Mark Stoops talks about the 13-12 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs
Kentucky had an offensive coordinator Michael BoboStar quarterback Carson Beckand the rest of Georgia’s offense was completely out of shape in the first half. On its first three possessions, Georgia gained just 27 yards and was forced to punt three times. The Wildcats had a chance to take control of the game and build a double-digit lead that might have been insurmountable given the way the home team played and defended the football.
Unfortunately, Kentucky missed the chance to land a decisive blow in the second quarter.
KSR recaps UGA’s 13-12 road win and takes a closer look at the three most important plays of the evening. Two turnovers in the second quarter went in favor of the visiting team before a second-and-long pass call led to a controversial punt decision by the Kentucky head coach. Mark Stoops.
The missed interception that nobody talks about
I feel like I could write a 2,000-word column about the referee’s decision to change what seemed like a clear catch and bobble by Dominic Lovett that resulted in an interception to an incomplete pass. How they came to that conclusion still baffles me. Zion Childress That would have given Kentucky a two-possession lead midway through the second quarter.
But it shouldn’t have come to that. On a third and two attempt at their own 30-yard line, Georgia went for a dropback pass and Carson Beck made a mistake. Kentucky couldn’t capitalize on that.
Kentucky’s three-man rush is enough to push Beck off the platform, and that distracts his gaze from the secondary for a moment. The experienced quarterback looks for Dominic Lovett over the middle, but simply sees no security Jordan Lovett lurks over the route. The redshirt junior jumps the route but misses an interception.
Instead of getting another scoring opportunity that could have resulted in a touchdown – or at least a field goal – Georgia moved the ball closer to the midfield and was able to change field position. The Bulldogs capitalized on the controversial pick-six overturn, but the game won’t get that far until Lovett finishes this play.
Lost fumble gives Georgia points
Finally, on Georgia’s fourth possession, Kentucky left the field and forced a punt. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were able to pin the Wildcats in their own 10-yard zone due to missed interceptions. But a questionable penalty for “roughing the passer” on third down got the home team’s drive going.
Three games later, a Brock Vandagriff A scramble led to a first-and-10 at Kentucky’s own 44. Then disaster struck. A sack on first down allowed an obvious pass attempt. Georgia’s pass rush was on target on the second attempt and Vandagriff made his biggest mistake of the game.
The Wildcats use a play-action fake, but boundary linebacker Raylen Wilson comes with a delayed blitz once Vandagriff reaches the top of his drop. This gives UGA a free runner at the Kentucky quarterback, and the redshirt junior doesn’t protect the ball.
When Vandagriff takes the sack, it leads to a third-and-long, but allows Kentucky to play the field position game with less than four minutes left in the second quarter. Instead, the first turnover of the game gives the faltering UGA offense the ball at the Kentucky 23.
The Wildcats held the Bulldogs to three points, but the Big Blue lost some key situations in the second quarter and those fluctuations ultimately allowed Georgia to weather the early storm rather than fall into a two-possession hole that might have been insurmountable Saturday night with two struggling defenses.
The missed second down call
Mark Stoops’ decision to punt the ball on a fourth-and-8 attempt at the Georgia 47-yard line with less than three minutes left in the game will be questioned all week. However, the Wildcats were truly in no man’s land against Georgia’s pass rush. The second down call is what everyone should be focusing on.
Instead of attempting a second down to potentially create a third-and-medium situation where Bush Hamdan’s offense would have automatically had two attempts to move the chains, Kentucky decided to aggressively go for one early.
The Wildcats returned to their Jet Sweep series with a play-action concept, looking for tight end Khamari Anderson up the seam. Unfortunately, Georgia had that covered and forced Brock Vandagriff to do his checkdown. Anthony Brown Stephens was completely open as a release option and could probably at least allow for a third-and-short, but Kentucky’s offensive line could not handle the pass rush.
Georgia brings seven rushers, Kentucky only has six men. The ball has to get out quickly. Linebacker Smael Mondon beats center Eli Coxand Defensive Tackle Nazir Stackhouse beats left guard tackle Marques Cox in a slide protection very quickly. This leads to a batted ball and a third-and-eight.
Kentucky got aggressive, but Georgia’s aggressive decision prevailed in a monumental situation and ultimately forced a punt. The Wildcats just couldn’t hold their ground in key moments, and that likely led to Stoops’ decision to punt with three timeouts and the two-minute warning on the clock.
The Wildcats did some good things in Week 3, but pass defense remains a major problem.
