Kentucky at Georgia -- The Aftermath
by Truzenzuzex on Nov 18, 2007 10:06 AM EST
in Football
20 comments
An interesting thing happened to Kentucky's football team on the way to a great season -- they forgot how to play offense.
That's passing strange, because up until the last 3 games, the Wildcats knew how to play offense pretty well. But starting with the Mississippi State game, something happened that has not yet un-happened. André Woodson went from the toast of the town and a Heisman Trophy candidate to a pretty ordinary SEC quarterback. The result of that transformation has been an offense that struggles to move the ball, and struggles to score at their opponent's end of the field.
Earlier in the year, Andé Woodson was throwing precision passes, dissecting offenses with the efficiency of a surgeon who has performed the same operation many times. Suddenly, Woodson's precision now looks very ordinary at best.
The failure of Kentucky to move the ball through the air makes it harder for the rest of their offense to click. The result has been predictable, and Kentucky's offensive efficiency is no longer a thing to be feared in the SEC. Three-and-outs are becoming common, and the swagger that the Wildcats had earlier in the year has been replaced by a kind of tenuous semi-confidence -- something like, "There is nothing really wrong -- we'll get it back. No worries." When does this sort of casual assurance metastasize into denial? I would argue Woodson and the offense have now reached and passed that point.
Kentucky's offense is broken, and André Woodson is the primary reason why. His completion percentage is dropping, as you would expect for a quarterback playing poorly, but there are more troubling signs -- Woodson is not hitting receivers in stride anymore, nor for that matter, even around the numbers. He is throwing high, low, and wide, making yards after the catch that were once a hallmark of Kentucky's wide receiving corps difficult to come by. Want specifics? Yesterday, Woodson left at least two and arguably three touchdowns on the table by overthrowing his receivers -- once to Keenan Burton, once to Dickie Lyons, and once to Jacob Tamme. In addition, he underthrew Johnson once where he had nothing but open field in front of him, forcing Johnson to make a diving catch. He overthrew Little in the middle of the field, forcing Little to make an incredible leaping catch that denied any opportunity for yardage after the play.
The troubling thing is, Woodson hasn't done this kind of thing all year until very recently. How many balls has he thrown deep to receivers hitting them in stride, or right in the numbers? What has changed? I think I know.
Woodson looks to be trying to think his way through a football game. Every possession, you can almost see the wheels turning in his head, planning every move. Now, while that may seem laudable for a quarterback, in reality it is a trap. That much cognition causes your reactions to be a split-second slow, and a tiny bit conservative. The result has been Woodson forced to throw a bit harder or a bit more to the safe side. This disproportionately affects the long pass and timing routes, as tiny hesitations make for larger errors the longer the pass is. In other words, instead of playing instinctive football, Woodson is trying to make cognitive judgments where there is simply no time for them. That's why he is holding the ball too long in the pocket. That's why he gets sacked when he should throw the ball away. That's why he is forced to put more zip on balls that result in throws that are wide of the mark.
As a former quarterback myself in high school, I know how this kind of thing can snowball. Suddenly, every possession seems so important that the tiniest error in judgment is life-or-death. Pressure begins to multiply, inducing you to think more and react less. A snowball begins rolling downhill, and before long it is the size of a house with a lot of momentum. Pretty soon, you are the snowball, not a football player.
I have no advice for André to escape this self-defeating malaise. It happens to all of us at some point or another. Some of us find a way through, and some simply don't. Golfers are particularly subject to this brain damage, and it has ruined many a promising career. For most football players, it takes care of itself in the off season. The problem is, André has no more off seasons -- if he doesn't figure this out next week, he never will as a Kentucky player.
The UK defense played its best game of the season yesterday, in my opinion. The Cats held the Dawgs to 283 yards of net offense, forced 4 turnovers (no "dropped balls" -- UK stripped the ball or made amazing interceptions in every case). Kentucky didn't dominate Georgia defensively, but the defense gave the kind of effort that wins football games, which makes it all the more frustrating that special teams and the offense let their outstanding effort go for naught.
Tim Mastay had a horrible day kicking the football, and it led to at least one Georgia touchdown. Kentucky's failure to cover the opening kickoff should have resulted in another, but the Cats' defense stepped up and took the ball away. A missed blocking assignment resulted in the Georgia nose tackle running straight up the middle and blocking a Mastay punt so thoroughly that he could have blocked it just as well if he had to run 10 more yards. That is utterly unacceptable, and led directly to a Bulldog touchdown.
Kentucky lost this game because of Woodson and the special teams. Those are the places where the blame goes, and nowhere else -- if the UK offense doesn't execute, they cannot win. Kentucky's special teams have been solid all year long. Maybe they had an off game, but that needs attending. The good news is, the Cats know what and where the problems are that need to be fixed. The bad news? UK lost an eminently winnable game and threw their best defensive effort of the year into the dust bin.
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Where's Our Players?
Woodson is obviously waaaay off his game. Why, though?
I don't have a good answer. And I am sure if the coaching staff did, they would have corrected it.
Long, short, wide, he's everywhere with his passes. Even relatively short screens, or passes in the flat.
A bona fide head scratcher.
He has been feeling more pressure in the last 3-4 games. But not so much that would cause him to morph into Freddie Maggard.
One thing to take into consideration is the fact that he did throw for 268 yards. Which isn't bad, except when one considers it should have been 368.
Hopefully Sanders and Woodson can hammer it out this week. He simply must play better in order for UK to beat UT. I hate UT. I hate losing to UT in anything. I have hated losing to UT for the last 79 years. Well, it seems like 79 years.
I have faith. I still believe. 9-4 is an attainable record. If that happens, I will have no complaints.
by Ken Howlett on Nov 18, 2007 9:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I think ...
I am a bit encouraged by our defense. This is absolutely the best defensive game we have had this year, and if we can continue, it has important repercussions for next year.
But I am disappointed by this loss. This wasn't like Mississippi State, who simply dominated us. This game was entirely winnable, and we were very competitive with Georgia.
by Truzenzuzex on Nov 18, 2007 11:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Defense...
by Gatorpilot on Nov 19, 2007 8:36 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Where has the O Line gone and...
Why in the world is Woodson hanging onto the ball for so long? We were down near their 15 with a 3rd and what 3 (we were at the game and I can never keep up with the stats as well while in the stands...) Somehow Woodson scrambles under pressure and takes a sack for a 20+ yard loss and takes us out of FG range and forces a punt. That was the turning point in the game as far as the crowd and momentum in that stadium. We were seated directly across from the UK bench and we saw Coach Brooks waving his arm in a throwing motion while Woodson continued to run backwards. That UGA D is FAST...and it was obvious Woodson was done. Why in the world he didn't throw that ball away and give us a chip shot FG is beyond me. Had we gotten that FG, that would have helped keep the momentum not so much on UGA's side. The momentum and emotion means SO much at the college level.
For some reason we are seeing UK abandon their core strengths- they could have thrown the ball as easily against UIGA as they did against Florida.
It seems like the teams actually switched jerseys during halftime. UK came out flat and trying to run the ball to no avail and UGA came out and pounded the ball. Seems Richt made the right adjustments and Brooks didn't.....
by ukfansinga on Nov 19, 2007 8:40 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Rich Brooks
That said, he makes errors towards the end of games that I just don't think should happen from a big-time coach, particularly with his experience. The latest example was going for it on 4th down at the end of the GA game. You need two scores - why not kick the field goal, attempt the onside kick, and then go for the touchdown? Obviously, a lot of things have to happen, and I don't begin for a second to think that the outcome would have necessarily been different, but still - you have to give your players the best chance to win, and RB didn't do it there. Add that to the failure to go for 2 at the end of the UL game that nearly cost us, and I also seem to remember a similar boneheaded move in another game this year, though I can't quite put my finger on it.
Eventually, one of these decisions is going to cost us a game that we should have won. He isn't calling plays, so shouldn't game management be the one thing that he is responsible for and doesn't screw up??
Of course, all this is out the window if we beat Tennessee, and I will name my first born "Rich Brooks." :)
by NYCCats on Nov 19, 2007 8:55 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Not really on-topic...
Son: "Daddy, are we watching the Georgia play that team from Louisiana today?"
Father: "No son, that's game is pay per view only and we can't get it on Satellite."
Son: "That sucks!"
Father: "Stinks, son...not sucks."
Son: "Sorry. So, what are we going to do today?"
Father: "I figured we'd watch the Florida-Tennessee game, son."
Son: "The Florida-Tennessee game? Yuk! But we hate those teams."
Father: "I know. But it should be a good game."
Son: "But who do we root for, daddy?"
The father takes a long sip of his morning coffee. With a knowing smile, he puts his arm around his impressionable son's shoulders.
Father: "Son, it's a Meteor Game."
Each man with children has moments that define his role as a father. Often, these defining moments come in the form of an innocent question from a child. "What is sex?" "Is lying wrong?" "How does Don King get his hair to do that?" "Who do we root for?"
The third Saturday in September is this Saturday. It's an unspoken holiday in the state of Georgia. This Saturday, across the state, fathers will be explaining the time-honored concept of the Meteor Game to young sons in record numbers.
This Saturday, fathers will be helping impressionable minds grasp the notion that when watching Tennessee play Florida, you don't root for either team to win; you root for an enormous asteroid to make the journey from its natural habitat in a belt between Mars and Jupiter to an orange and blue den of iniquity in Gainesville, Florida, picking up horrific speed along the way.
You root for an impact so immense that the resulting heat has an anti-septic, cauterizing power great enough to wipe the scourge of these unsavory teams, their coaches, their fans, the street vendors and the garish tchotchkes they sell off the face of the earth forever and ever. (Amen)
Son: "So, I think I get it. But how big a meteor are we rooting for, Daddy?"
Father: "Son, we're rooting for the kind of meteor you hire Aerosmith to write a song about."
Son: "Geez, that's a big one."
Father: "It certainly is, son. It certainly is."
by chirop1 on Nov 19, 2007 8:56 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
BTW
by NYCCats on Nov 19, 2007 9:19 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
King
by chirop1 on Nov 19, 2007 11:04 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
What a Waste
Woodson continues to get worse. After four years he hasn't learned to throw the ball away. He made that mistake as a sophomore and still makes it. When the rush gets to him he panics and tries to run away. He doesn't have the speed to outrun anyone, throw it away Andre. After four years he is still not a mentally tough competitor. Why would anyone would draft him in the first round of the NFL draft? IMO he would have gone higher last year if he'd skipped his senior year. He's played himself into the second round or worse.
by 58Fan on Nov 19, 2007 3:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Re; 58Fan
If he can regain his form of lore, and lead UK to two more victories, he will be largely responsible for the best two year stretch of Kentucky football in many, many years.
He played so well for a year and a half, I have to believe he is capable of gathering himself, and righting the ship.
Your frustration is certainly understandable to me, though.
by Ken Howlett on Nov 19, 2007 5:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Re Ken Howlett
Maybe he can overcome all the Heisman hype and the NFL hype an close out his career on a high note. Last Saturday Burton made an out move, had the coverage beaten badly,was standing there waiting for the ball, but Andre threw it in the dirt. Burton just stood there and stared back at him. GO ANDRE!
by 58Fan on Nov 19, 2007 7:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Re: 58
I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by mostly other UK fans my entire life. I do have some extended family that are cursed with the UL syndrome. But it's all very civil....except when UL loses. LOL
As you note, Woodson has been very errant with his deliveries the last three games. High, low, wide, every conceivable missthrow. The fact that he was a highly accurate passer for a season and a half only 4 weeks ago, makes the decline in his skills all the more perplexing. It's not like he was barely getting by. He was becoming prolific.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for the 'Cats Saturday. If, for no other reason, then to keep you from living in purgatory for another year.
by Ken Howlett on Nov 19, 2007 10:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Actually
Saturday Tennessee will be playing for a SEC championship while Kentucky will be playing to stay out of the Music City Bowl. The Vols are likely to be much more motivated. It could be a long day. Hope not.
by 58Fan on Nov 20, 2007 5:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Skills
by davw83 on Nov 20, 2007 10:26 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I don't either ...
by Truzenzuzex on Nov 20, 2007 12:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Woodson's Decline
My statement about a decline in skills was simply a general statement about his lackluster play. I should have chose my words more carefully.
Decision making is the problem, which I agree, is a mental problem, not a physical shortcoming.
I'm with you. I have faith that Woodson and Sanders can solve the mystery.
As 58fan noted, UT has a lot on the line Saturday. After reading a few commnets from the 'Cats, I feel they very badly want to atone for the unfortunate events of the last few weeks.
I think A+ effort, and execution will be the result. If that turns out to be the case, UK should be triumphant. The boys in blue simply have more talent. If both teams play well, I like UK's chances.
by Ken Howlett on Nov 20, 2007 9:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
sorry for not posting earlier; alfonso smith
58Fan as bad as you have it in Tennessee I have it equally bad if not worse here in West Virginia where you're often considered a "mortal enemy" if you're not a WVU fan.
I'm still wondering why we don't use Alfonso Smith as running back anymore. Is it that same injury still bothering him that he received earlier this year? Yes I love Locke and Allen but Alfonso Smith always made good things happen for us before when he was placed in the game. I just don't understand why we're not playing him at running back right now.
We won the turnover battle 4-1 and still lost. That is never good news. I think we played winning defense but the offense just couldn't get it done once again. It's been that way in the past three games. I just don't understand it.
Our offensive line has struggled big time since the Florida game. We got better last year as the season went along but for some reason have gotten worse this year. And they really haven't been hit by the injury bug like most of the positions this year, which make our O-Line struggles even more curious.
Teams have been blitzing us a lot more I've noticed and we haven't been able to handle it for the most part. It actually seems they are daring Andre to beat them instead of Little and the rushing attack and so far unfortunately he hasn't when you think it would be exactly the opposite.
It appears to me that Rafael Little is still hurt. He just doesn't seem to have the explosive speed through the hole that we're used to seeing.
I'm wondering what's happening with fullbacks John Connor - or Conner - and Maurice Grinter. They played just fantastic earlier in the season but they haven't been used as much recently for some strange reason. I just don't get it again.
I love the way Derrick Locke has played. He has been just fantastic this year both effort-wise and really everything else. We wouldn't have won 7 games if weren't for him.
Ditto for Stevie Johnson. Sadly he is a senior and won't be with us next year. We'll definitely miss him that's for sure.
Andre Woodson has lost his confidence right now. He missed 5 or 6 wide open receivers even when he did have sufficient time to throw the football. I agree 100 percent with the posters here that it's mostly mental. He feels rushed by the defense even when he's not. That's my take.
We miss Burton desperately I notice when he's not 100 percent healthy. At 100 percent he draws all the attention and opens up plays for Johnson, Lyons, and Tamme. But when he's not they don't have to focus on him as much and they can instead focus on the other big three. That has hurt our offense as well.
Defensively we have just been not able to stop the run in the 2nd half of the season on a consistent basis. Our pass defense is actually not that bad but actually our pass defense's ratings are over-inflated because teams just don't have to pass it against us anymore because they know they can run the ball against us.
It seems to me that Myron Pryor has had an off year this season and really hasn't done as well as he did last year. That has hurt our run defense too.
Jeremy Jarmon has just been terrific as D-End but since the other D-Line guys are struggling teams now can double team Jarmon and neutralize him pretty well.
Woodyard and the linebacking crew have done fairly well but Braxton Kelley has been struggling somewhat the last few games. And Micah Johnson has done very very well when he's played but he too has been hit by the injury big team. And the subs except for Sam Maxwell really haven't been able to pick up the slack.
The secondary has been pretty good for the most but we have definitely missed both Marcus McClinton and Paul Warford big time. Notice how few times teams have throw the ball Trevard Lindley's way? That tells me that Lindley has done just a super job covering the opposition's best receivers. Sadly the other secondary guys except for McClinton and Warford haven't done nearly as well.
Tim Masthay looked just awful in the Georgia game and that too hurt us big time since all of UGA's scores seemed to come after his short kicks.
Lonas Seiber has most definitely stepped it up in the last few games but even he missed a 52 yard attempt but you really can't blame him for that. 52 yard kicks are difficult for even the best field goal kickers.
We just cannot break a long punt or kickoff return this year. We've been close at times, but close is not good enough except for horseshoes and hand grenades.
3rd down offense and defense have just killed us this year, especially in the last three games. We actually did great on 3rd down offense but 3rd down defense has struggled the year. 'Nuff said about that.
As good as we have been going 7-4 so far I think what's hurt us the most is the number and seriousness of our injuries this year. Just like the last two years the injury bug has decimated this team it seems like no other team in college football. I still don't know the reason why. I just don't understand it. This year we have been able to overcome them for the most part since our depth is greater than it ever has been before. Problem has been that the opposition can now focus on players like Locke knowing that he is really the only guy out there. That even mystifies me more as to why Alfonso Smith is not in the game.
I've already said that the Mississippi State and Vanderbilt games were the most important games of the season and perhaps our football program as well. Now I'm saying the same thing for the 3rd time this year, this time against Tennessee.
Well it's time for this awful streak, now the longest in the country since Navy beat Notre Dame eariler this year, to end. We have come so close to ending it so many times it's not funny. We outplayed Tennessee in every aspect of the game last year except field goal kicking and red zone offense and lost a game we actually outplayed Tennessee in.
Tennessee is playing their absolute best football of the season and we're not right now. But Tennessee has been inconsistent at times this year especially on the road, and U of Kentucky has them at Commonwealth this year. Tennessee decided to go back to traditional Tennessee football in the Georgia game and run it straight up the gut and run play action with very talented QB Eric Ainge and the results have been great for the most part. They dominated a team that beat us pretty good. We have to find a way to neutralize Tennessee's running game and make Ainge beat us with his arm. Yes Ainge is a top-notch QB but we must force Tennessee to be one-dimensional. If not the streak continues.
And we must run the ball effectively ourselves to open up the playaction pass for Andre and make his life a lot easier in the pocket and thus give him some time to throw the football. If we can I think he will break out of his slump and have a great game. I'm hoping and praying that Little and Dixon are healthy and that Locke steps up for us again and plays like he has the whole year, and the O-Line plays for us like it did the 1st half of the season.
And please please Kentucky Coaching Staff please give the ball to Alfonso Smith at least 5 times.
I'm 50/50 as to who will this game.
IT'S TIME FOR THE STREAK TO END.
GO CATS! WE BELIEVE!
SHOCK THE WORLD THIS SATURDAY!
by ukcatfan191 on Nov 21, 2007 11:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Re:191
Smith has been playing on special teams. Why he isn't getting a few carries a game, I don't know.
He had a high ankle sprain, perhaps they don't want to overwork him. Those injuries are very tough to come back from.
You are right, Tennesse is playing their best football right now. On the road though, they have proven to be vulnerable.
I think Saturday's game will be a fairly high scoring affair, unlike last years contest.
As I noted earlier, beat UT, and the 4 losses are forgiven.
Have a great Thanksgiving!
by Ken Howlett on Nov 21, 2007 11:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Oh, by the way...
by Ken Howlett on Nov 21, 2007 11:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
happy thanksgiving to you mr. howlett as well
I'm hoping and praying that the longest losing streak in college football will end this Saturday afternoon.
It's going to probably take the whole entire 60 minutes of the game to do so though.
by ukcatfan191 on Nov 22, 2007 9:44 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
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