Kentucky vs. Tennessee: After Action Review 

An After Action Review, or AAR for short, is a militaristic manner to evaluate a mission or action. KSR utilizes a similar method to break down Kentucky’s 33-27 loss to No. 21 Tennessee.

SITUATION 

Kentucky and Tennessee both entered the game with a 5-2 record. Both had been defeated by a superior opponent and lost to an equal or inferior foe.  

B.L.U.F. (Bottom Line Up Front)  

Tennessee beat Kentucky 33-27. The Volunteers’ win marked the third consecutive, one-possession victory against the Cats at Kroger Field.  

OFFENSE 

The Kentucky offense has not been situationally resolute in terms of executing winning plays in crucial moments. This deficiency resurfaced against Tennessee. Quarterback Devin Leary played like the signal caller that many thought he’d be in Lexington on Saturday night by completing 28 passes for 372 yards. His 72% completion percentage and two touchdowns compared to zero interception performance highlighted my reasoning for holding him in such high regard.  

Yet, when faced with a crucial drive or play that could have guided a lead, the ‘Cats took the football out of his hands on first down and went Wildcat. A punt soon followed. The SEC is a league in which every single possession and play counts. And in the nation’s premier conference, every possession and play is highly scrutinized. This is the big leagues. Comes with the territory. Some may not like it, but it is what it is.  

While highlighting just one drive above may seem petty it also shows the razor-thin margin of error between wins and losses. One play can swing an outcome. There are other examples, but let’s get to the positives because there were many. UK passed the football better against the Vols than at any point in the season. Let’s look at why.  

Leary’s supporting cast supported. Quite well actually. Dane Key’s progression since overcoming a challenging stretch has been notable. Even though rarely targeted against Georgia and Missouri, the sophomore simply put his head down and went to work. He finished the night with seven catches for 113 yards and a score. Barion Brown played up to the hype as well by grabbing five passes for 58 yards and a touchdown.  

Offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s intent to increase target dispersal resulted in receivers catching 16 passes while running backs and tight ends each recorded six. Leary is at his best when routes are pre-designated. He was at his best on Saturday night. I’ve been critical of the passing game and all those within its operation. I commend that side of the football for figuring it out against a quality opponent.  

The Big Blue Wall walled. The Volunteers had recorded 28 quarterback sacks prior to traveling to Lexington. The ‘Cats limited the visitors to one. Additionally, UT only registered three official quarterback hurries. This result must be viewed as a positive. Tennessee had two players with 5+ sacks: James Pearce (seven) and Tyler Baron (5.5). Neither laid a hand on Leary.  

The run game never got rolling. UT was determined to not let Ray Davis beat them which initiated a pass-first direction. Smart move on their part. Davis finished the contest with 42 yards and a 2.6 YPC. This part of the offense was not ideal, but Leary and his collection of pass catchers made up for the difference. Let’s get into goals vs. results.  

Get and Stay Ahead of the Chains
RESULT: GO  

Full disclosure, not sure the numbers back up the grade here, but oh well. The ‘Cats converted 45.5% on third down.  

No Bad Stretches
RESULT: GO  

I do have numbers to support this assessment. The ‘Cats punted just once and had zero turnovers. Thus, there wasn’t a string of three-and-outs that which were prominent against the Dawgs and Tigers. The dreaded lull never happened, but bizarre situational calls did influence the outcome.  

Don’t Get Edged
RESULT: GO  

This objective focused on Kentucky’s ability, or potential inability, to pass block Tennessee’s potent edge rushers. James Pearce’s stat line for Saturday night resulted in one tackle. Tyler Baron had three stops and .5 tackle for loss. Omar Norman-Lott was the most productive of the group with two tackles, 1.5 TFL, and .5 QBS. That’s getting it done by the Big Blue Wall.  

DEFENSE 

Other than a couple of odd calls, the offense did their part by putting 27 points on the board. Now for the Wildcat defense. Not good. UK surrendered 30+ points for the third consecutive game in the 2023 season. Tennessee rolled up 481 total yards, converted 46% on third down, rushed for 253 yards, and averaged 5.4 YPC. Quarterback Joe Milton III completed 86% of his passes. Not ideal.  

The Kentucky secondary provided a multitude of explosives and turnovers in the early portion of the season. That above-standard havoc rate may have masked depth and other secondary issues. The ‘Cats missed far too many second- and third-level tackles. The lack of depth at the cornerback position has been exposed. At times, safeties weren’t accurate with run fits and failed to bring UT ball carriers to the ground in crucial situations. True freshman Ty Bryant played his guts out. The rookie led the team with 12 stops and played the vast majority of the game due to Jordan Lovett being sidelined.  

Back to Joe Milton III. Accuracy problems and a lesser-than-program-standard completion percentage had plagued the Volunteers. Par for the course in this rivalry, the odd outweighed the expected after the signal caller completed 86% of his passes by going 18/21 for 228 yards and one score.  

See above, Kentucky has grim concerns in the secondary that may not get better until the offseason. This insufficiency is particularly alarming with upcoming opponents possessing quarterbacks that can torch a defense on any given Saturday. Let’s get into goals vs. results.  

Slow the Vols, Slow the Run
RESULT: NO-GO  

Tennessee ran at will against Kentucky. The Vols rushed 47 times for 253 yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry. Jaylen Wright had 11 carries for 120 and a score. That’s just under 11 yards per carry if you’re keeping score at home. The ‘Cats had no answers for the visitor’s ground attack.  

Plaster
RESULT: NO-GO  

See above. Not much plastering went on when the opposing QB completes nearly 90% of his passes and the primary ball carrier averages double-digit yards per carry. No plaster was delivered to Kroger Field.  

Stand Up in the Middle 8
RESULT: GO  

This could have easily been a No-Go. But, the specific objective was to not get embarrassed in the Middle 8, not to win the Middle 8. Georgia and Missouri combined to score 40 points in this portion of the previous two outings.  

SPECIAL TEAMS 

Not a bad outing. A missed field goal hurt, but UK only punted once. No other blaring errors occurred nor did an explosive.  

Punt the Football
RESULT: NO-GO  

The one punt that UK had went for 36 yards.  

OUTCOME 

My analysis and writing have taken a turn. While once obsessed with numbers and analytics, I now seem to lean more on emotion than statistical trends. There are reasons, but that’s for me, family, a few friends, and God to know right now. This new path has led to differing reactions to UK’s recent three losses.  

Disappointment was my theme after the Cats were annihilated 51-13 at Georgia. A week later I was disturbed after Missouri allowed UK to beat UK at home at night a few weeks ago. My one-word reactionary description for Saturday night can be best described as uncomfortable.  

While I’m encouraged by Devin Leary and the offense in general, Brad White’s defense has played at an astonishing level of bad in three consecutive outings. Each of the trio of opponents has exceeded 30 points. UK had a long streak of games in which zero teams hit that number. Additionally, this group struggles to tackle. What does that mean? Why? Is it scheme or personnel? Is the coaching different than the four previous years? I’m going to try to study those matters this week and get back to you on that one  

I apologize for not seeing this coming with the defense. I said on multiple occasions, “The names and jersey numbers change, but all Brad White does is produce Top-5 defenses in the SEC.” That was true. That’s not true in 2023. This has me incredibly uneasy with Mississippi State, Alabama, South Carolina, and Louisville still left on the schedule.   

Let’s break those down one at a time and assume that Coen has fixed the passing attack and Ray Davis will get back on track. UK hasn’t won in Starkville since when? 2008 or ’09? Not an easy place to play and the struggling Dogs have a new head coach that will view UK as a potential victory. So, that’s going to be the first of three Super Bowl environments to await Stoops’ squad.  

Alabama is next. Kentucky in 2023 has been a contrarian evaluation. What I expected to be strengths have been weaknesses and vice versa. My pre- and early-season hopes for a potential upset against the Tide have turned. Next is a trip to Columbia where Gatorade coolers are frequently booted in the locker room.  

Carolina has not been good. The Gamecocks are 2-6 but have Jacksonville State and Vanderbilt prior to the November 18 matchup with the Wildcats. Trust me on this, that will be a loud Super Bowl-type environment in Columbia. A winnable game in their minds, USC also has Spencer Rattler who is one of the few Gamecocks to be playing decently well this season. Not ideal.  

The Governor’s Cup has been a cakewalk in recent years. Not anymore. Not now. Jeff Brohm has the Cards rolling. UofL may be 10-1 going into Thanksgiving weekend. The Pizza Place will be out of control when the blue and white roll into town. The rivalry has drastically changed in the past 11 months. Regardless of your opinion on the Cardinals, they’ve vastly improved and will have a colossal chip on their collective shoulder. Payback will be the agenda in the Derby City.   

Uneasy. Yep, that’s me. A win in Starkville could stop the bleeding. A loss in the Magnolia State would bring bowl eligibility discussions into play. 2023 has gotten wobbly in a hurry. Or has it? If we’re being honest, the ‘Cats have played one close-to-complete game this year when it defeated Florida 33-14 back on September 30. That’s a whole month from Monday. Not ideal.  

I will give credit where credit is due. Mark Stoops fixed issues that hurt his team against Georgia and Missouri during the bye week. Kentucky was only flagged four times for 21 yards on Saturday. The offense, or passing game, came alive and confidence on that portion of that side of the football resonated throughout Kroger Field. This team does not have an effort or want-to problem. Those things are there. However, there are deep defensive troubles that may be a bit too complicated to fix with just four games left. Thus, uneasy.  

Kentucky and Tennessee were evenly matched. The Vols situationally capitalized and UK did not. When the visitors needed a play or a score, they got it. When UK was faced with a mandatory outcome, well, it didn’t when it mattered the most. Nothing blatant or overbearing, but little execution miscues or calls add up in a matchup of equals. Like the Mizzou game, this one was there for the taking. The ‘Cats didn’t grab when they had a chance and that’s unfortunate. 

I hate to lose to Tennessee as badly as you do. I’m going to have to hear from the Orange folks for the next year. I don’t care anymore, but still, it’s annoying. The ‘Cats are yet again driving full speed ahead to the crossroads of the 2023 season. A loss in Starkville could — no would — be derailing. Uneasy.