Kentucky has complete meltdown in critical swing game loss to Missouri

There was no hiding from the significance of Saturday night’s game between Kentucky and Missouri. After each SEC East team suffered a brutal loss in Week 6, both were looking to bounce back in a huge swing game at Kroger Field. In a matchup with two even teams, it felt like the team that was mentally able to respond the best from last week’s brutal loss would have the advantage.

I’m not sure anyone could have predicted that Eliah Drinkwitz‘s team would have a toughness advantage by a gap as big as the Grand Canyon.

Kentucky was embarrassed in Saturday night’s 38-21 loss in front of a full house at Kroger Field. The Wildcats took a massive step backward in Missouri’s first win in Lexington in a decade. There is a ton to unpack from this unbelievably awful performance. All three phases failed the team in the loss.

Offense crumbles after the opening script

Throughout his career as an offensive coordinator at Kentucky, Liam Coen has constantly put together good plans to open games. Saturday night was no different. The Wildcats came out on fire in the first two possessions.

.@DevinLeary1 rush TD pic.twitter.com/8fnUEpMTfi

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) October 15, 2023

Kentucky put together consecutive touchdown drives to start the game averaging 7.1 yards per play, and logged a super efficient 72.2 percent success rate. Then everything fell to pieces.

Over the next five non-end-of-half possessions, Kentucky went three-and-out, three-and-out, five-and-out, fumble, and three-and-out. With the defense reeling after Missouri scored a touchdown on a fake punt, Coen’s offense could not stop the bleeding. Kentucky did not play complementary football and that did not change in the second half.

After marching 71 yards in seven plays to take a 21-20 lead with 3:39 remaining in the third quarter, Kentucky’s offense then had another meltdown. The Wildcats ended the game going three-and-out, interception, three-and-out, and turnover on downs.

Kentucky ruined a great offensive start and crumbled when in-game adversity hit in both halves.

Defensive penalties extend drives

For the fourth SEC game in a row, Kentucky’s defense lost the Middle Eight. Most notably, the two-minute defense has been atrocious all season. Vanderbilt, Florida, Georgia, and Missouri all easily marched down the field to score late points. But that is not the biggest takeaway from Saturday’s offense.

Unlike the offense, Kentucky’s defense responded and made some big plays when adversity hit. The Wildcats turned a goal-to-go possession into a field goal attempt in the second quarter after a three-and-out put the defense directly back on the field. On the next possession, the defense got another scoring opportunity stop and blocked a field goal. That allowed Kentucky to re-take the lead.

However, penalties killed the Kentucky defense on Saturday night.

An unsportsmanlike penalty on Zion Childress created Missouri’s first red zone possession of the game in the second quarter. A questionable pass interference call on Andru Phillips on third down extended a Missouri drive when Kentucky was set to get off the field up 21-20 in the third quarter. After a two-point conversion stop with Missouri leading 26-21 in the fourth quarter, two penalties on Khalil Saunders on the same play gave Missouri a re-try at the 1. The Tigers cashed in to extend the lead to 28-21. Another pass interference call on Phillips when Mizzou ran a flea flicker created a red zone possession. The Tigers would score a touchdown two plays later.

Kentucky’s defense played undisciplined football, and some bad penalties led directly to 14 points. That is losing football.

Kentucky is dominated in hidden yardage

Kentucky held Missouri quarterback Brady Cook to a season-low 167 passing yards on 5.8 yards per attempt. Star wideout Luther Burden III ended the game with a season-low two receptions on five targets. Cody Schrader was held 71 yards on 20 rushes. Missouri’s offensive stars were not offensive stars and still the Tigers scored 38 points.

How does that happen? The road team dominated Kentucky in hidden yardage.

Missouri’s average starting field position was their own 40. Kentucky’s average starting field position was their own 30. The Tigers only needed one drive over 65 yards to score a touchdown in Saturday night’s win. In the second half, Mizzou had three drives start on Kentucky’s side of the field.

There were offensive turnovers, but the biggest failure on Saturday when it came to field position was with the punting department. Wilson Berry averaged only 36.3 yards per punt with a long of 40 yards. That cannot happen. Kentucky was No. 100 in net punting average entering Week 7 and that is only going to get worse after this performance.

Kentucky failed in all three phases on Saturday night.