Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt 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’ 24-21 loss to Vanderbilt.

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

Vanderbilt snapped a 26-game conference losing streak by whipping a lifeless Kentucky team 24-21 at Kroger Field.

OVERVIEW

Saturday’s loss to Vanderbilt was inexcusable and embarrassing. Credit the Commodores for playing winning football after entering the contest as 17-point underdogs. Additionally, the flu made its way through the VU locker room the week leading up to the upset which made Saturday even more humiliating.

The Wildcat offense was hapless, inept, and mainly awful; again. Surprisingly, the UK defense followed suit by giving up enormous plays on third downs and allowing scoring drives at inopportune times in the contest. In all, Kentucky failed to match the visitor’s fire and was mostly lifeless and uninspired in the defeat.

OFFENSE

I’ve given Rich Scangarello’s offense a multitude of excuses and opportunities in 2022. But the truth is that the ‘Cats have sputtered with an all-timer at RB, an NFL QB, talented receivers, and a TE room with Dudes. Outside of Chris Rodriguez Jr., there are not many positives for Saturday’s results. It’s simply not working. Is the offense fixable? We’re in Week 11, so the probability is low.

Inconsistent and inefficient performances have stacked which has significantly led to UK’s disappointing 6-4 record. Red Zone struggles continued to aggravate. UK was also 0/2 on two-point attempts. Kentucky failed to punch the football into the Red Zone on multiple trips in the first half. All this against a VU defense that was ranked 130 out of 131 teams in scoring defense. Not good. Offensive ineptitude has been a consistent issue throughout 2022.

Mark Stoops has decisions to make on this side of the football. The Big Blue Wall has gone backward instead of forward in terms of development and execution. The WR room has gotten worse on a steady decline after a hot start to begin the season. QB Will Levis has been influenced by injuries and the senior signal caller’s play has also declined. Add all this together and you get a sputtering unit that struggles to score and sustain drives. Let’s get into goals vs. results.

Explosive Scores: NO

Opposing offenses were averaging over 9.0 yards per pass attempt against Vanderbilt. The objective was to take advantage of the VU pass defense that was allowing well over 300 yards per outing and ranked last in the SEC. The Wildcats failed to meet this objective. Will Levis’ yards per attempt was fewer than five per throw. UK managed a mere 109 yards through the air and gave up six tackles for loss and four quarterback sacks.

Rodriguez Jr. tried his best to put the offense on his back and carry the team to a win. He finally popped a long-scoring run after a 72-yard rush. But, that was not enough to get the W. The Wildcat offense sputtered, looked slow and clunky, and didn’t explode against a bad VU defense.

Stay Hot in the Red Zone: NO

Three trips resulted in six first-half points.

Score Early: NO

The goal was 10 first quarter points. UK managed just six in the first half.

DEFENSE

Saturday was the worst performance of the season for Brad White’s unit. That may read surprising given that Tennessee put up more points, but the Vols were granted short fields on five occasions. Vanderbilt drove the football over 70 yards multiple times. The Commodores were led by backup quarterback Mike Wright. He led his team to convert 65% on third down (11/17), 448 total yards, including 264 on the ground. Bad outing for the Wildcat defense. Let’s dive into it.

Contain Davis: NO

The objective was less than 75 total yards. VU running back Ray Davis entered the game ranked 6^th in the SEC with over 700 yards. He rolled up 129 yards off 26 carries for one score.

Force Vandy to Throw: NO

VU ran for 264 yards and threw for 184. Vanderbilt managed 448 total yards and had control of the game. Mike Wright was tremendous against the ‘Cats. He totaled 310 yards and was the difference in the football game. Wright threw the game’s decisive touchdown pass and deserves a great deal of credit for his performance.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kentucky has been bad in the third phase in 2022. The ‘Cats did make field goals and PATs but missed a critical FG. The special teams were better than a week ago.

Snap and Kick: NO

This should be scored YES/NO. See above.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

Kentucky lacked fire in all three phases. Vanderbilt outplayed, out-coached, and out-willed Kentucky and deserved to win the game. Excuses have run out for this Wildcat offense. I’ve made many of them through 10 games. It’s just not working. Slow, clunky, and laborious; Scanarello’s unit lacks execution and points. This, coupled with inefficiencies in the Red Zone and two-point plays, led to another bad day between the chalked lines.

The defense also disappointed. Vanderbilt’s third down execution was a driving factor in the loss. VU converted 11/17 on the money down which kept drives alive and led to the victory. I hate to admit defeat, but I’ve come to expect inept and uninspired play from the offense, but not the defense. Both units had plenty to contribute in this clunker.

Saturday’s loss was also bad timing. The Georgia Bulldogs are up next. Mark Stoops will be searching for answers in order to formulate a resemblance of a competitive contest. UK is 6-4 which is not what was expected after starting the season 5-0 and a Top-10 ranking. Let’s be honest, outside the Mississippi State win, this team (mainly on offense) has significantly regressed down the stretch to the point that bowl eligibility means more today than it did a few weeks back.

For VU, a win is a win. The Commodores and head coach Clark Lea deserved the victory and played to win in all three phases. I respect Lea and his team. UK did not play winning football which led to one of the most embarrassing losses in recent memory. Saturday’s shockingly bad offensive performance could force changes on that side of the football. I have waited and waited for Scangarello’s system to take off. It has not done so through 10 contests.

Mark Stoops often says that the SEC is unforgiving. It is. The Dawgs won’t care that the ‘Cats are reeling from this loss. Could be a long week in Lexington. This one hurt. This loss was embarrassingly bad. There’s no other way to put it and remain credible.

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.