ESPN’s broadcast team didn’t hold back Saturday when breaking down Kentucky’s clock management at the end of the first half against Ole Miss.
With Kentucky driving and an opportunity to set up for a long field goal, questionable decisions left fans and commentators frustrated.
Play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough noted that while Mark Stoops has enjoyed success at Kentucky, sequences like this fuel
criticism.
“These are the kinds of things that if you are on the hot seat, they get you fired,” McDonough said. “It just does not look like a well-coached football team in terms of the management of the operation.”
Analyst Greg McElroy pointed to the offensive staff and how Stoops should be upset with the mismanagement.
“And he is lighting up members of his offensive staff,” added McElroy. “I mean, he should be. He’s not the one calling the plays, calling the formations. That’s coming from Bush Hamdan, the offensive coordinator, and the rest of the offensive staff. I mean, that is on the offense.”
Both questioned why the Wildcats didn’t simply spike the ball or throw it away to preserve time.
“Doesn’t someone have to say in his headset, ‘We don’t have another timeout. We can’t run another play in bounds. Just take the snap, throw the ball out of bounds, and we’ll take a field goal from 57 yards with six seconds to go,” McDonough says.
McElroy added that with direct-to-player communication, it should have been handled easily. Instead, Kentucky walked away with no points, a sequence that proved costly later on in the game.
For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Molly McGrath reported there were communication issues with the coach-to-player headsets that helped lead to the issues. Saying this, we’ve seen these same problems play out before under Stoops.
The sequence continues to highlight questions about Kentucky’s offense and in-game management.
