By Keith Taylor
Special to the NKyTribune
Kentucky is glad October is over.
The Wildcats (4-4, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) ended the month with a three-game losing streak on the heels of a narrow 34-27 overtime win over neighboring Eastern Kentucky University.
The three-game slide began with a 30-27 setback to Auburn, followed by two straight blowouts, including a 52-21 loss to Tennessee last weekend at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky’s first six games were decided by eight points or less. However, the Wildcats have been outscored 94-37 in the past two games.
Kentucky’s players, led by quarterback Patrick Towles and linebacker Josh Forrest, called a players only meeting this week just to make sure they were on the same page and remain focused on the team goals for rest of the year.
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said Thursday the Wildcats are unified and havn’t felt any division within the camp on either side of the ball.
“Knock on wood, there hasn’t been any of that (division) since I’ve been the head coach here,” he said. “You go back to (the first year and second year), there’s always frustrations, certainly. On our team since I’ve been here, we’ve played some good defensive games and some good offense, and vice versa. We play the very best we can as a team and that’s always our goal.”
Stoops said the Wildcats aren’t in a state of panic and he is confident they will bounce back in their third road game of the year.
“It (the performance against Tennessee) is not good enough and not acceptable, but we know there are plays in there we have to build on, and good things on both sides of the ball, we can do and will do,” he said. “It is a loss and we can’t let that shake us up and worry us as we move forward.”
The Wildcats will be without running back Boom Williams, who injured his elbow in last week’s loss to Tennessee. Stoops said Thursday Williams is progressing from the injury, but isn’t healthy enough to return to the lineup.
Kentucky hopes the final month of the season is kinder and gentler, starting Saturday at Georgia. Like Kentucky, the Bulldogs (5-3, 3-3) didn’t fare well during the second month of the season. Georgia compiled a 1-3 record in October and is coming off a 27-3 loss to No. 11 Florida.
“It’s not over yet,” Richt said. “At this point – we didn’t make it to the (SEC) championship. That’s all I can say right now. It’s been up and down, but we’re battling. We’re battling.”
Although Georgia hasn’t enjoyed much success lately, they have dominated the series against the Wildcats, winning the last five games, including a 63-31 rout last year in Lexington. Richt, in his 15th season with the Bulldogs, is 12-2 against Kentucky. One of those setbacks was a 34-27 loss at Athens in 2009, the Wildcats’ last win over Georgia.
Like Stoops, Richt isn’t ready to call it quits on the season.
“We’re Georgia,” Richt said. “We’re a team. We work together. We’re going to fight. We’re going to fight together and we’ll do the things we think we need to do to get better as we go.”
Both teams would like nothing more than to start off the new month with a win and Stoops knows it’s the only way his team can regain the momentum it enjoyed during the first half of the season.
“The only way you can erase this feeling in your program is to get a victory (and) I am sure they feel the same way, just like we do — to go out and play a very good game this week,” Stoops said. “It will be another tall challenge to play a team as deep and as physical as Georgia.”
Game tracker: Kentucky at Georgia, noon, Saturday. TV/Radio: SEC Network, 98.1 WBUL.
Keith Taylor is a columnist and senior sports writer who covers Kentucky athletics for KyForward.