Kentucky football: 5 things Wildcats need to do to prevent BBN from flipping to hoops
It’s that time of the year. UK basketball is within 2 weeks of its opening game. But while UK football is out of the SEC race, there’s plenty of football still go to. Will BBN stay tuned in?
The difference could be a 5-6 season with a bowl win as opposed to a 3-7 season if the fans just tune it out. What do the Wildcats need to do to keep the fan base dialed in? Here’s 5 things they should shoot for.
1. Take care of business
Yes, South Carolina beat Kentucky last year. But Vandy and the Gamecocks are 2 of the weakest teams in the SEC, and Kentucky needs to take care of business against both of them. Again, a 4-6 season in the SEC-only world would likely still earn UK a bowl bid in a decent postseason game. But lose to Vandy on Saturday … or to Carolina in a few weeks and that probably all fades away.
2. Throw the ball
No, nobody here is calling for Air Raid, Mark Stoops edition. But Kentucky isn’t just last in the SEC in passing (118 yards per game), they’re way behind 13th-ranked Tennessee (by 56 yards per game).
It was one thing to not throw the ball last season with Lynn Bowden. But finishing the season like Kentucky has played it so far is going to mean another recruiting class where all Kentucky’s offensive coaches can do is solemnly declare that they’ll throw the ball next year.
It becomes a self-defeating situation. Kentucky won’t throw because it doesn’t have the playmakers outside. But if they don’t throw more, they won’t be able to recruit the playmakers outside.
Whoever plays QB, whoever the ‘Cats can use to get open in space, they really need to discover a 200 yards per game level of passing.
3. Don’t play to not lose
Florida and Alabama are fast approaching. Only the most severe optimist would give UK more than a very, very long shot of a chance in either game. But here’s the thing: How Kentucky plays those games might matter as much as the expected end result.
Georgia had an ugly offensive day in Lexington, but Kentucky’s clock-eating game-plan left UK watching the clock run out in a 14-3 deficit.
So those games against UF and Bama represent an opportunity. If Kentucky loses by 40, few in college football will blink. But if Kentucky could pull off the upset, it would be a season-defining victory. It’s unlikely to come via 2 yards and a cloud of dust.
4. Play the young guys
Kentucky has a bright future. It’s not the time to get behind running a bunch of seniors out there without a good reason. More Chris Rodriguez, less A.J. Rose. More Mike Drennen, less Josh Ali. Maybe even more Joey Gatewood and/or Beau Allen, less Terry Wilson. Nobody is blaming the veterans or saying to sacrifice playing your best players. But where there’s no discernable difference (or in some cases, it’s actually tilting against the veteran), play the young guys. Let’s see the future in store for Big Blue Nation.
5. Keep picking off passes
It’s been pretty simple for UK this season: Force turnovers, look pretty good. Don’t force turnovers, look pretty sloppy.
The good news is that the UK secondary has been an excellent group since a Week 2 toasting from Matt Corral and Ole Miss. After that game, Kentucky had no interceptions in the first 2 games.
They’ve had 11 picks in the 4 games since, which places UK 2nd in the SEC in that category (behind Arkansas).
Kelvin Joseph in particular has been a standout, and if he can keep showing improvement, maybe UK can finish the season near the top of the SEC in scoring defense — which is actually where the Wildcats are right now. Snagging some picks could keep the Florida game close, for instance.
Kentucky will be playing this game with heavy hearts as their OL coach passed away after a long bout with cancer.
This game should be quite easy to forecast. Kentucky’s multiple defensive looks will cause Ken Seals a lot of trouble, and he will fail to properly read coverages a half-dozen or more times. With pressure coming at him due to poor pass protection, he will throw a couple picks if not more, and the Blue and White will have a couple of short field possessions.
Kentucky probably doesn’t need to open up the offense this week. Just play a conservative game with power running in the B and C gaps and relying more on play-action and sprintout passing, and UK should top 20 points without risking equalizing turnovers. Vanderbilt should score in single digits or even get shut out if Kentucky doesn’t gift them some great field position.
I wish John Schlarman and his family the best. There are a number of great articles that various sites published where Kentucky players talk about what he means to the team, and many said he was always the funniest in the room. We lost a great person today.
That being said, I’ve watched what stoops has built at Kentucky, and honestly their biggest asset is the heart of the team. They’re a true family. Every year, we might play against more talented teams, but it’s tough for me to say that we’ve gone up against teams that had more heart on a year by year basis. Teams, and players, have a history of stepping up their level of play after a close family member/friend passes away. I wouldn’t be shocked if the same thing happens with this Kentucky team. The key is our wide receivers getting open – you can’t throw a ball to a guy who’s covered. All the other pieces are there, so we’ll see if there’s change in our wide outs this week and going forward.
It’s a very sad day in Kentucky football
Why bring up basketball? We’re here because we’re Kentucky football fans. Sure, it’s nice that Kentucky has a good basketball team, but what does that have to do with football? Kentucky football fans want a good football tradition built. Kentucky football fans look forward to things like the next signing day, new football commits over the next recruiting cycle, spring football, and fan day.
I totally agree. Most people, including the media, underestimate the number of UK football fans.
Click bait
I would trade a Final Four for an SEC East Championship any day… They have a long way to go for that to happen, but Stoops has put the program on the right path. They have plenty to fix at skill positions, but with Gatewood and Allen ready to take over, they have the tools if our coaches can develop them into SEC quarterbacks. If you look back to the Joker Phillips days, or even Stoops’ first couple seasons as he transitioned to a head coach, it was tough to watch… At least with the current roster, they could knock off a top tier team on any given Saturday if the ball bounces the right way. Remember when there was talk about joining the ACC? Hogwash. I’d rather compete in the best football conference in America than muddle through All Cupcake Conference any day. Go Cats!
Condolences to Wildcat Nation on the passing of John Schlarman. His lines were solidly coached.
No one has an easy schedule this year and the fans are having a hard time accepting that at most schools. Kentucky is no different. Mark Stoops is a good man and a good coach. When we entered the SEC, I remember talking to some KY fans and they had no expectations. You’re now a program with expectations.
This is the season to try some things, and continue to make the program exciting. Suggestions above are well within reason.
We’ll see you next year.