Oops, we did it again. It’s like we’re stuck in a nightmare we can’t wake up from. Kentucky played another close game, couldn’t score in the red zone, shot itself in the foot, and got zero help from what has been a terrible SEC officiating crew in top 10 matchups involving the Cats all season. All of it contributed to the Wildcats sinking to 4-7 on the season after a 31-14 loss in Austin.
Some of you might think I’m crazy, but this was a winnable game for Kentucky—just like Tennessee, Georgia, Vanderbilt… you know the drill. The time for a full postmortem is coming, but that’s a conversation for another day.
Kentucky limped into halftime down 24-7. The offense however wasn’t just limping—it was crawling at best. The Cat’s turned to Freshman QB Cutter Boley to start the second half and the momentum quickly shifted to Kentucky’s side. The offense moved the ball well, and the true freshman picked apart the #3 ranked Longhorns at times. Pop got a pick six and the game all of a sudden came back in doubt but in the end it wasn’t enough.
There will be a lot of people asking, “What if Cutter had started the game?” It’s a fair question. But let’s be clear—Brock Vandagriff has been playing hurt for a while now, and the kid deserves nothing but respect for giving it his all. He’s a great kid, and I hope he bounces back strong next season. But it was clear that Cutter had more juice against Murray State. I applaud Stoops for finally making the change, but honestly, it probably should a chance he should have made a few games ago.
On the other side of the ball, Quinn Ewers didn’t look comfortable against the UK defense and clearly wasn’t 100% for most of the game. He finished 20-of-31 for 191 yards. Where Texas did most of their damage was on the ground. While Kentucky made a valiant effort, the defense wore down after spending so much time on the field in the first half. Texas iced the game with a 15-play, 86-yard, 8:22 drive—entirely made up of running plays. By the end of the night, Texas had 250 yards rushing, with 34% of those coming on that final touchdown drive.
Sigh. Now, here comes the fan in me.
This is the most disappointing season for Kentucky football in the last eight years. The Wildcats have officially been eliminated from postseason contention. There’s a lot to unpack at the end of this season, but one thing is for sure: If Kentucky wants to salvage any positive feeling with the fans, it MUST overcome some of the issues that have plagued them all year next week against UofL. And it has to do so in time to keep the winning streak against Louisville alive. Yes, Louisville is built differently than most of the teams Kentucky has played this season, the Cats still have a very good chance to win on Thanksgiving weekend and extend the streak Cutter Boley’s second-half performance completely changed the energy of the game. The offense looked sharper. The defense played harder. Boley got rid of the ball quicker and created some explosive plays. He finished 10-of-18 for 160 yards. If you average that over two halves, it’s more than 250 yards passing. Kentucky hasn’t had a single 250-yard passing game all season—a stat that’s frankly inexcusable for an SEC program. But maybe, its enough excitement to give Kentucky enough juice to keep the streak alive
Now, Kentucky gets one last shot. At home, in front of a sold-out Kroger Field, against their bitter rival, who’s riding a five-game winning streak. This is the last hope to feel good about a season full of disappointments. Let’s hope they can pull it off.
L’s down always.
