The Kentucky Wildcats received the ball to start the game and Jalen Whitlow was in the process of orchestrating a scoring drive to gain much needed momentum for a team that had not won a conference game to date this season.
Then Jonathan George fumbled.
That would set the tone for the Wildcats, who dropped to 1-8 and defeated in the SEC, as the Missouri Tigers won their first game in the SEC 33-10.
Joker Phillips’ squad had every chance in the 1st half to take a lead into the locker room, as Missouri put the ball on the ground themselves 3 times, but could never do anything right to capitalize on the Tigers mistakes.
The biggest answer I received, after watching what I could of a horrible game. is Joker Phillips has to go.
Missouri was far and away the worst team Kentucky has played all year long and anything the coaching staff tried to do either did not work or shouldn’t have been tried in the first place.
It is time to clean house, plain and simple.
Last season Houston Nutt was fired right after his Ole Miss team lost to Kentucky.
The same should happen in this case.
I was hopeful that Kentucky would surprise everyone today and beat a bad Big 12 team on the road and then have a shot to win 3 in a row with Vandy and Samford coming to Lexington the next two games.
The optimism stops here.
Postgame Notes
Kentucky Football at Missouri
Faurot Field / Memorial Stadium, Oct. 27, 2012
FINAL SCORE: Missouri 33, Kentucky 10
Team Records and Series Notes
Kentucky is 1-8 overall, 0-6 in the Southeastern Conference. Missouri is 4-4 overall, 1-4 in league play.
Kentucky leads the series 2-1, including 1-1 in Columbia.
Kentucky returns to action Saturday, Nov. 3, when the Wildcats play host to Vanderbilt at Noon ET on ESPNU.
Team Notes
The Kentucky defense allowed a season-low 273 yards. The previous low was 323 yards allowed vs. WKU.
The UK defense also allowed a season-low 87 passing yards. The previous low was 160 passing yards vs. WKU.
UK created a season-high three turnovers, one fumble recovery and two interceptions.
Kentucky’s offensive fumble lost in the first quarter ended a string of three-consecutive games without a turnover.
Missouri was the third opponent in the last four weeks (also Mississippi State and Georgia) which had an open date before playing Kentucky.
Kentucky entered the game having played the toughest schedule in the nation, according to the Colley Matrix and Anderson and Hester computer ratings, two components of the BCS rankings.
Kentucky is fielding one of the nation’s youngest teams, playing 14 true freshmen and 26 total (true and redshirt) frosh, one of the nation’s top-five teams in each category.
Individual Notes
Linebacker Avery Williamson led the Wildcats with a career-high tying 14 tackles, including the first quarterback sack of his collegiate career, and a pass breakup. It is his sixth double-figure tackle game of the season.
J.D. Harmon’s two interceptions in the third quarter were the first pickoffs of his career for the true freshman walk-on cornerback. Harmon finished the game with a career-high seven tackles.
Harmon is the first UK Player to pick off two passes in one game since Winston Guy had two interceptions in the 2011 season opener against Western Kentucky in Nashville.
Collins Ukwu blocked an extra point, his second blocked kick of the season. He also blocked a field goal at Florida.
Tight end Patrick Ligon made his first career start.
