Cats Ready to Get Back to Work After Saturday Setback

The 2020 football season opened with a very tough task for Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops and his Wildcats. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Southeastern Conference elected to play a 10-game, conference-only schedule. The Cats drew one of the toughest week one assignments, facing eighth-ranked Auburn on the road.

In Saturday’s contest, Kentucky jumped ahead early on a 35-yard touchdown dash by Kavosiey Smoke, setting the tone that the Cats came to the Plains with big things in mind. But in the end, it was turnovers that played a key role in the game as Auburn prevailed 29-13 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The statistical numbers certainly don’t tell the entire story. Kentucky outgained Auburn 384-324. Kentucky had more passing yards (239-233) and more rushing yards (145-91) than the Tigers.

One statistical number was the story of the game. Kentucky had three turnovers while Auburn had none.

After the game, Stoops saw some things that the Cats did well, including going toe-to-toe against a top 10 opponent on the road.

“We did some really good things in this game and then did some things we have to improve on,” the UK head coach said. “We made too many mistakes to beat a quality opponent like Auburn on the road. There are things that all of us need to do better, but there’s an awful lot of good things – a lot of things to build on.”

Kentucky’s first turnover of the game came at a critical juncture in the game. The Cats trailed 8-7 late in the first half but looked like they were going in for a score to retake the lead. After Chris Rodriguez Jr. appeared to score, but was not rewarded a touchdown, Kentucky faced third and goal at the one yard line. Quarterback Terry Wilson tried to hit Rodriguez with a pass in the end zone, but Auburn’s Roger McCreary intercepted it and returned it for a touchdown that ended up being overturned due to a targeting penalty. Still, it was a huge missed opportunity for the Cats just before the half.

Stoops knew just how important that sequence was in the outcome.

“We have to get the ball in there at the end of the first half,” Stoops said. “That’s obviously a critical moment to get some points there.”

Nonetheless, the Cats trailed by just one at the break and got the ball to start the second half. But UK’s first drive in the third quarter fell flat, with a three-and-out. Auburn would extend its lead to 15-7 on its second possession of the third quarter, but the Cats answered when Wilson hit Akeem Hayes with a touchdown pass. The two-point conversion failed and Auburn led 15-13 near the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the UK defense stopped Auburn, but the Cats were unable to take advantage. In fact, Wilson fumbled in Kentucky territory, setting Auburn up with a short field. The Tigers took advantage, adding a touchdown to lead 22-13. Auburn would add another score later to put the game out of reach.

Wilson, who saw action for the first time in over a year due to injury, made no excuses after the game.

“It’s just tough to win a game when you have turnovers,” Wilson said. “No excuses, just have to be able to hold onto the football. Just gotta keep moving on and get better.”

Despite the miscues, Wilson saw some positives in the game.

“We did a lot of big things, good things against a good team,” Wilson said. “We have to shake that one off and move on. We have to come to practice and get ready to go.”

Stoops agreed that there were some things that the Cats can build on.

“I thought we did well. I thought we were very physical and kept them off balanced for a good portion of the game,” Stoops said.

However, the Cats are not looking for moral victories.

“I’m disappointed in the outcome,” Stoops said. “I think there was two, three, four plays that, once again, could have swung the game, and certainly about a five-minute span where we turned it over essentially twice with the fumble and the option with the fake punt.”

Stoops, who never wavers from the path of hard work that has helped build the UK program during his tenure, thinks that the mistakes from Saturday can be fixed.

“I’m very confident we can get them corrected and move on.”

The Cats can take some positives away from Saturday, as well as some lessons to be learned. While it wasn’t the win they had hoped to open the season with, perhaps this game can serve as a learning tool going forward.