I would say I’m usually not one to make excuses, but Saturday night in Neyland Stadium brought out a couple of times when excuses were warranted.
Kentucky traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee, sitting atop the SEC with a 7-1 overall record and a 5-1 conference record. Tennessee would elect to make November 7 their annual “Dark Mode” game, as the Volunteers have their backs against the wall in College Football Playoff consideration. Kentucky technically had one to play with, but obviously, would prefer
to keep the win streak going.
Will Stein’s Wildcats entered the contest as a touchdown underdog to the Vols, and for most of the game, that line appeared to be spot on.
Then, things blew wide open in the game, and you can honestly point to two different plays where, as I said at the beginning, excuses were warranted.
With 11 seconds remaining until halftime, Kentucky had the ball on the Tennessee 7. Kenny Minchey dropped back and delivered a strike in Willie Rodriguez’s direction, and Rodriguez was essentially tackled, resulting in what everyone thought would be a defensive pass interference.
The only problem: The referee who would make that call had his back turned, and nobody helped him out, forcing Kentucky to settle for three going into the half. A game that could’ve been 10-10 at the break ended up being 6-10 with the Cats trailing at halftime.
Here is the Willie Rodriguez no-call below
Another crucial no-call came when Tennessee’s Qua Moss lined up clearly offsides on a play that resulted in Moss knocking the ball out of Minchey’s hands and flipping possession. This play happened with 37 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter, with the score still one possession, 13-6, with the Vols leading.
With that play already on 3rd down, who knows what would’ve come of it, but even not getting a first down gives you the opportunity to pin them deep and let your defense work. The Vols would score a touchdown four plays later, extending the lead to 14 in the early 4th and essentially ending the game.
Here is the Qua Moss no-call below
In an environment like Neyland Stadium presented on Saturday night, you essentially have to play perfect to even have a chance in it. Kentucky played far from perfect, but the stripes certainly did Kentucky no favors. The refs were atrocious all night long, but it’s out of our control, so let’s focus on what we can control from that game.
The loss sucks; there’s no doubt. The season is far from over, though. Kentucky has three games left, and if you win those three, you’ll have a spot in the College Football Playoff. Florida comes to town with a man at head coach that Big Blue Nation wanted for quite some time, a man who wore the blue and white and walked the sideline as an assistant, go beat him.
Then, you travel to Columbia, Missouri, who has shown an up-and-down season, but is certainly beatable. Finally, you host your in-state rival, the team down I-64; just handle business and beat them.
Easier said than done, but the path is there.
