If Kentucky is to reach the postseason, Mark Stoops is going to have to rely on his team’s defense to carry the Wildcats to a bowl game for the first time in five years, and that’s a lot to ask from a unit that has underachieved so far this season.
In order for the Wildcats (1-2) to end the bowlless streak, they must make strides defensively as they delve into the most significant portion of the Southeastern Conference schedule. Five of the next six games — all against league foes — are winnable, with the only exception being an Oct. 1 encounter at top-ranked Alabama.
Three games into the season, Kentucky’s defense — from the trenches to the secondary — has been disappointing and has failed to show they can stop any team for four quarters. Stoops’ squad has done so in bits and pieces but not over the long haul.
It’s not exactly the progress many expected under Stoops, who made a name for himself as one of the top defensive coordinators in the collegiate ranks during his previous stint at Florida State.
Last week, Stoops, now in his fourth season, took on a more of an active role with the defense, teaming with coordinator D.J. Eliot to simplify the Cats’ defensive schemes. Following a dismal showing in the first half of a 62-42 win over New Mexico State, the Wildcats gave up just seven points in the final two quarters and had a clutch interception in the second half, giving Stoops and Eliot something to build on going into Saturday’s game against South Carolina.
To their credit, Eliot and Stoops made the proper adjustments at halftime to slow down the Aggies, who unleashed their will on the Wildcats in the first two quarters. The second-half turnaround against New Mexico State signified the Wildcats are capable of making adjustments with their own personal and succeeding.
Sure the youth movement has been prevalent on defense, but considering the experience most of Kentucky’s players gained last season, lack of playing time shouldn’t be an issue this year, especially in the secondary, a unit Stoops consistently raved about during the preseason.
Aside from the first half of Kentucky’s 44-35 loss to Southern Mississippi in the opener, the secondary hasn’t lived up to the hype but neither has the rest of the team’s defensive unit. In fact, when stacked against the other 13 conference teams, the evidence is telling and the numbers don’t lie.
Kentucky ranks last in the league in scoring defense (43.7 points per game), total defense (528 yards per game), rushing defense (243 ypg) and pass defense (285 ypg), not necessarily the numbers Stoops expected to see, especially with a roster stocked with his own recruits and transfers.
Stoops expected more, but will be demanding results and not excuses with nine games remaining. The final outcome of those last nine contests could result in a make or break scenario for Stoops. It could ultimately be the defense that decides his fate following the season.
Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter