Lack of Discipline Kills Kentucky, Again

Another Saturday, another week of the Big Blue Nation wondering why this Kentucky football team loves to make self-inflicted mistakes. They vary in form, ranging from dropped passes to missed throws, but tonight it was all about penalties. It was so impossible to ignore, it was the first thing Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops addressed in his postgame press conference.

“We need to get to this off week and take a good look at ourself and improve in a lot of areas, starting with the discipline of this team… The lack of discipline is really something that’s standing out and bothering me,” said Stoops.

“We have not been perfect over the years by any stretch, but we’ve had more discipline than we had right now and that is something that is inexcusable. We have to take care of the football and we have to eliminate penalties.”

How bad is the penalty problem? Kentucky had more penalty yards (122) than passing yards (120).

“You can’t stop beating anybody until you stop beating yourself,” said offensive lineman Eli Cox. “Those penalties, it just comes down to being a disciplined football team and we weren’t that tonight.”

It’s Okay to Turn the Other Cheek

Kentucky is not responding to adversity, but the Wildcats are responding to opposing antagonists. Whether it’s on offense, defense or special teams, emotional play is costing the Cats’ valuable yards.

“We gotta learn how to play with passion, but not emotion,” said Deone Walker. “When you play with emotion, you got ups, downs, all that. But when you play with just the joy and love for football, nothing can waver.”

One play in particular stands out above the rest. On a two-point conversion try Kahlil Saunders hit the quarterback late, then received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for a second hit to Brady Cook. It was not the only dead ball foul on the Kentucky defense Saturday night, either. Brad White did not excuse the play, but does know the source of the problem. The Cats weren’t getting the calls they thought they deserved (holding at the line of scrimmage, or a few questionable pass interferences), so they lashed out.

“We can’t let emotions get the best of us,” said the Kentucky defensive coordinator. “We stopped a two-point play. We kept points off the board and that’s a silly penalty. It stemmed from the previous play. Guys get their emotions hot. They’ve got to understand that sometimes turning the other cheek isn’t a sign of weakness. You’re not getting punked.“

Kentucky Needs Leadership

A wise man once said that attitude reflects leadership. Right now the Wildcats have the wrong attitude. Kentucky needs leaders to emerge to hold everyone accountable.

“It’s going to take the leaders on our team to step up,” said Cox, who was the culprit of a few penalties. “Our coaches can say whatever they want and have the perfect gameplan and things can not go your way all the time. At the end of the day the guys are the ones that’s out there on the field. You have to be the guys to step up. Our leaders have to take accountability for this team and we need to play a more disciplined brand of football, grow up and respond.”

This football team has dug itself into a hole. They can use that same shovel to dig themselves out if they work together as a team.

“Through the years we have been far from perfect, but we have been unselfish and played for each other. And that’s the message and we will get that across. I think frustration is a big piece of some of this tonight. Guys are frustrated and, you know, I think we all are frustrated but we have to handle the situation better than that,” said Kentucky’s head coach.

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