Kentucky football took their second loss of the season in Knoxville against Tennessee, and the offense had an uncharacteristic evening in Neyland Stadium. Kentucky had 361 total yards of offense, they consistently moved the ball but self inflicted mistakes would stall out drives. This was a wake up call for Kentucky, but they still control their own destiny if they can win these final three games they will most likely get a playoff bid. Let's review the offensive side of the ball from the 34-6 loss to Tennessee.
We mentioned the Wildcats had 361 total yards of offense, which was the most Tennessee has allowed all season. When we previewed Kentucky's path to victory, two things we highlighted was Kentucky had to have a great opening script on offense and
they had to play clean. The opening drive was going perfectly for the Wildcats, driving the ball across midfield with a 10-yard run on 3rd and 6 to gain a first down but a holding call put them in 3rd and 16. Penalties were an issue in this game and the Wildcats had seven penalties after averaging just 4.5 penalties per game coming into this matchup.
The turnovers were drive killers that swung the momentum of the game, Kenny Minchey's first interception since week two was a shot play that got picked off in the end zone. Kentucky took a shot down field and still made Tennessee drive the length of the field, which is the type of turnover you are okay with having in the first quarter of the game. The two fumbles really destroyed two drives, Jovantae Barnes fumbled on a drive that had just started in the second quarter. The third quarter fumble came off a fumble from Qua Moss, the defensive back rushed off the edge and right tackle Malachi Wood was not quick enough to get a hand on him; this gave Tennessee a short field to extend to a two possession lead to start a brutal fourth quarter.
Kentucky got the football back and had just 14 yards on six plays, they failed to convert on a fourth down attempt. This allowed the Vols another short field, which led to a two-play touchdown drive that extended the Tennessee lead to 27-6 and ended all hope of a comeback. Kentucky had to get Tennessee in a dropback heavy game, and not capitalizing on drives did not allow them to do that. Tennessee was able to play with a lead for the entire game, which was the exact game script they wanted.
This was the only game of the season that Kentucky failed to score a touchdown in, and the offense has to bounce back quickly going forward. Luckily, they can now turn their focus to a Florida Gators team that has one of the worst defenses in the conference. This is a perfect get right game for the Wildcats to gain some offensive momentum over this incredibly important three game stretch. Kentucky was the sloppier team against Tennessee, and they have to play more buttoned up to win out of these last three games.
Everything the Wildcats want to accomplish is still in front of them. They get to face Florida at home, the final road trip of the season to Missouri and then host Louisville in the Governor's Cup to end the season. The Gators and the Cardinals have struggling defenses, but Missouri is a good well-rounded football team that will be a tough road test. If Kentucky can win out, they will most likely get a College Football Playoff bid so the team has to move on from this Tennessee loss quickly.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky offense review: Sloppy play leads to second loss
