Kentucky 'didn't flinch' in game-winning drive against Missouri

The 2022 season has been a rocky one for the Kentucky offense. Despite having a first-round talent at quarterback, the Wildcats have taken a step back in year one under Rich Scangarello as youth, offensive line issues, and some sloppy execution has led to very inconsistent play.

However, we did see some proof of concept in Week 10’s four-point road win over Missouri. When the offense had to have a touchdown, the unit was able to go 58 yards in six plays to claim a 21-17 with 5:18 left in the game directly after the Cats fell behind for the first time all afternoon.

Scangarello loved what he saw from his unit last week.

“You can’t flinch,” Scangarello told reporters on Tuesday. “You gotta stand in there. Why did we make it happen? Because we stood in there and ripped the play-action pass. We didn’t flinch, and we were confident. We threw a screen for a touchdown, and it got called off the board for a hold. A young receiver coming off the bench, and he held him. He’s gotta let go. Then on third down, we had to respond.”

“We very easily don’t get that completion, we’re kicking the field goal, and it’s a whole different game. The fact that they were able to pull it off — protection was good, Will [Levis] made a great throw, Dane [Key] made a great play. That helps us in the long run. That’s who we should be. We should believe in ourselves on every drive that we can that we can pull it out.”

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Kentucky is hopeful that the game-winning drive and overall performance against a top-15 Missouri defense can serve as a building block for the offense moving forward. The Cats had all kinds of issues blocking a very good Mizzou front, but the Wildcats had zero turnovers in 12 possessions and scored 21 points in three red zone trips. Pair that with a strong Kentucky defense and that should lead the Big Blue to some wins down the stretch.

With three home games remaining on the schedule, UK will have a great chance to close the season strong. The Cats are a double-digit favorite against Vanderbilt on Saturday and should be a favorite when Louisville rolls into town on Thanksgiving Saturday. In between, the Cats will get their shot to take a swing at No. 1 Georgia.

A clear path is there to nine wins when including the bowl trip. However, Kentucky will need its offense to play complementary football by finishing scoring opportunities with points and taking care of the football. Scangarello believes his unit is on the right path.

“We’re going to finish strong. We’re going to get better, and we’re going to build for the future,” Scangarello said. “The guys that are here are going to enjoy the bowl game, and we’re going to finish on the right foot.”

Mark Stoops has talked often about having teams that do not flinch. Kentucky’s offense bounced back strong against Mizzou. We’ll find out on Saturday if this offense can now stack consecutive good performances together.