Summing up

[Joneslab]

The margin for error is to tight you can't just be throwing guys in there to see what happens. With the way we play one series may mean the difference in the game.

Johnson has been fine this year with some exceptions. He's still a gamer. We've seen what happens when you take him out and it isn't pretty.

If you can't run the ball you're a fraud. No quarterback is going to be able to stand back there and throw darts when the running game is getting stuffed over and over.

[KCKUKFan]

I'm still not convinced that this team is very good.

Sort've pedestrian across the board, with some talented skill players. But considering how bad we've been in the recent past, anything is an improvement.

We've come a long way, but we also shouldn't be getting blown out to merely decent teams at this point in Stoops' tenure.

[40bill]

Will said something J Rowland stated. This team isn't as good as we had hoped and from some things I read not good as the players thought.
not good on the line
No strong speed back to get attention off Bennie
No burner at wide receiver
The tight ends are not in the offensive equation.
This is better talent than we've had, but it's a team with a razors edge between success and failure.

[catfaninin]

The margin for error is to tight you can't just be throwing guys in there to see what happens. With the way we play one series may mean the difference in the game.

Johnson has been fine this year with some exceptions. He's still a gamer. We've seen what happens when you take him out and it isn't pretty.

If you can't run the ball you're a fraud. No quarterback is going to be able to stand back there and throw darts when the running game is getting stuffed over and over.

This sums it up entirely. Unless you are the Patriots you run the ball first and foremost. We don't have Tom Brady so we have to run the ball. If your line can't block you are doomed. Then you have to use the tight ends to help block and everyone wonders why the TE doesn't catch the ball.

[teamchemistry15]

There are three main reasons I question Gran's decisions:

1) Where the heck are the TEs? Conrad has AA potential and has literally gotten one or two targets a game the last four weeks.

2) The Wildcat. It isn't working. Why do we continue to run Snell back there knowing it won't produce without a wrinkle? Why not more of Bowden taking the snaps with Snell in the backfield? Then the defense can't just stack the box. Bowden can run or throw, Snell could run, even bring a WR across for a potential sweep. He's too predictable with it and we aren't good enough to tell the other team what we are going to do.

3) Benny is a good, tough back. But he doesn't have the speed to bounce it outside. He needs to make one cut and get north and south. Too much east and west with him.
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i get that we lost Boom and Badet and don't have the big time playmaking home run threat. But, we have some talent that, IMO, he isn't utilizing to the best of his ability.

[Joneslab]

I'm not sure we ran the wildcat against Mississippi St. If we did I don't remember it. (Maybe Bowden once in the first half.)

Benny seeks contact in a way that sometimes hurts him. It's like his strength is his weakness. He'll have the whole field open and he'll run square into a guy. His instincts look to always be to run toward the punishment even if it doesn't make much sense to do so.

[Spiritof96]

One of the things I have been thinking about since that game is... We are still Kentucky.

Meaning that we were so far below standard in the SEC for SO long, when we get our "most talent since..." team, they are still at best a mediocre SEC team.

MSU was bigger and stronger at the line of scrimmage and it showed. This amounts to what others have posted. We have NO margin for error and if any part of the offense is a little off or we blow backside contain for a TD, we are going to lose games.

I don't have any recent complaints with play calling. The TE thing is silly given how few offensive plays we ran and that we had two TE drops. SJ looks clearly more comfortable finding Juice Johnson when the chips are down. At this point, I think the product on the field is less about coaching and more about personnel. We seem to be getting back to Brooks era "likely bowl every year" territory, I wonder if CMS and crew can take it farther. I do worry about his teams continued apparent irrational sense of how good they are.

[Joneslab]

One of the things I have been thinking about since that game is... We are still Kentucky.

Meaning that we were so far below standard in the SEC for SO long, when we get our "most talent since..." team, they are still at best a mediocre SEC team.

MSU was bigger and stronger at the line of scrimmage and it showed. This amounts to what others have posted. We have NO margin for error and if any part of the offense is a little off or we blow backside contain for a TD, we are going to lose games.

I don't have any recent complaints with play calling. The TE thing is silly given how few offensive plays we ran and that we had two TE drops. SJ looks clearly more comfortable finding Juice Johnson when the chips are down. At this point, I think the product on the field is less about coaching and more about personnel. We seem to be getting back to Brooks era "likely bowl every year" territory, I wonder if CMS and crew can take it farther. I do worry about his teams continued apparent irrational sense of how good they are.

This post needs to be framed and hung on somebody's wall.

I always feel bad when I say "We're still Kentucky." I really don't mean that as an insult. I love watching UK football.

But when folks start talking about these incredible seasons and how we're going to beat everyone, that's just not reality. So when the trouble hits, and it always does, I'm not even that disappointed. Because it was expected. You can tell if you just look at our athletes.

The SEC being down has helped us. That's a good thing. And we have improved under Stoops. But when we run into these teams with NFL-caliber athletes, notably in the SEC West, we usually get drilled. Everything has to go right for us to have a chance.

Having said all this I STILL think we can get to 8. Eight wins is an incredible season at UK and I don't care what anybody says.

[Spiritof96]

This post needs to be framed and hung on somebody's wall.

I always feel bad when I say "We're still Kentucky." I really don't mean that as an insult. I love watching UK football.

But when folks start talking about these incredible seasons and how we're going to beat everyone, that's just not reality. So when the trouble hits, and it always does, I'm not even that disappointed. Because it was expected. You can tell if you just look at our athletes.

The SEC being down has helped us. That's a good thing. And we have improved under Stoops. But when we run into these teams with NFL-caliber athletes, notably in the SEC West, we usually get drilled. Everything has to go right for us to have a chance.

Having said all this I STILL think we can get to 8. Eight wins is an incredible season at UK and I don't care what anybody says.

That last sentence should be on every fan's lips from now until the end of the season.

[KevinHall]

That last sentence should be on every fan's lips from now until the end of the season.

To get to eight they need to win the next three. All three are very winnable. But we have seen far too many UK teams that don't win those games. Stoops needs these three to keep the program progressing. The last two games are going to be hard to win. UGA is nearly impossible and if Lamar Jackson is playing, the UL game will be very difficult to win.

[Spiritof96]

To get to eight they need to win the next three. All three are very winnable. But we have seen far too many UK teams that don't win those games. Stoops needs these three to keep the program progressing. The last two games are going to be hard to win. UGA is nearly impossible and if Lamar Jackson is playing, the UL game will be very difficult to win.

I agree. I think I wan't to see our fan base rally around the possible rather than lamenting what we are or mourning our losses in advance.

[johnkyblue]

I'm not sure we ran the wildcat against Mississippi St. If we did I don't remember it. (Maybe Bowden once in the first half.)

Benny seeks contact in a way that sometimes hurts him. It's like his strength is his weakness. He'll have the whole field open and he'll run square into a guy. His instincts look to always be to run toward the punishment even if it doesn't make much sense to do so.

Is this fair? Snell is a smaller Moe Williams? Moe Williams took so many tUSC players out they sent a note over is a story I've heard.

Back then I don't know if players were as big as they are now, or maybe Snell could get bigger and be that guy.

[Blue Heaven]

Pump the brakes there John. Snell has a ways to go to even be compared with Moe Williams.

[teamchemistry15]

Pump the brakes there John. Snell has a ways to go to even be compared with Moe Williams.

Stop being so negative...