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What started out so promising and looked to reverse some troubling trends once again ended in disaster for Kentucky.
The Wildcats scored on their first two possessions against South Carolina before imploding and falling 35-13 to the Gamecocks. It was another dismal performance for coach Mark Stoops’ team after a bye week, it was a fourth straight loss to South Carolina and it was UK’s 14th loss in the last 16 Southeastern Conference games.
It was also another difficult game for a Kentucky quarterback. Redshirt sophomore Cutter Boley made his first SEC start and had a fumble returned for a score and a pass picked off and returned for a touchdown on consecutive plays in the second quarter to turn a 10-7 lead into a 21-10 deficit.
Boley was sacked six times, hit four more times and hurried a lot more times as UK’s offensive line could not hold up against South Carolina’s pressure.
“It just fell apart for Kentucky after those first two drives (resulted in 10 points),” UK Radio Network analyst Jeff Piecoro said. “Those turnovers for touchdowns are just not things you can have happen and not many teams can come back from that, especially one that does not have the firepower in a big play offense.
“They have got to find receivers who can get open. When he (Boley) had time, he couldn’t find anyone (open to throw to). When he didn’t have time, he got crunched.”
Boley finished the game 10 of 19 passing for 124 yards and two interceptions. He fumbled three times (UK recovered two) and also threw another interception in the disastrous second quarter.
Kentucky’s only points in the final three quarters came on a 42-yard Jacob Kauwe field goal after the Cats got a short field when South Carolina coach Shane Beamer surprisingly elected to try a fake punt from his own 29-yard line with a 28-10 lead.
“He (Boley) has a strong belief in himself. He is a very confident young man,” Stoops said. “When these guys get their reps, they are only going to get better. He has a lot of ability. The slant (pass) got tipped (and returned for a touchdown) was only a yard from being a completion. We just have to execute.
“We just can’t turn the ball over in a game on the road and think we can win. That is frustrating.”
Senior running back Seth McGowan topped the 100-yard mark for the second straight game with 112 yards and one touchdown, but the offense was far too one-dimensional to make a comeback after the second-quarter debacle when South Carolina went to a five-man defensive front and often had eight players in box daring Boley to try and have time to pass before he was hit.
“We had to get off to a good start and we did that,” Stoops said. “I was not happy with the first defensive series (when South Carolina drove 75 yards in 12 plays at UK’s opening touchdown) and that took a little wind out of our sails.”
What took a lot more wind out, though, were the turnovers.
“You cannot give up a defensive score and we gave up two. That is not where you can live. It just got away from us there which is really unfortunate,” the UK coach said. “We had to be precise and execute in critical moments and we are not doing that on either side of the ball. Our margin for error is not very big and we have to be better.”
However, despite the final score and what the game looked like, Stoops insisted the Cats (2–2, 0-2 SEC) are better than what others might think.
“We are a better football team. They are good guys, they care. We just have to be better,” Stoops said. “The mentality is there, the physicality is there, we are able to run the ball and we are playing good defense in spurts.
“We may have to take more chances. There are situations where players can do better and coaches can do better. The players have to take their part. We have to be detailed and execute in critical moments. That is on all of us. That is not coach speak. That is the truth
“I really have a lot of confidence in these guys and having the unity we are looking for. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us and give us anything, We just have to go do our part.”
And do it a lot better than the Cats did at South Carolina.
17 Responses
I try to hang on with Stoops, but after this disappointing showing its been common theme getting beat by S. Carolina every year.
Stoops is done. Ever since NIL we have gone down the tube. Really watch how the players respond to Stoops. He acts like he doesn't care during the game. Do you know why? Because he made 800,000$ to coach that game win or lose. The players are a reflection of the coach. Did you see how Beamer embraced his players celebrating with them for big plays and interacting with his players. Stoops doesn't do this. The only way to get him out of Lexington and us actually find a good coach and is to not go to the games. All the fans need to say it's a waste of time to go. We will lose and you will be angry watching how pathetic we are for rooting for this cow shit of a coach. He looks discombobulated during the game. He might have already drank 2 750s of Bourbon before kickoff. He looks like a alcoholic.
Stoops is becoming a Calipari-like broken record, just regurgitating the same excuses from his rolodex. Also, Eddie Gran would HAVE to be better than Hamdan. My goodness this offense has no creativity at all. If you can be destroyed just by throwing a 5 man front, they will lose every other SEC game this season.
It feels exactly the same. Calapari did us a favor and found a new home. I respect him for that. What alot of people don't know is he could have taken a year off of Coaching and collected about 50 million from us he did the fans a favor he seen we were tired of him and his excuses but he was still making the tournament. What Stoops is doing is a shit show. All the other SEC teams are dominating even more with nil and the transfer market. Just to let everyone know Brown is 2nd best receiver on LSU who has great receivers. Key is the captain of Nebraska. To say losing these 2 didn't hurt says it all. Our receivers suck. They can't get any separation. I said Maclin sucked when everyone was happy he came back. He's scared of contact which ruins him as a football player.
Stoops: “we are a better football team”
Boley was
sacked six times,
hit four more times and
hurried a lot more times
UK’s offensive line could not hold up against South Carolina’s pressure.
Just trying to see where the “better football
Team” can be seen
Just curious if the 4th season of decline has anything to do with the HC, OC & OL coach.
And who would expect the OL to breakdown worse than they did a lot of games last seqson?
Did the SEC scheduled the bye week for UK just yo give SC the advantage, knowing there is a setback during that extra week?
So many questions about this team that is
“a better football team”
I seen many times he had protection and ran outside the pocket. This happened over and over and over. Also he needs to just throw the dang football even if it's out of bounds by a receiver. To not lose yards. Even when he knows he has pressure he still holds onto the ball. Both of our QBs suck. I think Calzada is much better. Seeing he played against Ole Miss and held his own. As you can see Ole Miss is undefeated and just beat LSU at LSU. Boley played against the worst defense in college football. Every other QB that has played against Eastern Michigan has thrown for over 300 yards. Calzada would have thrown for over 300 yards. Boley 240 yards. I mean there is really no comparison. Calzada is much more ready to lead this team. I don't want to hear the excuse that Boley is young. Hes 20 he's 2 months younger than Sellers for South Carolina so I don't want to hear about his age. You either have it or you don't. Yes our line didn't play great but there was a lot of missed receivers and a ton of mistakes. He doesn't seem like he has it between the ears. We need a running QB to take over even like Kendrick Law and we need to run the ball 90% of the time. Play big boy ball and just rush for 4-6 yards per carry. We will not win with Calzada or Boley both suck but Calzada is more ready. I don't think Calzada wants to play. He seems frustrated with the play calling. In one interview he said the players dont even line up at the right spots on the field. Then he said I have to do a better job at getting everyone where they need to be. That's not his job. That the offensive coordinators job and alot of this falls on him he sucks too. I don't think I will ever see Kentucky win the SEC I doubt they ever even make the playoff in my life even though it's expanded to 12 teams and they are thinking about making it 16 teams. We just can't get it done in football and it all falls on the coach $toop$. Who made 800,000-850,000$ last night to lose and not care. Beamer was fired up. Stoops looked like he was looking for his dog that got out the house (lost). He's a alcoholic and it shows. He looks discombobulated during the game. The fans need to not go to the game. Thats the only way Barnfart will fire him
How can anyone say that about any team? Teams are what they do on the field in real games.
This UK team entered this game with the worst efficiency of all the SEC. That is what this team is. This team solidified that bottom-dwelling position last night. BTW, USC was the second-lowest efficient team in the SEC. Last night may bump them up a spot, but they won't get much of a bump by beating this UK team.
Sagarin has had UK in the 45-50 range. I have believed that sagarin has UK overrated, and that UK is really in the 50-60 range.
UK will now finish 3-9, with 4-8 a remote possibility. UK will finish dead last in the conference.
Either UK must commit to be competitive in the conference, or UK should admit that it does not want to compete on that size stage in athletics and join the OVC, or MAC.
Let's face it BBN. We have inferior players, coaches, and the downward spiral will not reverse until we have almost a complete coaching turnover. I used to be a big fan of Brad White, but he has produced too many inconsistent games the last couple of years. Hamdan continues to be a total disaster and he saves his best for national embarrassment. Stoops has morphed into less than average coach. The man always looks out of touch with players and coaches during the game and only shows real emotion when disagrees with a call. It is obvious Stoops does not have control of anyone inside or outside the locker room.
I personally like Boley. One of UK's offensive problems over the last many years has been failure to recruit, develop, and retain QB talent and to have a QB, Stoops has relied on a revolving door at the transfer portal.
Long term, UK needs to move away from the QB revolving door. Stick with Boley. Let him learn the old fashioned way, by doing.
The problems with this program are not, and cannot be defined by Boley.
The problem must be addressed at the top of the food chain, and that is Barnhart, then Stoops.
Yes, start with the AD, then the OC, then the OL coach & continue the sweep until all the dead weight is gone.
You nailed it with Boley. Let him get the experience instead of flipping to a new portal QB every year. He will excel if he gets new coaches.
The OC is clueless, but just what Stoops wants – a “yes” man
One thing about the fumble recovery for the USC TD that struck me is the defensive pressure that reached Boley was due to O Line failures, and when the ball came free, one of those linemen stood next to Boley, watching the ball roll in front of his eyes. Then when this lineman decided it might be a good idea to fall on the ball, he fell about 2 to 4 feet to the right of the ball. He missed the ball completely, allowing a USC player to step by the UK player, pick up the ball from the ground, and run to the endzone.
This turnover and USC TD was not on Boley. Who was that line man, and why couldn't he jump on the ball instead of flopping to the ground next to the ball?
He was probably in transition the trance induced into him in the locker room “pep” twlk before kickoff. The D was “consistent” in being complacent and out of focus allowing SC to go 75 yards for a Rad their first series.
We want Boley. Boley should start lol. Calzada is clearly better than Boley. I told everyone from day one Calzada is better he had us a touchdown away from beating a undefeated ole miss. Who seems to be the best team in the SEC this year. Kiffin has Ole Miss ready to compete for a national championship. We could have beaten ole miss with Calzada as the starter. Clearly now everyone can see Boley isn't ready. He looked scared to death. Never stayed in the pocket. Even when he had good protection in the pocket for some strange reason he runs to the strong side of the field every time. He's not ready to compete in the SEC. Every time there is a kid from Kentucky even in basketball. It's like the fans push for these players to play and 99% of the time there not ready. Just like the kid who transferred to ole miss in basketball. Everyone will see he sucks still even at ole miss. He will never be a good division 1 athlete. He doesnt have a athletic bone in his body and everyone expects them to come to 5* pedigree basketball team and get playing time even if he sucks. All he can do is hit open 3 pointers at practice. So could Jon Hood. And? People are ignorant and want instant results. BOLEY ISNT READY. IF Calzada would have played against eastern Michigan he would have thrown for over 350 yards. Boley has had the least amount of passing yards against eastern Michigan this year. They play dog shit teams and the QBs are launching for over 300 yards. Boley threw 10-19 with many opportunities to punch the ball down the field. My only question is to Bush Hamden. Why desert the run when it was working? We need to do more play action passing. Have 2 running backs in the backfield and run misdirection runs faking to one running back Dowdell and handing it off to McGowen( the only good player on the offense. This guy has huge balls.) you can fake the handoff and throw a pass down the field in the freaking pocket. He had 4 turnovers in 12 minutes. Boley sucks. Plain and simple. He had time. I don't want to hear he's to young. Sellers for South Carolina is 2 months older than Boley. Boley just sucks. I see alot of 20 year olds playing great at QB. It looks to me like Boley doesn't have it between the ears yet. It MIGHT come and he MIGHT get better. Let's strike the home games if nobody comes they will have no choice but to fire Stoops this is the only way. So pass it on to your rich ticket holders who help determine who the coach is because if nobody goes to the game the coach will he fired after the game. I'm talking about nobody going. Not even the media members or picture takers. Stoops is done. Stick a fork in him. He knew how important this game was and he didn't even looked like he cared. Did you see how Beamer embraces his players and celebrates with them during the game getting them fired up. This is the same team that got destroyed by Vanderbilt and people will say oh the QB was hurt Vanderbilt was destroying them yardage and if you watched the game in every asset of the game. Vanderbilt has passed Kentucky up. We are the worst team in the SEC and it's not even close. Everyone was saying Mississippi state is worse no way. They were 4-0 and should have beaten Tennessee was winnig the whole game. Lost in overtime. Tennessee QB is very good. He wasn't good to start the year but he's getting better every game just like everyone else in the SEC except Kentucky every year we get worse as the year goes on. Stoops acts like he don't care. I want Sumrall. We could probably get him for 4 million a year. A far superior coach who looks like a college football coach. Stoops is a idiot. Hamden is a idiot. White is a idiot the defense sucks. Every time we need a stop we never get it. We get stops when it doesn't matter. When the games on the line we can't stop eastern Michigan. I see us beating Tennessee tech and maybe Louisville. That's it. Louisville might beat us they have better every thing on offense. There defense is shaky but so is ours. I think Calzada should start the rest of the year but Boley should get a series if he isn't moving the ball. Why don't we switch QBs mid game if they aren't playing well. Every other team in college football does this. To see if a spark will be provided. We don't do this. We play someone who commits 4 turnovers in one quarter and he plays the whole game. Put Beau Allen in . Put in Stone Saunders. We are getting destroyed we can't move the ball. Why not try something else. What do you have to lose Stoops Hamden? White defense sucks it's a losing defense. It's like a play not to lose defense we will give you all the 5-10 yard passes you want just no deep balls. That sounds terrible wont the other team continue to get first downs playing like this??? Blitz 5-6 guys sometimes 7. Drop back 3-4 like a safety net. We only rush 3-4 guys against 5 offensive lineman and some times a tight end so 6 guys blocking 3-4 fat slow lineman. How does he think this will work? Teams like Georgia when they run a 3 man front they will blitz 2-3 out of the 4 linebackers. So you have 5-6 guys coming against 5-6 guys blocking. Why is this so hard to understand. Our defensive back get beat because the QB has all day to throw the football. It's a disgusting operation Stoops is running. And I don't care about this season no more. The games make me very angry to watch. Special teams is playing good lol. Did you see the fumble and Pete the Kentucky offensive lineman watched the ball roll past him then thought hmmm maybe I should dive on the ground for the football and by the time his brain realized to do it he missed the football diving on it and it popped right out to a south Carolina defensive player and he runs it in for a TD. Why didn't pete just fall on the ball he had time to pick it up and run with it but he just watched it roll right past him. Jager Burton sucks I'm sorry. He's started here now for like 4 years and he makes mistake after mistake. He either blocks left or right and he always goes to the wrong way that he blitz goes. I really watch and analyze the game. This team is a disappointment and nobody should go to any more games until they fire Stoops. If you go to the game you are saying Stoops is my coach.
Pitiful performance all around.
For a potential 3-9 season which will pay Stoops over $3 Million per win, many fans are still passionate about UK FB. I must admit, my interest is now about the same as 1966 Houston beat UK 56-0 (or somewhere near that) & it was the Homecoming game !!!
Everyone has their preferred choice for various positions & I am not interested in defending any players or exposing players that mail it in.
UK FB program is finished until there is a coaching sweep to get rid of most of them. The players are mostly portal players who are used to moving from one program to another so they won’t be bothered by another change.
Some Kentuckians interested in FB may decide to follow another team closer to where they live until the UK administration sends Barnie packing along with the FB coaches who quit coaching.
TN, Vandy (one of the rare SEC teams UK used to beat at times), Cincinnati, WVU may be some
choices.
4 HC vacancies showed up in September. If one of them hired Barney, UK could get rid of Stoops.
A worthwhile investment is to pay another program to hire Barney & cover his salary as well as a bonus to the administrator who hires him.
Stick a fork in this football team…they're done!
Worry you are right Barry