Stoops, Scangarello explain opening with the trick play that backfired

Kentucky fell behind quickly to South Carolina by trying to get cute on the game’s opening snap. With a first-time starter at quarterback, the Wildcats began the first drive of the game with a poor attempt at some trickery in the form of a reverse to Barion Brown, which was blown up in the backfield by Carolina defensive back Darius Rush before Chris Rodriguez could successfully pitch the ball to Brown cutting back across the backfield. The sloppy toss hit the dirt and the Gamecocks were quick to recover and return the fumble down to Kentucky’s own two-yard line. One snap later, MarShawn Lloyd carried the ball into the end zone for the early go-ahead touchdown.

After the game, both Mark Stoops and his offensive coordinator, Rich Scangarello, were asked to explain the costly playcall that put Kentucky behind early.

Stoops replied, “Not very good thinking, probably on me. We were running it late in the week–it wasn’t the opener–and I said that looks good, that we might be able to get them in a predictable defense, and they didn’t. They changed it up and pressured, so I probably put that thought in Rich’s head. So, not good at all. I know better. It wasn’t a good opening play.”

Not only was it not a good opening play, Scangarello called it the worst of his career as a playcaller when he was asked to explain the decision in his postgame interview.

“The odds were they were going to pressure a young quarterback; it’s what I would do and that was their MO,” said Scangarello. “They brought a pressure and I gotta see the tape but they brought a perfect pressure into a trick play that was hit or miss and shouldn’t have been a disaster. There was three different people that probably could’ve solved the problem and make it not be that, but it’s the worst way I’ve ever started a game and could ever start a game and it set us behind and really put us on the path to play catchup and that’s not where we want to be with a young quarterback.”

To Scangarello’s point about three people who could’ve “made it not be that,” Rodriguez could’ve surrendered and taken the tackle for loss and lived to fight another down. Another person who could’ve “made it not be that” is the offensive coordinator who called a reverse on the first snap.