Joker lost me early on, I’m just not sure which play it was.
First, there was the 4th-and-goal, down 21 in the first quarter, and Joker sends in the field goal unit. 21-3 now, and boy did those 3 points make a huge difference down the stretch.
Then, a little while later, there was the punt from the Florida 44 on 4th-and-6, UK down 28-3. Of course, just a few minutes later they were down 31-3 after a Florida field goal. Good thing they punted there, or it would’ve gotten embarrassing in a hurry.
My point? This is still a rudderless ship. I (for some reason) made a post yesterday trying to be somewhat optimistic about this game, and it came back to bite me right in the tuckus. Twenty-plus year losing streaks will not be broken by kicking a field goal on the 5-yard line down 21 points. Nor will streaks be broken by punting from the opponent’s 44-yard line down 25 points. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say streaks will not be broken at all this year, other than the bowl streak.
Before I get going and forget my original point, let me say this: there is absolutely no shame in losing to Florida, especially when they have guys like Demps and Rainey and Burton. But when you lose to Florida overandoverandoverandoverandover, and usually get pantsed in the process, you have to try something different at some point. Punts and field goals when trailing by 3 scores or more is not the answer.
Having said that, this whole season is turning into the old Billy Gillispie debate: talent vs. coaching. Is there too much of a talent gap to compete in the SEC? Or is the coaching not developing the talent? Regardless of which side is right, anytime you compare your football coach to Billy Gillispie, it’s probably not going to end well.
Here is my take: the talent is fine. There are some that say being in the SEC is killing UK on the talent level, but that’s nonsense. A top 30 recruiting class is only good for 10th or so in the SEC, but even if Florida has the #1 class each year and UK has the #30 class each year, that doesn’t justify a 38-point lambasting at home.
Talent may be good for 17-21 points. The rest falls on Joker & Friends. Being in the SEC may mean Kentucky only wins 2-4 conference games a year due to talent, but it should in no way mean Kentucky gets embarrassed at home by a sub-standard Florida team with a first year coach, even if Will Muschamp is probably going to be a good one.
Talent at Kentucky is what it is. I don’t see the school ever continuously getting top-10 classes, if for no other reason than the fact it isn’t a traditional powerhouse. It would take UK getting a big name coach, which will never happen, due to the existing level of commitment to the basketball team. But there’s a difference between recruiting talent and developing talent, and I’ve not seen enough of the latter in the 17 game Joker Phillips tenure.
And for those making the talent argument, there is more overall talent here than there was when UK beat LSU. When I say more talent, I mean in the recruiting sense. Those teams were developed much better than the last two teams have been. Case in point: Morgan Newton. Go look at where Andre Woodson was coming in, and where Newton was coming in, and tell me who was the better player. Then, look at what Woodson did and what Newton has done thus far, and tell me which staff did a better job with player development.
I’m not trying to get statistical, I’m just saying this isn’t a talent thing. This is a what-happens-to-the-talent-when-it-gets-here thing. So far, it has been unprepared, outplayed, and perhaps most importantly, outcoached.
Let me get back to the kicking and punting, just to make sure I get my point across. You can not be conservative in those situations. Not with a monkey that big on your back. Some may say “why keep putting the defense in a hole and destroying their confidence?” Seems to me the defense is being put in holes anyway. And giving up 41 points at home won’t kill confidence? At least by Joker going for it and failing, the defense has the excuse of poor field position.
This is not a knee-jerk reaction to getting steamrolled by an upper echelon team. If UK was 3-1 with convincing wins over Western, CMU, and Louisville, no one would care a thing about the game, other than lamenting the losing streak to Florida. But Kentucky hasn’t had a convincing win since beating Vanderbilt last year. Since that game, the team is 2-4, and hasn’t had a performance that could be considered positive overall. Instead, the 25 game losing streak is the furthest thing from fans’ minds.
I think that’s the biggest qualm the fans have right now. It’s not an issue of wins or losses, or perhaps scoring margins. It’s the performances. It’s the feeling that, to most of us, this team is on the verge of undoing everything Rich Brooks worked to build up. Just a couple years ago, Kentucky football meant 6-7 wins in a season, a bowl game, one or two bad losses, and two or three fun close games, even in defeat. Now, even the wins are hard to watch. It’s looking like any close games this year will be due to ineptitude on both sides, as opposed to two teams just playing their hearts out. It’s ugly, folks. And I’m not sure anything can be done to fix it in a hurry.
I’m not calling for Joker to be fired, not yet. Give him 3 seasons. Besides, mid-season firings accomplish nothing. And I’m not saying the team can’t turn it around. In fact, I’d love nothing more than to have to eat crow if Kentucky wins a bowl game this year. Just saying, there’s nothing there to give me hope. This team is in DIRE need of a spark, and it’s anybody’s guess where that spark comes from. Bookie Cobbins? Max Smith? Morgan Newton? The offensive line? No clue.
Next week, the team goes to LSU to most likely get donkey-punched in Death Valley. Joker has said Morgan Newton is the starter, and I suppose I can relate. But, given how Newton has played, would Smith be that much worse an option at LSU? I say this only because it’s such a tough place to play. That, and I really don’t trust Newton’s mental state right now. Give me an inexperienced QB with a blank slate over a barely-experienced QB with confidence issues. If nothing else, it’s a breath of fresh air for a team that needs it.
After that, it’s off to South Carolina. Assuming the team finishes that stretch with a record of 2-4, what’s next? Will any semblance of confidence be left? Or maybe we can have a repeat of what happened in ’06. UK gets waxed, then jump-starts the season to finish on a roll. It happened last time UK played at LSU. That year, they lost 49-0.
This year, it could be even worse.
[I][B]Follow @chris_minton on Twitter for a little UK talk, and lots of random thoughts and crude words.[/B][/I]
