Drops continue to plague Kentucky's passing game

Kentucky’s passing game is in a bad place right now. Entering the bye week, the Wildcats rank No. 83 in QB rating, No. 86 in yards per attempt, No. 105 in passing EPA/play, No. 114 in passing success rate, and No. 120 in completion percentage. This offense has a passing game problem.

NC State quarterback transfer Devin Leary is having a disappointing season. A career 60.2 percent completion percentage passer has only completed 47.5 percent of his 101 passes in SEC play. The Wildcats have not throw for more than 205 yards against a power conference foe yet this season. Florida, Georgia, and Missouri all held Leary under five yards per attempt. Leary only posted single-game numbers that low as a redshirt freshman in 2019.

Kentucky needs better QB play, but Leary needs some help from his supporting cast.

In Saturday’s 38-21 home loss to Missouri, Leary suffered from three more dropped passes from his receivers. On the season, Kentucky pass catchers now have 15 drops to give their quarterback a 12.5 percent drop rate, according to PFF data. That is the highest drop rate in the SEC and the third-highest in the Power Five trailing only Boson College’s Thomas Castellanos (15.5%) and UCLA’s Dante Moore (12.6%). The Wildcats have a pitch-and-catch problem.

The Wildcats are still playing at a top-50 level on offense thanks to an explosive rushing attack that ranks inside the top 10 in yards per rush. However, balance is required in this pro-style scheme. During the bye week, offensive coordinator Liam Coen and the rest of the staff in Lexington must find some passing game solutions. This operation is currently sinking this offense and some more bad results could follow in the final five games if this does not get turned around.

Eliminating drops could allow Kentucky to make some major strides on offense. Leary needs to be better but so does his supporting cast.