Will Levis admits he was frustrated during Saturday's game and is not sure what he will say to teammates Monday. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Will Levis certainly is not having the kind of year most expected him to have, especially after he was touted as a potential No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft at best and no worse than a first-round pick.
In Saturday’s disappointing loss to Vanderbilt, he was 11 of 23 for 109 yards and did not have a touchdown throw. He completed just two passes in the second half. He still has 4,821yards passing — seventh on UK’s all-time passing list — in less than two years but has been bothered by injuries, poor protection from his offensive line and missing some reads this season.
But one thing Levis has not done and did not do again after the Vandy loss is make excuses.
“It’s one thing when you’re just not playing as well as the other team. It’s another thing when you’re beating yourself and guys aren’t doing the right thing and aren’t locked in,” said Levis.
Kentucky fans feel the same way. Kentucky had no answers against Tennessee’s offense that has struggled to shut down most teams. Vanderbilt had the next to last scoring defense in the SEC but yet limited UK to 21 points — and just two touchdowns.
Levis has not called out teammates this season like he did after this loss and he was clearly frustrated after getting sacked four more times. Kentucky quarterbacks have now been sacked 39 times this season compared to 15 sacks on opposing quarterbacks by the UK defense.
“I got a little more vocal with the guys today when those things happen because that is unacceptable. We haven’t seen it at the rate we did today yet this year and the combination of that and being disappointed in myself and knowing that I can be doing better,” Levis said about his frustrations.
“I try to keep my calm out there but sometimes you need that extra motivation for your guys, which I tried to step up and do today but it didn’t end up working out.”
Vanderbilt had not beat a ranked SEC team since 2007 and had lost 26 straight SEC games. Kentucky once was ranked No. 7 this season and now may not even win seven games because of its recent lackadaisical play.
“I guess their guys just decided to play harder,” Levis said.
Decided to play harder? What an indictment on a football team.
“We didn’t play hard all throughout the game but I guess when times are needed to play hard, guys step up and play hard. It’s a matter of getting that mindset through to them throughout the whole game instead of just one drive,” Levis said.
What is even more perplexing is that Levis said watching Vanderbilt he knew the Commodores always played hard despite their lack of success. Vandy was also without its starting quarterback, had players battling the flu last week and recently had an assistant coach suspended. Yet Vandy still played harder than UK in a game where the Cats had a lot more at stake than the Commodores — and were also playing at home.
Levis admitted he was not quite sure what he should say to teammates when practice resumes Monday. First, he wanted to re-evaluate his own play.
“I’ve got to look in the mirror first and see what I can say to myself and what I can do to improve myself. If there’s one point of emphasis, it’s just mentality, and when you’re in here, when you’re in practice, when you’re engaged in football in any way, having the utmost attention to detail and focus and energy,” Levis said.
“No lackadaisical or laziness by anybody.”
