Chris Rodriguez got loose for a 72-yard touchdown run, his longest run of the season, but the UK offense mainly fizzled in Saturday's loss. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Vanderbilt players said they were having a “party in the locker room” after their dramatic 24-21 win over Kentucky.
The Kentucky locker room had to feel more like a funeral parlor — or should have.
This was EASILY the worst loss in Mark Stoops’ coaching tenure at Kentucky. Vanderbilt’s seniors had not won a Southeastern Conference game since they were FRESHMAN but they came to Lexington and beat a team that openly talked about challenging for the SEC Eastern Division title this year.
Instead, UK is 6-4 and clinging to having a winning season. The Cats are not going to beat Georgia in their next game. In fact, it’s hard to see the game even being close and CBS-TV certainly has to be dreading having the game for its showcase SEC game.
Then will come Louisville, a team Kentucky expected to manhandle but now will be lucky to beat to avoid a 6-6 season.
How can that happen with a veteran defense and an offense that features quarterback Will Levis, running back Chris Rodriguez and a lot of talented receivers. But the UK offense continues to have a lot more fizzle than sizzle.
“I’m sure the team is very hurt and embarrassed with the way they played. We all are,” Stoops said after the game.
They should be.
But here is what I don’t get. I respect Levis a lot. He’s a tough guy. But after he went 11-for-23 for only 109 yards with one interception and was sacked four times, Levis said Kentucky just was not into the game.
Pardon me. How the hell can that be?
“Not enough hype. Not enough juice. We talked about it among us all week and we did not buy into it. We did not play hard as they did,” Levis said. “We knew they were going to play hard as they play hard every single game you see them play, whether they lose by 50 or win you never know. We knew that about them, and we did not match them today.”
Amazing and that is on Stoops. This has happened way too often this year — South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt immediately come to mind. But even in the early season non-conference wins, Kentucky was not dominating or all that intense at times.
Stoops said he thought the intensity was “average at best” from his team. Maybe there’s been way too much NIL and bowl location talk and not enough about just playing solid football.
“The execution in playing clean, once again, just didn’t happen. We’re leaving points on the field. Missed-kicks, two-point conversions and driving the ball and not converting in the red zone. Defensively inconsistent,” Stoops said.
The coach talked about no finger pointing but just going back to work to address issues the team has. I think Kentucky fans are tired of hearing that and seeing no change.
Offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello and offensive line coach Zach Yenser have both been heavily criticized by UK fans. The Cats had just 322 yards and 162 of those yards came on 18 carries by Rodriguez, who had a 72-yard scoring run.
But UK had only three pass plays over 10 yards. Freshman Barion Brown had four targets with one catch for a loss of one yard. Freshman Dane Key had four targets with one catch for 29 yards.
Stoops was asked if he would consider staff changes since other schools have changed coordinators during a season that was not going well.
His answer: “No.”
Is there consideration for a new offensive line coach?
“I just answered that question,” Stoops said.
But he’s frustrated — and should be at both himself and his team.
“Very frustrated and disappointed that I’m not getting it done. I’m not communicating well enough to push on the things that we need to get better at,” Stoops said. “That’s frustrating and also disappointing, and something that I’ve got to figure out.”
But he’s not going to figure that out in a mismatch against Georgia and one has to wonder if the Cats will have anything left in the tank against Louisville based on this clunker against Vanderbilt.
2 Responses
I can remember back to my high school football days on a very good team. Something like this happens, there is something wrong in the locker room. Sometimes when a coach disciplines a player(s) something like this can happen or a perceived inequity, or one rotten apply spoiling the whole barrel. This team is not playing for each other period. When a team is playing for each other the players circle the wagons and get a family mentality, ie I may have a spat with my brother but if someone from outside sticks their nose in he gets beat up by both brothers.
I have a feeling NIL some to do with this problem but circling the wagons starts with the coaches and team leaders.
Sorry football is all I can say. In one day this UK football team destroyed a dream that things had changed at Kentucky for football. What Stoops has taken so long to build at Kentucky was catching on nationwide. UK was becoming respected in football and many football fans supported Stoops in his verbal response to "Calipari the great." Then this happens. A game that meant so much to so many UK football fans. Fans wishing for a strong finish down the stretch here after getting slaughtered in Knoxville, and winning on a break at Missouri last week. Instead we saw no energy or desire from this football team Saturday, and it all came crashing down with a bitter defeat on a cold windy day in November. Against a team struggling to even win a game in SEC play for months, enter ole UK the patsy. Yeah, Vandy wanted it more! That was obvious. Good faithful die hard UK football fans sat in a blizzard and watched UK give that game away looking somber and shell shocked. A home field advantage with a lot to play for on the line. Saddest day yet for a Stoops coached team.
I am smelling 6-6 about now, and these coaches, and especially Coach Stoops, own this, and with all that tough talk pre-season. All we get out of him is statements like "we have to go back to work." Or, "we had a great week of preparation."
There appears to be big problems on this football team that I don’t think Stoops can fix, not this year. It started at Ole Miss with that sad loss, continued with the USC loss at home, and was open for all to see against UT, and now this "choke city" performance against Vanderbilt. UK is going to get Will Levis killed if the UK Oline can’t figure how to block somebody. I think a couple coaches should be sent packing asap, especially if Louisville beats Kentucky at CWS this year. Yeah I know Kroger Field.
Are there some on this team who think they are special, and not enough hard nosed football players who want to hit somebody and give great effort? Maybe so. I now think and even look for UK to see a few of these boys leaving via the portal route at season’s end also. What skill player would want to play in an offense we are watching week after week now. Look, I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think Stoops has a clue. Kudos to C-Rod for his effort, I want to say that. Call me frustrated. Problem? Not enough time left in life for some of us who want to see UK become a real SEC "football school." Go Cats!!!
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