That UK game was THE game

[DoggieDaddy13]

I still feel like UK, even though we were at home, was toughest of our remaining opponents. Coaching, scheme, and talent level are solid.

Much of SPS is shiXXing on the SEC East, but UK has built a really good football program. They're losses so far are to UGA and us. If they don't have a meltdown after their subpar performance against us, they are winning out.

And their performance against us was subpar. You can understand why Stoops was so animated and angry. A lot of factors went in to that: Our offense frustrated them, our defense bamboozled 'em and the atmosphere at DW was fantastic. Still could have been better. Hopefully, we pack it for the Egg Bowl.

Our remaining opponents don't scare me like UK did. If we can beat A&M at Kyle Field, we can beat Aubie at JH. Arkansas was our most winnable SEC game remaining. And now OM with their hobbled Heisman trophy candidate is going to be DOG MEAT!

I believe the team and fanbase learned something this past Saturday. We should win the rest of our games! 9-3. New Years Day Bowl game.

 

[Cooterpoot]

UK isn't the best team. AU is a lot better. AR looks better or similar, OM is better.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

Like the wool, but let's change should win the rest of our games to could. 6-7 wins was the ceiling in year 2 of a complete overhaul of the offense and defense. There might still be some growing pains left on the schedule and if that happens, it's okay. Any doubts about Leach's air raid working in the SEC should be erased now. Unless we lose to Tennessee State, I can live with whatever happens the rest of the season. Because it's always been about years 3-4, this season shaping up is gravy.

We have three SEC west road games left. We will probably be getting points from Vegas on all 3. Winning one would be great. 2 would be amazing. All 3... Well, let's talk about that in a few weeks after the Auburn game.

 

[Wizard.sixpack]

I had a sneaking suspicion it would play out like the NC State game because I think NC State and UK are basically the same with NC State having an edge at QB and UK having a slightly better defense.

 

[57stratdawg]

2 road games, 1 at home. But, I do expect us to be getting points in all 3 (depending on how healthy OM is by Thanksgiving).

 

[DoggieDaddy13]

We have three SEC west road games left. We will probably be getting points from Vegas on all 3. Winning one would be great. 2 would be amazing. All 3... Well, let's talk about that in a few weeks after the Auburn game.

Auburn looked strong against OM Saturday, but don't think they will have near the success running against our defense. And they will have to to have a chance.
Now we COULD lose the rest of our games. We SHOULD win them all.

But I agree. at this point in the Leach years, I'm going to be happy making it to a bowl. But for 17's sake we need to beat the bearsharts at home.

 

[The Peeper]

Sorry but KY is overrated. They've beaten 4-4 ULA Monroe, 4-4 Mizzou, squeaked by UT Chattanooga by only 5pnts, 4-4 USCe by 6, 4-4 Flarda by 7, 4-4 LSU. They got smoked by GA and us. I expect TN to beat them in Knoxville this weekend after having 2 weeks to prepare even though KY is favored -2.5

 

[DoggieDaddy13]

I expect they will beat UT, probably by more than 7.

 

[Duke Humphrey]

Speaking of running, the gameplan we had on Saturday night needs to be the one we use on Thanksgiving night. The most balanced we have been to date during Leach's two years.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

No ****. All season long I thought the EB was in Oxford. Never even bothered looking. Well, that gives me a little extra blood flowing to corpora cavernosa.

 

[fedxdog]

No predictions, but two come from behind wins and then the aTm game win got me thinking, "We can win." I was watching the KY game with more confidence. Of course, we could lose the next four but I'll watch them all with more confidence. All the negative comments just means they have no confidence.

 

[Smoked Toag]

Buddy, you're going to find out the truth when we play Auburn.

You can't ignore overall talent level. I don't 100% trust recruiting rankings, but they are there for a reason. Kentucky has similar talent to us, and many times less. Auburn is a solid notch above us.

Kentucky ain't bad....but they aren't Auburn.

 

[Smoked Toag]

Sorry but KY is overrated. They've beaten 4-4 ULA Monroe, 4-4 Mizzou, squeaked by UT Chattanooga by only 5pnts, 4-4 USCe by 6, 4-4 Flarda by 7, 4-4 LSU. They got smoked by GA and us. I expect TN to beat them in Knoxville this weekend after having 2 weeks to prepare even though KY is favored -2.5

Don't go too far. They aren't overrated. And get the facts right, they play Tennessee in Lexington Saturday. I expect Kentucky to win.

They had a down game against us, on the road. It's not that hard to fathom.

 

[CookieMonster.sixpack]

UK isn't the best team. AU is a lot better. AR looks better or similar, OM is better.

Hey remember when you said our ceiling was 4 wins?

Maybe you should sit a few plays out bud.

 

[Rezdog]

Buddy, you're going to find out the truth when we play Auburn.

You can't ignore overall talent level. I don't 100% trust recruiting rankings, but they are there for a reason. Kentucky has similar talent to us, and many times less. Auburn is a solid notch above us.

Kentucky ain't bad....but they aren't Auburn.

Then how did Kentucky beat Florida and LSU?

 

[the dog is on the loose]

Hold your horses on thinking Ky will be our toughest from here on out. Say what you want to but Arky wont be an easy victory at all even if we can pull it off. Saturdays game does have me worried. I do not expect us to beat auburn at all especially since its on the road. With ole miss its anybodys guess.

 

[615dawg]

Kentucky was fool's gold. They were 6-1 with one score victories over Missouri, South Carolina and Chattanooga. They also had a one score win over a 4-4 Florida that is 2-7 in their last 9 against Power 5 competition.

Their best, most solid win is over an LSU team the week Orgeron got fired.

There's a reason lowly unranked Mississippi State was favored over Kentucky. Kentucky sucks. They'll lose to Tennessee this week and end up 9-3 and in a New Years day bowl and get trucked by Penn State.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

42% of the plays were called runs. Season average had been less than 20% called runs. It made a huge difference in the RZ. Loved it.

 

[The Peeper]

What about squeaking by a bunch of 4-4 teams including the 4th 5th and 6th teams in the weak East by less than 7 points says they should be this high in the polls? They've been beaten soundly by the 2 teams they've played with a winning record unless you are also thinking UT Chattanooga should be highly rated too?

 

[messageboardsuperhero]

Sorry but KY is overrated. They've beaten 4-4 ULA Monroe, 4-4 Mizzou, squeaked by UT Chattanooga by only 5pnts, 4-4 USCe by 6, 4-4 Flarda by 7, 4-4 LSU. They got smoked by GA and us. I expect TN to beat them in Knoxville this weekend after having 2 weeks to prepare even though KY is favored -2.5

I definitely don’t think UK is a great team, but it’s funny how all the “Leach sucks” posters said we’d win four games tops a few weeks ago. Now everyone we beat is overrated.

Keep moving those goalposts.

 

[57stratdawg]

A November schedule of @ Ark, @ Auburn, vs. TN State and @ OM might be why John Cohen didn't bother marketing the season tickets*

 

[Smoked Toag]

I definitely don’t think UK is a great team, but it’s funny how all the “Leach sucks” posters said we’d win four games tops a few weeks ago. Now everyone we beat is overrated.

Keep moving those goalposts.

They can't run from that Texas A&M game.

 

[NWADawg]

Don't go too far. They aren't overrated. And get the facts right, they play Tennessee in Lexington Saturday. I expect Kentucky to win.

They had a down game against us, on the road. It's not that hard to fathom.

I was taught at an early age and am a firm believer that 90% of luck/breaks/down games.... are created by one of the teams.

The fumble, for example, was a bad exchange. But, if the left guard wasn't 2 yards deep in the backfield and going backwards, the rb would have gathered the ball and just been a run for little or no gain. Bad exchanges happen a lot without causing fumbles.

Tyrus Wheat played that one tip for interception like he knew exactly where the ball was going. Good discipline, good film study, smart play caused that - not luck or down game.

Our D whipped their O and forced them to have a "down game".

 

[Walter White.sixpack]

Are you sure Rogers wasn't checking into some of those runs based on what he saw from the defense?

42% of the plays were called runs. Season average had been less than 20% called runs. It made a huge difference in the RZ. Loved it.

 

[GloryDawg]

We need a big turn out for the Egg Bowl.

 

[patdog]

Does it matter? Bottom line is the offense we ran Saturday was very much not like the offense Leach has run for 20 years. And even after UK adjusted to the run in the 2nd half, we kept establishing it and they couldn't stop the pass. I know we only had 438 yards but I thought that was one of our best offensive games under Leach.

 

[DoggieDaddy13]

I'll type it again. We may be underdogs according to Vegas (they create lines to get people to bet). Nevertheless, we SHOULD win the rest of our games.

 

[QuadrupleOption]

UK isn't the best team. AU is a lot better. AR looks better or similar, OM is better.

Maybe Kentucky isn't the best team, but they are a good team. Personally I'm kind of done with our fanbase building up all these teams as indestructable dynamos until we beat them, then they aren't very good suddenly.

Two top-15 wins and another top-25 win speaks for itself. This isn't the same team we saw the first couple of weeks of the season.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

Are you sure Rogers wasn't checking into some of those runs based on what he saw from the defense?

Not at all. But if Leach is letting the QB check into runs at the line, hell that's better than calling them himself.

 

[Cooterpoot]

Maybe Kentucky isn't the best team, but they are a good team. Personally I'm kind of done with our fanbase building up all these teams as indestructable dynamos until we beat them, then they aren't very good suddenly.

Two top-15 wins and another top-25 win speaks for itself. This isn't the same team we saw the first couple of weeks of the season.

They're very mediocre. No wins against teams with winning records.

 

[Ralph Cramden]

I read or heard on one of the interviews that Rogers is making the calls at the line and he has the go ahead to change the play based on the defensive alignments. Also he looks to the sideline and gets the play every single time so I don't know. Im assuming Leach calls the play and Will has the autonomy to adjust based on pre snap reads. Either way it was magnificent

 

[Ralph Cramden]

Also I'm calling 3 more wins for this season. That will put us right where I thought we would be. But we will see.

 

[olblue.sixpack]

Kentucky was fool's gold. They were 6-1 with one score victories over Missouri, South Carolina and Chattanooga. They also had a one score win over a 4-4 Florida that is 2-7 in their last 9 against Power 5 competition.

Their best, most solid win is over an LSU team the week Orgeron got fired.

There's a reason lowly unranked Mississippi State was favored over Kentucky. Kentucky sucks. They'll lose to Tennessee this week and end up 9-3 and in a New Years day bowl and get trucked by Penn State.

I wouldn’t rule out 8-4. You nailed it. Fools gold.

 

[Misfit]

What I wonder is whether Leach letting the qb check into running plays is something new or if Will has had that option for a while, but just wasn't yet reading defenses well enough to feel comfortable changing the play called by the coach. I am not a Leach fan, didn't like the hire, but somebody is doing a hell of a job turning Will into an SEC qb. His ability to read defenses and see the whole field are light years better than they were at the start of the season.

 

[#ShowOff]

What I wonder is whether Leach letting the qb check into running plays is something new or if Will has had that option for a while, but just wasn't yet reading defenses well enough to feel comfortable changing the play called by the coach. I am not a Leach fan, didn't like the hire, but somebody is doing a hell of a job turning Will into an SEC qb. His ability to read defenses and see the whole field are light years better than they were at the start of the season.

Will has made tremendous strides this season. It's good to see the QB improving.

This will be a good season if Leach can win the Egg Bowl in Starkville. He doesn't want to be 0-2 in that game. It's been a season of ups and downs. End on an up.

We will move the ball vs Ole Miss...but in the Red Zone...give it to Marks & Johnson. Feed them. They will score.