You’re ready, right? You’ve seen enough. The fumbles. The bad snaps. The missed field goals. The sacks. All those sacks. If you’re a Kentucky football fan in the middle of a two-game losing streak, you’re not just ready to hit the panic button, you’re ready to stand on it.
In the words of the late, great Cawood Ledford, hold the phone. Yes, Kentucky’s 24-14 loss to visiting South Carolina on Saturday at Kroger Field was a letdown — head coach Mark Stoops seemed more disappointed than angry — but let’s not fold the tailgate tent on this 2022 season just yet.
After all, the Cats were minus Will Levis on Saturday. You remember him, right? The quarterback. Not just a potential first-round NFL Draft pick, but possible first pick overall. The team’s leader. The Cats’ heart and soul. Out with a foot/toe injury, Levis spent Saturday night walking around in a boot, chatting up South Carolina Coach Shane Beamer in the pregame warmups before coaching up his replacement, redshirt freshman Kayia Sheron, during the game.
Life without Levis was not pretty. Did we expect it to be otherwise? Since the day backup quarterback Beau Allen placed his name in the transfer portal, UK’s nightmare scenario involved a Levis injury. Saturday, nightmare became reality. For his first college start, Sheron turned in a decent performance — “I thought he did some good things when he had time,” Stoops said — but he’s not Will Levis.
Here’s what was disappointing Saturday: Just when Stoops needed his team to rise up, it looked deflated and defeated. In the previous week’s 22-19 loss at Ole Miss, the Cats were competitive but mistake-prone. Saturday, they were just mistake-prone. The fumble that spotted South Carolina 7-0 lead 13 seconds into the game. A blocked punt. A missed field goal.
Kentucky’s defense reversed course. The first half, Brad White’s men allowed the Gamecocks all of 90 yards. They reclaimed the football via fumble after the blocked punt. For the second straight week, they intercepted a pass in the final minute of the first half. (Last week it was Jacquez Jones; this week Trevin Wallace.) The second half was different. The first five games, UK allowed a grand total of 15 second-half points. Saturday, it allowed 17.
“We’ve got to be better,” White said. “We’ve got to do a good job of providing that assistance for a first-time starter.”
Regardless of who is under center, Rich Scangarello’s offense continues its wheel-spinning. Minus the pick six at Florida and UK’s offense has produced 52 points in three conference games. It now ranks 99th nationally in total offense, 81st in yards per play. Chris Rodriguez did rush for 126 yards on 22 attempts. With the Cats playing catch-up, however, Rodriguez was limited to six second-half carries.
Give South Carolina credit. Having lost seven of the last eight to Kentucky, the Gamecocks were due. They were 0-5 against Stoops in Lexington. They had circled this matchup. With Levis out, they were ready to pounce. And pounce they did.
To be sure, the Cats are banged-up. Starting right offensive tackle Jeremy Flax didn’t play Saturday. Jacquez Jones is out indefinitely. Receivers Tayvion Robinson and Dane Key were both hurt near game’s end. Then there’s Levis. The main man. He told the SEC Network crew in pregame that he would be back this Saturday for Mississippi State.
That’s right, another top-25 team is next up on UK’s to-do list. No rest for the weary. Mike Leach’s Bulldogs are 5-1. Then, after a much-needed off week, Kentucky travels to Tennessee. At 5-0, the Vols are on fire. Get this: Some are predicting that Tennessee might actually be favored when Alabama comes to Knoxville next Saturday.
“No one is going to feel sorry for us,” Stoops said afterward.
Nor should they. It’s life in the SEC. Eat or be eaten. Deal with it. And so must the Cats. A promising Kentucky football season might be on the brink. The faithful might be mashing down on that panic button. Me? My hand might be hovering over that button, but I’m not quite ready to push.
