Kentucky's defense could not stop Florida. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky had a 63-yard interception return and a 99-yard kickoff return. The Wildcats even managed 309 yards of total offense, which is about as good as it gets for this Kentucky team.
Yet the Wildcats never were really in the game at Florida Saturday night and lost 48-20. Just when you thought the season could not get any more disappointing, it did. A team that was flat in a 31-9 loss to South Carolina and played without focus and discipline against Vanderbilt came out with another stinker.
Florida was playing without its starting quarterback — it started a true freshman — and running back but amassed 476 yards against what is supposed to be one of the SEC’s best defenses.
Quarterback DJ Lagway completed just seven passes but they were for 259 yards — an average of about 37 yards per completion — and ran for 46 yards on 10 tries. Jadan Baugh, another freshman, ran 22 times for 106 yards and FIVE TOUCHDOWNS.
“I am just stunned,” UK Radio Network analyst Jeff Piecoro, a former UK player, said. “Kentucky is giving up 14 1/2 points per game and Florida just ran at will. They controlled the line of scrimmage. The safeties did not play well. They had guys wide open down the field. The secondary just got destroyed. Time after time guys were just running wide open.”
SEC Network studio analyst Benjamin Watson said Florida “annihilated” Kentucky and he was not wrong. A year ago Kentucky running back Ray Davis shredded the Florida defense. This time Florida was better on both the offensive and defensive lines.
“Florida was just the more physical team and that surprised me” SEC Network analyst Dave Neal said. “Florida was the better team. They played harder and played better. Kentucky is not built to be in shootouts and can’t sustain that type of game.”
“As hard as Kentucky played, they just don’t have the weapons that Florida has,” SEC Network announcer Dave Neal said.
Personally, it didn’t always look like Kentucky was playing that hard overall at times and the Florida offense even made the UK defense look soft at times.
For the second straight week, Kentucky could not score when it reached the one-yard line. Quarterback Brock Vandagriff was 12-for-26 passing but only for 164 yards and 46 yards came on his one TD pass to Barion Brown, who also had the 99-yard kickoff return. But Vandagriff’s other 11 completions were for only about 10 yards per catch as UK simply likes an explosive playmaker other than Brown.
“If you can’t get the big plays, you have to win so many plays and that is hard in this league,” UK Radio Network announcer Tom Leach said. “Florida was just much better in the trenches on both sides of the ball.”
Linebacker Alex Adair said UK’s defense “came out in the second half a little slow” after UK had cut the lead to 27-20 midway of the third quarter. How could that be?
Afari said the Cats had a “great week of practice and came in prepared” but it certainly did not look that way. He also said there was “nothing confusing” the Gators did but rather UK “not locking in on assignments” and that is troubling seven games into the season.
Kentucky seemed to be at a low point after South Carolina and then nearly beat Georgia and did win at Ole Miss. Then came the Vandy clunker.
This loss drops UK to 3-4 with road games left at Tennessee and Texas, two games UK is not going to win. That leaves home games with Auburn, Murray and Louisville that UK must win to be bowl eligible and today thinking UK will sweep those three seems unlikely.
“You will find out who your leaders are now. If you don’t beat Auburn next week, it could really get hairy coming down the stretch,” Piecoro said.
Piecoro knows more football than me but if seven games into a season a team doesn’t have defined leaders, that’s already a problem.
And from my perspective, things are already “really hairy” for a team that boasted it could be the deepest, most talented team in Stoops’ tenure at UK and is now 3-4 overall, 1-4 in SEC play and just not very good offensively.
14 Responses
Maybe time for a new direction.
Definitely.
3rd season of collapse & this is a doozie
Once again the Cats make a Freshman QB look like a Heisman trophy winner. I didn’t see the Cats playing hard – Nobody on the team played as hard as Florida players were playing. I can’t say that play calling was awful because the way the OLine protected nothing was going to work. Still some of the plays called were eyebrow raising. Good to see Cutter getting some reps but he was clearly unprepared. KY has not kept up with the rest of the league. Whether it’s NIL money, coaching or something in the water, the Cats are a notch down on the talent, playing energy and preparation ladder. I see another Joker year coming.
All so true
Same players:
3 games no focus, not mentally prepared
2 games vs #1 & #5 teams stellar performance
No leadership from the HC & staff so the players are up & down. Once again start in a sleep mode after leaving locker room.
Backup QB & backup RB destroy UK D
Secondary allowed long passes over & over
Threw Cutler Boyer into Swamp for 1st game just as Curry started Tim Couch in Swamp for 1st time he got to play!
Pass slipped thru hands led to interception
Pass bounced off 2 players hands got picked
TERRIBLE coaching if there was any at all !!!
The 3rd game that looked like chjoker is HC
Why is Brock still playing when he clearly shows week after week that he is nowhere near deserving of a 5* rating? He is very inaccurate and a disaster throwing out of the pocket. It is easy to see how is a bottom dwelling QB in SEC now and has taken his team with him. Are we saving Whimsatt from injury or has he expressed his interest in transferring? No doubt in my mind that he would produce better results than Brock but a change would make too much sense. This product on the field is a total embarrassment!
Clearly, KY cannot afford to fire Stoops&Co. But to maintain his own self respect, it would seem that Coach Stoops would bring in a temporary high profile football mind to point him in the right direction in coaching this team. Again, clearly, this team is not listening to its head coach.
Brock has an OL without a coach who can teach them to block for a pass.
Brock has receivers who run the wrong route and drop passes or deflect them into being an interception.
Brock has an OC who calls for runs over and over and over, then calls for passes over and over and over, seldom mixing it up.
The TE’s have the most consistent results game after game but seldom get the call because the HC & OC must forget they are eligible receivers instead of only blockers.
I don’t hold Brock responsible.
I do LB…Brock is not close to SEC QB…plays no better than 3* if that.
I understand your not being happy with Brock. I may be wrong, but given a real SEC HC, OC, OL & receivers who are focused to run routes correctly and catch the ball
when in their hands, I think Brock would be successful. You have the stats to prove me wrong and I won’t have stats to prove my point unless he goes to a real FB program next season.
The D finally pitched in the towel after tiring of the same old week after week lack of coaching leadership in too many areas.
I agree with nearly everything in your posts.👍
IMO coach Stoops is sticking his finger in the play calling pot.
The ultimate ignorance which matches Curry when he thrust freshmen Tim Couch into the Swamp for his 1st start after denying him any snaps in previous games…
is tossing Cutler Boyer into the swamp for his first game when UK is being beaten to a pulp at every position.
What a disgrace to treat Cutler in such a way!!! He should have had a series or 2 against the 2 cupcakes when UK was running away with the win!
The HC & OC should be fined a million dollars for stupidity!!!
I think Cutter learned something…… We all want our number called when the team needs us.
This article appeared today from SB Nation’s Nick Wheatly. He pretty much calls a spade a spade.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/kentucky-hammered-by-florida-3-things-to-know-and-postgame-banter/ar-AA1szGWd?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=bf2d8bcc7e8646889253a190138edf8f&ei=2