he refuses to use his release tools. Neither are acceptable when you can see theyre bringing a blitz from your side making you the hot wr. Otherwise No way he should be coming into the screen that late.

If he wants touches, this was a perfect opportunity for an explosive touch. Win the release, get into your route, and catch the ball. If so, he literally had the rest of the field to run away from two guys.

 

[jeffky]

Let’s move on from Cal. Take it to the basketball board.

Let's move on period one down one to go

 

[Soupbean]

These comments from Stoops almost confirms to me....he has no idea of how to turn this thing around. And is eerily reminiscent of Calipari comments while UK bball spiraled out of control and he was never able to get it back.

The football program has fundamental schematic and philosophy problems on offense. Similar style of defense to play conservative way too much. Stoops simply thinking "being tougher" and "playing with an edge " is the issue pretty much tells me he has no realistic pathway to fix things....and he's got to go at seasons end. Great coach like Saban realized he needed to alter his approach to stay on top and did....Stoops has no plan to embrace the needed changes and thusly the program is spiraling as a result.

Mark Stoops
“We’re going to respond. When people hit us, we’re going to hit back. I didn’t feel the edge and the attitude and the fight that we normally play with,” Stoops said.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen come game time. Wild things happen,” said the Kentucky head coach. “You have to respond and we didn’t respond very well today.”

John Calipari
“Now, real simply, we have to get more physical, we have to get 50-50 balls, and that includes rebounds that are free that we’ve gotten and we haven’t gotten,” Calipari added. “And we’ve got to get, I’d say 10% better defensively.”

Yep If its that easy why didnt he just tell them that at halftime?

 

[Soupbean]

So who needs to play tougher? This such coach speak nonsense to take blame off inept schematic and gameplan by staff.

To have Beamer out maneuver Stoops to generate scores....while Stoops is just red faced and throws for 44 yards passing.....just terrible job.

Hard to hit someone in the mouth when you are standing flat footed in a zone defense acting like nothing but an orange cone

 

[cats2010]

Dribble drive offense
Elite recruiting (one and done)
Getting players to buy into a team concept and mega talented players to play as a team. Getting players to put egos aside for the sake of the team, is not easy to do.

I guess he just got "lucky" all those years. Why hasn't Memphis and UMASS done anything after Cal left ? I guess Coach K sucks to, he relied on talent. No shit, K relied on talent, doesn't make him any less of a coach. Also, look at the UMASS team, couldn't shoot for shit. The scoring guard made 1 (ONE) three all year. The team as a whole made only 5 per game. The team won because they played their ass off and as a team, along with elite defense. They only scored 72 ppg, but only gave up 61. He took that team, got them to buy in, played their asses off for 40 minutes, that is how they won so much. Great supporting cast ? LOL, Donta Bright, Dana Dingle, Carmelo Travieso, and Edgar Padilla, a true whos who in college basketball. He had less talent than UK (beat by 10 in regular season), Georgetown, and several other teams they beat that year.

You think cal created the dribble drive offense 😂. That is so cute. You think he is also the only coach that thought to recruit elite talent 😂. And now you are reverting back to his coaching at UMASS when I have acknowledged to you twice now that he did a good job coaching AT UMASS (shouting for those hard of hearing). He might have been innovative at pushing kids out the door to the NBA so I’ll give you that but not exactly sure how that benefited us.

 

[MrHotDice]

He’s not wrong. Attitude is 50% of the game.

In my 76 years following football 70+UK, I have never seen attitude score a touchdown make a tackle, or win a game. I hear we are all in this together. Thzts bs. Teams zre made up of individuals thzt have one thing in common. They hate getting beat and hold themselves at fault . The UK team lost because no player made a play No Cobb no Lynn B someone need to find it or this season and Stoops is doomed.

 

[Doodah859]

I don't blame it on the players so much as the scheme and play calling. I've been saying it since 2013 when Stoops came in with the "air raid" and abandoned that to run the wildcat within a couple of weeks.

You mean when we were trying to run a pass heavy offense with Jalen Whitlow and Max Smith at QB? God forbid they adjust their schemes to fit the personnel

 

[maysvilleky]

The concerns a lot of us had in the off season (including the OP), revolved around the offensive line. Obviously those were well founded as we were tragically inept in pass pro. This glaring weakness on offense, and a defense that is soft as butter in coverage made me turn off the game early in the 3rd quarter. Unwatchable.

So why was there no quick passes to get the ball out of the QBs hand? Just catch and throw.

 

[PhattyJ4UK]

I wish our football program was anywhere close to as bad and out of control our basketball program was the last few years under cal.

Wouldn’t know what to do with a top ten season in back to back years but choking in the playoffs.

 

[FootballKats]

I think our guys thought that SC was going to be cake walk but when we were smacked we said thank you can I have another.

I think you are correct and by the time they figured out they were legit it was too late.

 

[R.O.T.Muckinfush]

You mean when we were trying to run a pass heavy offense with Jalen Whitlow and Max Smith at QB? God forbid they adjust their schemes to fit the personnel

Smitty could sling it

 

[BBBLazing]

Even if you take accomplishments out of the equation, Stoops has made just as many in game blunders over the years as Cal.
Stoops clock mismanagement especially early in his tenure comes to mind.

I think you misinterpreted what I was saying. I was saying that Stoops is not as good of a football coach as Cal is a basketball coach, and their records and accomplishments prove that.

 

[SkyPrince1]

I think you misinterpreted what I was saying. I was saying that Stoops is not as good of a football coach as Cal is a basketball coach, and their records and accomplishments prove that.

I agree
I was making the point that if you only take bench/sideline coaching into account, Stoops doesn't fair better than Call
Every other aspect of coaching Cal leaves Stoops in the dust