It is Already Gut Check Time for the Wildcats?

Kentucky has to play better against Georgia to avoid fans hitting the panic button. (Vicky Graff Photo)

Two games into the season and it’s already gut-check time for Kentucky.

After opening the season with a 31-0 shutout of Southern Mississippi, a contest that provided a glimpse of what Bush Hamdan’s offense would look like despite the adverse weather conditions, the Wildcats failed to reach the end zone in a 31-6 loss to South Carolina.

It took a late touchdown for the Gamecocks to hold off Old Dominion in their season opener but had an easier time in their Southeastern Conference opener at Kroger Field. The surprise was South Carolina’s ability to limit the Wildcats to a pair of field goals and Kentucky’s inability to compete on a level playing field with the Gamecocks, especially up front.

Granted, two games can’t be used as a measuring stick for the remainder of the year, considering 10 more games are remaining. It’s not time to push the panic button just yet, but an itchy finger isn’t far off.

While the Wildcats have enjoyed success against non-conference opponents with 17 straight wins against opponents outside the SEC, the trend against league foes is concerning. The Wildcats have won just two of their last nine conference games and have lost three in a row to South Carolina, a team of the same caliber as the Wildcats.

Consistently beating marginal league foes such as South Carolina, Mississippi State, Missouri, and Vanderbilt, along with an upset or two over Tennessee or Florida, has provided a formula of moderate success for the Wildcats. Breaking even and even winning five games against conference teams has been a standard under coach Mark Stoops.

It took three years for Stoops to recover from the Joker Phillips era and he led the Wildcats to 10 wins and a berth in the Citrus Bowl in 2018. Ten wins and five SEC victories in 2021 were wiped off the slate following rules violations, and the Wildcats haven’t been the same since.

Kentucky has reached the postseason in each of the past eight seasons but has lost two in a row after winning four straight bowl games from 2018-2021. Seven wins have been the ceiling the past two years.

While Stoops has led the Wildcats to milestone wins during his tenure, he hasn’t been able to sustain consistency within his coaching staff, especially on the offensive side of the ball. He’s hired six offensive coordinators in his 13 seasons as coach of the Wildcats, including one — Liam Coen — who served a pair of one-year stints calling the plays.

Unfortunately, turnover is a trend in college athletics and has only increased in the past few years under the transfer portal and “Name, Image, and Likeness” make it increasingly important for head coaches to retain their coaching staff.

Significant upgrades have been made under Stoops, giving the Wildcats the facilities to compete with the upper echelon of the SEC. But Kentucky can’t afford to continue the recent trend against league opponents.

Traditionally, Kentucky teams under Stoops have bounced back after horrendous showings when it looks like fans are giving up.

Although it would take a near miraculous effort to upset top-ranked Georgia on Saturday, the Wildcats can’t afford to duplicate the performance they displayed against the Gamecocks or that itchy finger may move directly to the panic button even if it is September.