KSR Monday Huddle: Gutcheck Time

Kentucky’s latest home loss to Tennessee was suboptimal. The way things played out Saturday night at Kroger Field will make you sick to your stomach.

The Wildcats dictated the terms of the game on offense and put together one of the better performances of the Mark Stoops era but just made too many gaffes on defense. Kentucky gave up three 40-plus yard touchdowns and made scores much too easy for Tennessee.

Meanwhile, the offense wasn’t great at finishing drives on every possession, and a huge pick-six was a backbreaker. Kentucky has now dropped three consecutive games and is in danger of letting a good season completely unravel. Luckily, the schedule provides some breaks in November.

KSR’s Monday Huddle has returned to start another football week. It’s never as bad as it seems.

First down: Offensive launching point

Against a solid SEC defense, Kentucky rang up 42 points and collected 612 yards while averaging 6.18 yards per play. The Wildcats did not punt, threw for over 300 yards for the second time this season, were 12 of 17 on third down, and scored five touchdowns in five red zone possessions.

Yet, it was still not enough to collect a victory. The Wildcats had some key fourth downs that were not converted and those turned into Tennessee points thanks to some bad defense combined with good field position. However, the offense has a chance to use the game as a launching point.

Vanderbilt (No. 118), New Mexico State (No. 126), and Louisville (No. 88) are three teams who have all been below average to bad on defense this season. Kentucky could be set to go on a run.

For the second time this season, Will Levis turned around and delivered a strong performance following a rough outing. Now the redshirt junior quarterback needs to put a few together to end the season.

In the rushing attack, both Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Kavosiey Smoke had success against a good Tennessee run defense. That will need to continue as the Wildcats seek balance in Liam Coen’s scheme.

At this point, it is clear that the defense has a ton of issues. Closing out the year, the offense could be the thing that Kentucky leans on to win games and get to 9-3 heading into the postseason.

Second down: Find answers on defense

The last eight quarters against both Mississippi State and Tennessee had to be humbling for defensive coordinator Brad White and his defense. After getting hammered by a dink-and-dunk in Starkville, the Wildcats were bludgeoned by a big-play passing attack.

Since White has taken over, Kentucky has hung its hat on big-play prevention as a defense. That all but disappeared on Saturday night against Tennessee, and it prevented the Wildcats from picking up a huge home win.

The secondary is going to get much of the blame and scrutiny this week. Outside of super senior Quandre Mosely, no other outside cornerback on Kentucky’s roster is making and winning some competitive plays on the ball. At safety, redshirt senior Tyrell Ajian missed two huge tackles and got burned in red zone coverage leading to 21 points. The veteran ended up being replaced by redshirt sophomore Jalen Geiger for most of the game.

Some personnel changes could be needed. Kentucky may have to tweak some schemes, but it is important to note that the Wildcats played a good chunk of man coverage against both Georgia and Tennessee. Multiple things are not working for the secondary.

Luckily, New Mexico State and Vanderbilt have been two of the worst passing offenses in the FBS. However, Louisville has the quarterback that could give Kentucky problems.

The Wildcats must find answers to their problems over the next two weeks.

Third down: Get healthy

Injuries are never an excuse, but you cannot tell the story of the 2021 Kentucky football team without recognizing there has been a lot of great injury luck in Lexington.

On offense, both tackles Darian Kinnard and Dare Rosenthal have left multiple games with injuries and appear to be playing banged up. Starting tight end Keaton Upshaw was lost for the season before fall camp. Reserves JuTahn McClain and Izayah Cummings were hurt against Georgia. Starting receiver Josh Ali missed two games with a knee injury. Chris Rodriguez Jr. has had an ongoing issue.

That’s a lot, but it has been much worse on defense.

Starting nose tackle Marquan McCall has been out since the first quarter of Week 5. Starting defensive tackle Octavious Oxendine was lost for the season in Week 6. McCall’s backup, Justin Rogers, was only available for two series against Tennessee. Starting EDGE Jordan Wright has missed two games as he’s dealt with an ongoing ankle injury. His reserve, J.J. Weaver, had to slowly be integrated into the lineup after recovering from an ACL tear. Expected starter D’Eryk Jackson has yet to play at inside linebacker.

All of a sudden, the strength of the defense has been hit with injuries and that is causing the coaching staff to use players who weren’t expected to have major roles this season. Therefore, the Wildcats aren’t getting as good of play as expected in the front seven and it’s having a significant effect on a secondary that is an obvious weak spot on the team. There might be a reason we’ve seen more man coverage in recent weeks.

However, it appears that Kentucky should start getting some guys back. Both Jackson and McCall were dressed out against Tennessee. Each should be returning soon. Wright’s status is still to be determined. Offensively, Kentucky appears to be returning to full strength, but Kinnard did not re-enter the Tennessee game after leaving in the fourth quarter.

Depth is getting tested. Kentucky has two consecutive games where the Wildcats will be a heavy favorite against an inferior opponent. The team needs to get healthy.

The week ahead at KSR

Basketball takes center stage on Tuesday night, but another jam-packed football week full of content at KSR is coming your way. Kentucky has opened up as a huge road favorite against Vanderbilt.

On Monday afternoon, we’ll have coverage of Mark Stoops’ weekly press conference to go along with his radio show in the evening. Practice reports will come throughout the week. Podcasts galore will be available for your consumption.

Kentucky still has a 9-3 finish on the table with a chance to go to the Outback Bowl or Citrus Bowl as long as things don’t go terribly. The schedule gives the team a much-needed break, and the Wildcats must get back to playing winning football this weekend in Nashville.