Kentucky Coaching Confidence Amid Losing Skid

Confident was the keyword used during the Mark Stoops Show, and it wasn’t by the head coach. Despite the second straight loss, Kentucky continued the tradition of passing the baton during the bye week, letting defensive coordinator Brad White take a turn behind the microphone.

Porous defensive play defined Kentucky football for years, but Stoops and White transformed that weakness into a strength. Unfortunately, it feels like this unit is turning back into a pumpkin.

UK’s opponents average 8.3 yards per pass attempt, last in the SEC. Only Arkansas, a team that fired its head coach and defensive coordinator, is giving up more yards per game than the Wildcats. The Kentucky defense ranks 86th in EPA, 90th in red zone touchdown percentage, and 98th in third-down defense.

Things aren’t going well for the Wildcats, and the coaching staff isn’t ignoring the reality of the situation.

“We have to talk about it,” White said on the call-in show. “We had a very blunt and open discussion today to start our defensive unit meeting.”

White took a different approach, watching an entire half of the film together as a collective defense. Kentucky continues to lose leverage in the open field. White wants his players to understand how one person’s mistake affects the rest of the defense.

“I think the only way you gain trust is by talking about it, in talking together and watching the film and then going out to the practice field and executing together. It’s hard to do on an individual basis,” said White.

“So yes, I think that we do understand that things need to be discussed and what needs to be changed. But listen, we’re not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We’re doing so many good things. It’s just, it’s in those critical moments we have to be better.”

Kentucky Needs Confidence Ahead of 7-Game Stretch

It’s been more than a year since we’ve seen the Wildcats when an SEC game. After this bye week, Kentucky plays seven straight games, five of which are against SEC opponents. The coaches are trying to pull the right strings to ensure this group doesn’t let go of the rope.

There were two things White asked of his defense today: Play confidently and aggressively.

“The teams that have been really good here in the past, they’ve had that. They’ve had that mentality. It’s that killer instinct that I’m better than anybody on this field, and I’m going to make this play. We have to do a good job as a coaching staff of just continuing to instill that confidence.

“In this league, you can’t not be confident if you’re on the football field. If you think you can hide or get away or hope it’s going to go somewhere else, and somebody else is going to make the play for you, I guarantee the ball is going to find you. As long as we can continue to build that confidence, because they’re doing a lot of good things, and now it’s just finding that consistency.”

Kentucky has an additional week to sit in that losing feeling. Will they let it drag them down, or fuel them to play with more aggression and confidence? We’ll find out when Texas travels to Lexington for a night game at Kroger Field on Saturday, Oct. 18.