KSR Monday Huddle: Regroup and Recover

On Saturday afternoon, Kentucky football suffered its first setback of the 2021 season. The Wildcats were handled by Georgia on the road in a 17-point loss. However, the season is far from over.

The Wildcats are likely out of the SEC East race, but this team can still have a terrific season. Before hitting the road again to take on Mississippi State in the third road game, Kentucky will get to reset and get things in order during the bye week.

KSR’s Monday Huddle is here to reset the table as the Wildcats look to close the 2021 season in a strong fashion. There is still some meaningful football to be played.

First down: Get healthy

Entering the showdown with No. 1 Georgia, the Wildcats suddenly found themselves playing short-handed. Tight end Keaton Upshaw and wide receiver Clevan Thomas Jr. were lost for the season before fall camp arrived, but that was not the last of the injury news.

Starters Marquan McCall and Josh Ali were lost in the Florida win. Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Octavious Oxendine was ruled out for the season following an injury against LSU. Izayah Cummings was knocked out after a fourth-quarter reception against Georgia.

The Wildcats are banged up and must use the off week to get healed up.

Kentucky is hopeful to get Ali back into the lineup this week while the status of Cummings is still unknown. McCall will be out a few more weeks. That depth was missed against Georgia as the Wildcats put together their worst defensive performance of the season and really needed another weapon at receiver.

Kentucky has created depth under Mark Stoops, but it stings when starters are unavailable. Against UGA, the Wildcats took on the No. 1 team in college football without four projected starters from the beginning of the season. Getting just one of them back in the lineup will make a big difference.

Second down: Defense must handle adversity

Heading into the game, the matchup between the Bulldogs and the Wildcats was sold as a defensive slugfest. Georgia and Kentucky led the SEC in yards per play allowed as the Wildcats were coming off a trio of strong performances against South Carolina, Florida, and LSU.

The Kentucky defense did not hold up on their end of the bargain.

UGA scored on 50 percent of their drives, had three explosive plays go for touchdowns, did not have a turnover, and put up 30 points on a defense that was allowing just 17.5 points per game entering Week 7. The Bulldogs averaged over nine yards per play, and that was nearly double of what Kentucky was giving up on the season.

A unit loaded with upperclassmen had a handful of missed assignments on a large stage and it led to a blowout loss. Heading into the bye week, Kentucky must handle some adversity before going on to play a unique Mississippi State offense led by pass-happy play-caller Mike Leach.

That One is On Me💯 That Shake Back About To Be Crazy🤞🏽 #GMNM

— Jacquez Jones (@ESPN_Jac) October 18, 2021

Kentucky’s veterans are saying the right things after the loss, but the performance needs to translate to the field. Kentucky’s linebackers and secondary had a rough outing in Athens as the Wildcats went another game without forcing a takeaway.

The Wildcats have a new offense that is growing, but this team needs its defense to be the backbone and deliver strong performances weekly. The Wildcats can’t have another performance like the one against Georgia.

Third down: Offense has momentum

Against LSU, Kentucky had their best offensive performance of the season. The Wildcats rushed for over 300 yards, and redshirt junior quarterback Will Levis had his best performance of the season as Kentucky scored 42 points and averaged 7.66 yards per play.

Those numbers took a big step backward against Georgia, but there were many positive things to pull out of the performance.

The Wildcats became the first offense to score two touchdowns in a game against Georgia this season, and Liam Coen’s unit did it without explosive plays. Kentucky’s rushing attack was totally eliminated and the Wildcats didn’t have a play gain more than 16 yards in 69 snaps, but Kentucky grinded out two 75-plus scoring drives thanks to a high success rate on both third and fourth down.

Kentucky now ranks 10th nationally in red zone touchdown rate (76.92%) and still has a top-25 rushing offense despite the bad performance against Georgia. The Wildcats should get that ground attack rolling soon, and Will Levis seems to be growing confidence since the rough performances against South Carolina and Florida.

All this could add up to balance which should lead to good things. The Wildcats have been strong in situational football this season, and when the rushing attack and passing game get rolling together this can be a top-25 unit in college football.

With four teams on the schedule that ranks 93rd or worse in yards per play defense, Kentucky’s offense has a chance to close the 2021 season strong.

The week ahead at KSR

Another jam-packed football week full of content at KSR is set to be unleashed despite Kentucky entering the bye week.

Podcasts will be released, and KSR will have coverage of every media opportunity for Kentucky this week. Meanwhile, some self-assessment will occur as we look into how the Wildcats have performed this season.

There is still a lot to play for to close out 2021 and the run at a historic season resumes on Halloween weekend at Davis-Wade Stadium as the Wildcats look to win in Starkville for the first time since 2008.