Kentucky vs. Tennessee After Action Review

An After Action Review, or AAR for short, is a military process used to analyze what happened, why it happened, and how it can be done better. Thanks to our friends at the Kentucky Army National Guard, KSR applies that concept to analyze Kentucky football games. Here is the breakdown of the Wildcats’ 44-6 loss to Tennessee.

B.L.U.F. (Bottom Line Up Front)

Kentucky lacked efficiency across the board in an embarrassing and frustrating 44-6 loss to Tennessee.

OVERVIEW

The Wildcats played poor offense and special teams on the road against the nation’s third-ranked team and left Knoxville with a distressing 44-6 loss. This game was always going to be about possessions. The ‘Cats lost that aspect in a major way. UK failed to play complementary football and suffered a complete team meltdown. Saturday was a wasted opportunity and trip down I-75 South. Let’s get into it.

OFFENSE

Awful. There are not many other ways to describe the Kentucky offense against Tennessee. Two of the Wildcats’ first three drives were three and outs. Kentucky converted 15% on third down and turned the football over on three occasions, including one in the Red Zone. The nation’s top offense started five drives inside UK territory as a result of ineffective playcalling and execution.

Tennessee’s pass defense was ranked second-to-last in the nation coming into Saturday’s matchup. UK managed 98 passing yards in the loss. Starting receivers Tayvion Robinson, Dane Key, and Barion Brown combined for seven receptions and just 31 yards. UT’s pressure affected QB Will Levis in the pocket which led to a three-interception, zero-touchdown outing by the Wildcat signal caller.

Rich Scangarello’s game plan appeared to include first-down runs and late-down screens against a UT defense that was allowing just 90 rush yards per contest. The result was that the ‘Cats fell behind the chains on numerous drives. The Vols heated up pressures on later downs which led to UK not extending drives. 15% on third down won’t win against any opponent at any time. Frustrating, deflating performance. Here are the goals and objectives.

Extend Possessions: NO

As I said above, 15% on 3rd down and 2/3 on 4th led to multiple possessions not being extended.

Money in the Red Zone: NO

Kentucky scored one touchdown from just two trips inside Tennessee’s 20-yard line. The objective was 75%.

Make a Catch: NO

I felt that Kentucky pass catchers would be motivated to match the production for the high-flying Volunteer receivers. Contested catches for explosive plays were required but didn’t happen.

Tayvion Robinson dropped what could have been an explosive touchdown at a critical juncture in the game. Starting receivers Robinson, Dane Key, and Barion Brown combined for seven receptions for a mere 31 yards.

DEFENSE

Two busted coverages led to a pair of explosive Tennessee touchdown passes. Those errors were noticeable and costly. But, at some point in the season, the offense and special teams have to help the Kentucky defense. The ‘Cats held the Vols to 148 fewer total yards than its season average after being forced onto the field inside UK territory for five drives due to offensive and special teams’ inadequacies.

There’s plenty of blame to go around for this loss. The defense had moments of bad that included broken coverage touchdowns and alignment issues due to tempo. But, it was placed in terrible positions on multiple drives due to a lack of complementary football. Let’s get into it.

Steal Two or More Possessions: YES

The ‘Cats actually produced some stops in the game. UT settled for field goal attempts and punted. Again, the defense got zero help from the other two phases.

Stop the Run: NO

The goal here was 150 or fewer rush yards. Tennessee ran for 177. Running backs Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright combined for 143 yards. QB Hendon Hooker ran for 23 more yards and a touchdown.

Influence the Quarterback: NO

The ‘Cats accumulated two quarterback sacks but Hooker remained clean for most of the game.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Bad outing. No way around it, Kentucky’s special teams were anything but special. A blocked PAT, nearly a blocked punt from an unblocked rusher, and a punt return into the Red Zone marked too many errors in the third phase. The goal was simple here.

Do Your Job: NO

See above.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

Kentucky was a mess on offense and special teams. The defense didn’t exactly play great but was the lesser of a problem than the other two phases. Complementary football hasn’t been consistently accomplished for a big part of the 2022 season. Play calling and the rhythm of UK offensive drives were puzzling at times. This was not the first time this has occurred. UK is now averaging 24 points per game on the season and hasn’t scored over 31 in eight outings. Pre-snap penalties and getting behind the chains from being ineffective on early downs led to a disastrous 15% on third down. A Red Zone turnover also occurred.

Special teams were not good and haven’t been good for most of the season. It’s nearly impossible to win an SEC road game after losing the turnover margin and having special teams’ blunders. Both happened and led to an embarrassing 44-6 loss to Tennessee.

The defense has been the best of the three phases but also struggled on Saturday night. Two blown coverages led to explosive scores. Tempo got to the ‘Cats as well. But, starting five drives inside UK territory constantly put the defense in a nearly impossible position.

Kentucky has played in three primetime games this season. The ‘Cats got a win at Florida but lost to Ole Miss and Tennessee on the road. The offense shouldn’t be this inefficient after eight games. Slow starts, worse finishes in the Red Zone, and lacking rhythm have been far too common. UK should be much better than this on offense given the talent level at skill positions. Like Adam Luckett often says, “It shouldn’t be this hard after eight games”.

UK’s offense has looked clunky and inefficient for the most part of 2022. There have to be serious improvements on that side of the football for the ‘Cats to salvage a successful season. The same can be said about special teams.

Saturday’s loss was deflating. The ‘Cats were coming off a bye week and lacked the fire and precision that are required to beat a Top-5 rival on the road in the SEC East.

A message from the Kentucky Army National Guard, The Kentucky Army National Guard is YOUR Kentucky home team. The Soldiers of the Kentucky National Guard are your friends, neighbors, coworkers and classmates. We are from each county in Kentucky and we stand together to support our fellow Kentuckians in times of natural disaster and civil unrest. We also serve our nation at the direction of the president should the need for national defense arise. Soldiers in the Kentucky Army National Guard are able to take advantage of opportunities in education with trade skill training, student loan repayment and up to $60,000 in tuition assistance to state public universities while serving part time. Do you think you have what it takes to be a member of our team? For more information about joining the Kentucky Army National Guard, Text “KYGUARD” to 95577. Live Here, Serve Here, Kentucky Army National Guard.