Was Paul Finebaum right about it being time to write off this UK football season

[Matt Dillon]

At Tennessee the UK football team trotted on the field to play an opponent that approached the game with a lackadaisical “don’t worry, we’ve got this” attitude. The Volunteers looked at past history — 17 wins in a row in Knoxville — and said, “No need to sweat, it’s Kentucky.” The Volunteers were drubbed in every phase of the game and lost 34-7. It wasn’t as close as the score indicated.

This past Saturday Kentucky trotted out onto the Missouri Tigers’ fieldand said, “Don’t worry, we got this. After all, it’s Missouri. We’ve beaten them five times in a row. Here comes number six”

Kentucky was drubbed in every phase of the game. They were out coached, out played in effort, out schemed on offense and defense and showed that they still don’t understand what it takes to win in the SEC. Sure, they say all the right things like, “The streak doesn’t matter”, ” or “we have to come ready to play for every game” but they don’t believe it.

That should never happen on a team that returns 17 starters who are predominantly juniors and seniors. That shouldn’t happen with a coaching staff that has been in place for several years and a head coach who has coached at Kentucky for seven plus years. We shouldn’t see that kind of anemic play calling from an offensive coordinator that has spent a couple of decades in the SEC.

https://www.yoursportsedge.com/2020/10/26/was-paul-finebaum-right-about-it-being-time-to-write-off-this-uk-football-season/

[Matt Dillon]

This article nails it, in my opinion.

[Lighthouse]

This article nails it, in my opinion.

It sure does, and we are still paying a price for our history. Hopefully, if this staff keeps recruiting very good players, we can get over the hump of looking at any game as a gimme.

[40bill]

I agree the article is dead on. This was an unbelievably bad game from any aspect.

We all see what's going on with the offense. NOW I'm concerned with our front line defense. When our safety makes 17 tackles it pretty much shows the front seven are lost in the weeds.
Corker will likely STILL be in the whirlpool with all the beating he took making tackles.
I would say unbelievable, but hey....Kentucky football.
Two games where you have to find remarkable ways to nit succeed, two dominating wins, then 'hey, we need a week off too'.
"My fault"
"Gotta clean things up"
"They wanted it more"
"Out physicalled"

[Spiritof96]

I wonder how much the prognosis of Schlarman is affecting the team. Or if it's just "a too big for their britches" mentality that so often afflicts KY. Like every time we do something good the team acts like "we have arrived" and "we are winners" and "we are good", then they get their teeth kicked in because they don't play as hard or execute as well as they did when they had the big win.

Also, I don't EVER want to hear about "this being our year" in the SEC east again. SHUT UP. WIN GAMES. I promise if we ever win the SEC east people will know about it without being told.

[Matt Dillon]

I couldn't tell you the number of times, over the years, that I've said I don't see how UK could ever be overconfident.

[Spiritof96]

I couldn't tell you the number of times, over the years, that I've said I don't see how UK could ever be overconfident.

I know it. The program does not handle prosperity very well. Never has really.

I used to say the worst thing that could happen to a UK Football team (including Stoops tenure) is to get a big lead in the first quarter.

[Blue Heaven]

I know it. The program does not handle prosperity very well. Never has really.

I used to say the worst thing that could happen to a UK Football team (including Stoops tenure) is to get a big lead in the first quarter.

And here I thought we were over with the Joker mentality of playing not to lose.

[Spiritof96]

And here I thought we were over with the Joker mentality of playing not to lose.

I don't know what you mean.

My comment has to do with how we let our foot off the gas (in terms of intensity) and celebrate prematurely with a lead. That is playing to lose, not "playing not to lose". I have no problem with grinding clock with a lead.(what is usually called playing not to lose)

[Lighthouse]

I don't know what you mean.

My comment has to do with how we let our foot off the gas (in terms of intensity) and celebrate prematurely with a lead. That is playing to lose, not "playing not to lose". I have no problem with grinding clock with a lead.(what is usually called playing not to lose)

Those of us who have been around awhile know from experience what he means. We didn't do that Saturday, we just didn't play at all.

[Jload]

It is just a UK football, only great team in my lifetime (1977) we had to cheat to assemble. I feel like an old Cubs fan, always ( next year) or (things are changing) it just never seems to happen. We have had better personnel the last few years ,but also glaring weaknesses in each team. We haven’t really had the skill positions, and here I mean at QB and Wide receiver to get over the hump since Stoops has been here. I also feel that the modern offensive game in college football has changed and our current staff has been very resistant to acknowledge it. The really elite teams can run the ball but it is the vertical passing game that is winning championships. How do we get to that level with our current staff. If you were an elite passing QB or Reciever would you go to UK , I wouldn’t, not with the conservative and my opinion outdated offensive scheme we run. We complain about our reciievers but last season we threw about 3 passes a game, this year our average pass from scrimmage is 5 yards, why would any kid who aspires to play on Sunday that was a reciever come play here.

[Matt Dillon]

It is just a UK football, only great team in my lifetime (1977) we had to cheat to assemble. I feel like an old Cubs fan, always ( next year) or (things are changing) it just never seems to happen. We have had better personnel the last few years ,but also glaring weaknesses in each team. We haven’t really had the skill positions, and here I mean at QB and Wide receiver to get over the hump since Stoops has been here. I also feel that the modern offensive game in college football has changed and our current staff has been very resistant to acknowledge it. The really elite teams can run the ball but it is the vertical passing game that is winning championships. How do we get to that level with our current staff. If you were an elite passing QB or Reciever would you go to UK , I wouldn’t, not with the conservative and my opinion outdated offensive scheme we run. We complain about our reciievers but last season we threw about 3 passes a game, this year our average pass from scrimmage is 5 yards, why would any kid who aspires to play on Sunday that was a reciever come play here.

I agree 100% Jload.

[Spiritof96]

It is just a UK football, only great team in my lifetime (1977) we had to cheat to assemble. I feel like an old Cubs fan, always ( next year) or (things are changing) it just never seems to happen. We have had better personnel the last few years ,but also glaring weaknesses in each team. We haven’t really had the skill positions, and here I mean at QB and Wide receiver to get over the hump since Stoops has been here. I also feel that the modern offensive game in college football has changed and our current staff has been very resistant to acknowledge it. The really elite teams can run the ball but it is the vertical passing game that is winning championships. How do we get to that level with our current staff. If you were an elite passing QB or Reciever would you go to UK , I wouldn’t, not with the conservative and my opinion outdated offensive scheme we run. We complain about our reciievers but last season we threw about 3 passes a game, this year our average pass from scrimmage is 5 yards, why would any kid who aspires to play on Sunday that was a reciever come play here.

Last year was an anomaly where the first, second, and third-string QBs all got hurt. This year trying to become a throwing team (I think that is what has gone on in some of our losses) is costing us games.

I don't know if it is outdated, but the Eddie Gran Blue-White game looks pretty exciting, we have never come close to doing that against an SEC team however. I think it is too dependent on misdirection (that doesn't work) and high risk / high reward attempts. I also think we try to be too cute by half.