Kentucky Football’s surprise College Football Playoff dream is officially dead, and the most frustrating part is that it was completely on the Cats.
Even in losses this year, the quarterback hasn’t looked terrible, but that was not the case Saturday night.
Minchey finished 15-of-26 passing with one touchdown pass and one rushing touchdown. The quarterback was off all night long. He was under duress most of the night because Malachi Wood is simply not good enough. But even when the line held, Minchey was just
off.
It didn’t start that way, though.
Kentucky football starts hot, cools off vs. Florida
Things actually started perfectly for Kentucky.
The Cats marched right down the field on a methodical 15-play, 86-yard drive to score on their opening possession. But Kentucky completely vanished after that script ran out, failing to find the scoreboard again until Minchey punched in a quarterback sneak with just over seven minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter.
You never felt like the Wildcats were in firm control of the game, and I put that squarely on the coaching staff’s uninspired playcalling combined with a nightmare game from Malachi Wood.
Minchey looked poised in the pocket when given time, which was almost never. To his credit, Brad White brought the heat against Minchey, and the Cats couldn’t make the Gators pay. We rarely saw that kind of pressure while White was in Lexington. But it worked tonight.
Minchey showed good drive on his throws, especially a crucial 29-yard strike to DJ Miller in the fourth quarter when Kentucky trailed by seven. But that fizzled out because the Cats couldn’t hold up against a blitz and turned it over on downs.
But honestly, a quarterback can’t execute an offense when the right side of the line is a revolving door.
There were serious issues again with Malachi Wood. The right tackle, who has been under siege all year long, was badly beaten by Jayden Woods early in the third quarter. Woods delivered a solid hit that Minchey never saw coming, jarring the ball loose for a brutal fumble that led to a Florida score.
That strip-sack was honestly symbolic of the entire night, and the last two weeks in general.
Kentucky never felt in control offensively, constantly held back by poor protection and a lack of tactical adjustments.
When the Cats finally got a stop with just over a minute to go, Minchey hit DJ Miller, who let the ball go through his hands. He then missed a wide-open Willie Rodriguez, then had to throw one up as Florida brought pressure again.
3 straight incompletions, and the Gators knock off the Cats. Kentucky has just 20 points in the last two games. When everything was on the line, the Cats couldn’t finish.
Now any hopes of a surprise CFP berth are gone, and Minchey has to shoulder some blame. But Malachi Wood, Will Stein, and Joe Sloan have a hand in it too.
