Careful what I wish for

[40bill]

I always said I wanted Mark Stoops to build a competitive program. I got what I wanted in that UK now competes at a level beyond what we have in years.
trouble is its right on the line. We are ONE or TWO bad plays bad calls from being an 8 win team.
we are also about three plays or calls from being a three win team.
the secondary just is playing bad. Coaching? Ability? Attitude? From coach's comments last night I believe he thinks it's ability. He pretty much stated they'd tried everything. Man, zone, mixing up...and it doesn't work.
the fact we don't have a home run threat and are using basically one back and a gimpy quarterback makes the yardage remarkable.

so here we are. Season could still end up seven or 8 wins. I'm starting to doubt it though.
next season right now with the personnel we are losing doesn't give me a warm fuzzy.

competitive.....what I wanted. Now I want that notch up. Just don't know this morning if we have the horses everywhere to get that notch.

[ridgerunner]

Stoops has reached his ceiling. Will always be 5 to 7 win seasons. with luck maybe 8 or 9 here and there, now we need to look for the guy that can take us to the next level. May not ever happen but we need to look. We need to move forward

[Brasslock]

Good summary 40bill. Having a one back and gimpy QB makes the 3 and outs understandable. I said we would really miss Boom and Badet. We don't have anyone with the speed to take the top off or the explosiveness to go all the way on any given play. Not many have been able to do much with the WR beasts Ole Miss puts on the field. I can't fault Johnson on the last TD. An unreal catch. I'm sure there are bits and pieces, if's and but's that will go on and on. These guys did not quit. They played their hearts out. We can beat VU. It's too early to think next year and a lot can still happen this year. The lost is disappointing but not as "crushing" to me as getting physically beat up by Miss State. But that's just me.

[George]

Stoops has reached his ceiling. Will always be 5 to 7 win seasons. with luck maybe 8 or 9 here and there, now we need to look for the guy that can take us to the next level. May not ever happen but we need to look. We need to move forward

I'm leaning this way, too. I saw a lot of talk through last week wrt Stoops "learning how to be a head coach," but so many of our problems are either: A.) the same issues he's failed to "clean up" time and again over the last five years, or B.) stuff he should be able to take care of regardless of his abilities as a head coach (e.g., the secondary, which, if history is any indication, should be a strength of the team as long as Stoops plays ANY role in the coaching staff).

In the same conversation, someone said "Bob" figured it out, which is true. But the thing is, Mike didn't. Does Mark remind you guys more of Bob or Mike?

It's quite possible that we're seeing Mark Stoops' best work here.

[UK8STL11]

Stoops = great recruiter but terrible coach. The play calling and the clock management mistakes are things that a coach should have learned in his first year. Stoops hasn't gotten it nor will he, IMO.

Problem is, Mitch (who I like a lot) made a completely stupid decision in Stoops' buyout. No chance he goes anywhere for a long time.

[Lighthouse]

Stoops has reached his ceiling. Will always be 5 to 7 win seasons. with luck maybe 8 or 9 here and there, now we need to look for the guy that can take us to the next level. May not ever happen but we need to look. We need to move forward

\How do you know that? He and his staff are always recruiting better players and usually things get better when that's happening.

[Old School]

Problem is, Mitch (who I like a lot) made a completely stupid decision in Stoops' buyout.

All ADs make stupid decisions these days with buyouts. It needs to stop, especially at public institutions. That is in no way a defense of Barnhart, by the way.

[Spiritof96]

Stoops = great recruiter but terrible coach. The play calling and the clock management mistakes are things that a coach should have learned in his first year. Stoops hasn't gotten it nor will he, IMO.

Problem is, Mitch (who I like a lot) made a completely stupid decision in Stoops' buyout. No chance he goes anywhere for a long time.

Please provide a specific example of poor play calling last night or poor clock management. I’m so sick of this bs.

Was the dropped pass on third down poor play calling?

Was running the ball right at them when we killed them most of the night doing exactly that poor play calling?

The two weird roll outs were so messed up I don’t know what they were supposed to be. Was that bad play calling?

[UK8STL11]

Please provide a specific example of poor play calling last night or poor clock management. I’m so sick of this bs.

Was the dropped pass on third down poor play calling?

Was running the ball right at them when we killed them most of the night doing exactly that poor play calling?

The two weird roll outs were so messed up I don’t know what they were supposed to be. Was that bad play calling?

does this count as bad clock management?

http://kentuckysportsradio.com/football-2/kentucky-handed-ole-miss-free-time-for-its-final-drive/

[Spiritof96]

does this count as bad clock management?

http://kentuckysportsradio.com/footb...s-final-drive/

No.

You would have preferred the coach all a TO and remind the RB that he needs preoccupy himself with snapping the ball at the last second and operating from the wildcat?

Sure it would have been nice to drain a few more seconds off the clock, but if THAT is what you are fixating on...

We were leaving them with the 2 minute drill full of time either way.

And about that play-calling?

[Blue Heaven]

What is it going to take to drill into these guys heads that you have to TURN YOUR HEAD AROUND to make a play on the ball. Lonnie Johnson didn't even jump because HE HAD NO IDEA THE BALL WAS COMING. Is this such a hard concept to teach? To let sink in? It's been an achilles heel at Kentucky for as long as I can remember.

[Blue Heaven]

Play to win the dang game. Don't let the clock run with a minute or two left in the first half when you have timeouts. YOU DON'T GET THOSE BACK. And yes I am yelling. Good grief man. When they did that against Mississippi St. knowing MSU got the ball at the start of the 2nd half I was ready to pull my hair out. And that's not the first time that has happened. Stop overthinking things Stoops and Co. and play to win the dang game!!!

[Lighthouse]

does this count as bad clock management?

http://kentuckysportsradio.com/football-2/kentucky-handed-ole-miss-free-time-for-its-final-drive/

NO! The offense had the momentum and they had to use it or they might lose it.

[KevinHall]

NO! The offense had the momentum and they had to use it or they might lose it.

That is right. You can't mess around if you have the momentum. Anyway its the defense. 34 points should win just about any game. Defense is still bad after five years of Stoops. If one thing has been a disappointment in his time at UK is that the defense has only gotten marginally better. I honestly expected more by this time.

[boomdaddy]

Let's talk about Kentucky's banged up QB for a minute. He can't win a game with his arm and if he is hobbled, he is not effective with his legs. Where does that leave the team? They live or die with their hobbled QB. Why don't they have a QB to put in their in his place? So, Barker has deer in the headlights look when he is in the game, put the third string guy in. They knew he is banged up and getting more banged up as the season wears on, and yet they can't play a 2nd QB. He has to be carried out on a stretcher , before they put another QB in.

Stephen Johnson is a winner. But, he is not a winner when he is banged up. Talking about how tough he is and throwing him to the wolves when he physically can't perform does not win games.