Dbyrd2’s thoughts on the game, sans overreaction…

- Kiffin is not stupid. The right call was made almost every time last night in terms of game situations, from an offensive perspective at least.
————————————————————

- People saying we should have went for it on 4th and 1 may have a point, but with how our defense was playing a punt is NEVER a wrong answer. It damn sure didn’t cost us the game making them start deep in their own territory.
————————————————————

- Having made the previous point, Baker needs to be reigned in from a strategy perspective. He loves running exotic blitzes and formations so much that he outsmarts himself in critical situations.

We played basic formations in man coverage all second half, and UK had nothing to answer with. That’s when you saw Geralds and the rest of the DL start flashing. And then the last drive we go prevent, soft zone defense.

I get that analytics say it helps burn time, but you’re never burning a minute and a half in a prevent defense. They couldn’t beat us in simple four-man rushes, so why abandon it? Make them earn every yard when your secondary has locked them down almost entirely.

It’s coaching fundamentals, plain and simple. Analytics are a guideline. If you have the recipe, don’t change the main ingredients.

————————————————————

- The play call on the two-pt try at the end did not sink us, the lack of formation recognition did. Kentucky caught us out from the timeout, and made us pay. In that situation, you have to know as a linebacker that you’re being pulled to the perimeter because it’s man coverage… they just beat you.

The correct action (imo) is to run through the offensive line and get an encroachment call since we had no timeout left. That is game awareness and gives your team another chance. You are not supposed to be helpless on the field as a player, and SOMEONE on that field needs to know they are caught out.

It’s either that, or your check there is to have a DE fake a rush and then peel off to protect against the draw. Formation recognition against your play call and situational awareness in-game are what Baker is getting paid to address.

He failed, again, in that regard.

————————————————————

- The offensive line is painful to watch. Seaton is great, but it just so happens that there isn’t a soul on campus that can work directly beside him with any level of efficiency. That’s why he has been getting blasted the last few games… The tape is out, and teams know we have a gaping hole that is two gaps wide if they simply speed rush to the outside of Seaton.

————————————————————

- Leavitt is an instinct player, and you can’t coach that out of someone. The fumble was a dumbass play, plain and simple. With that said, his effort level and heart willed him to action when he should have simply thrown the ball away or took a knee.

Those things develop in a player with experience under a good coach. I don’t believe Sam had a good coach at this level at ASU. His passing has improved tremendously, and that shows that he is coachable and mentally capable.

If he stays for next year, look out… His talent floor is ridiculously high, and Kiffin is already showing how quickly he can coach up and change a QB in terms of improvement.

————————————————————

- The refereeing was absolutely horrendous. I’m not one to ever blame the officials’ calls on the field for a loss, but holy hell. I can think of AT LEAST 14 points that UK ended up with directly because of officiating.

Before the tush push, the reason Kiffin was working the officials is because our defensive linemen were offside. Yup, you heard me right… but why?

The UK center was moving the ball forward when he was getting set, which is clearly and inarguably illegal. It happened again before the tush push, and then the refs swallowed their whistle.

Holding took points off the board for us a couple times. A missed block in the back on the punt return gave them another seven.

Don’t get me wrong, they missed a few on UK too, but for Kentucky to have 2 penalties on the night is farcical with some of the things that were seen clear as day on the broadcast.

————————————————————

- We are likely looking at a 9-3 ceiling here, ladies and gents… Could be 7-5. I don’t think we fully grasped how bare Kelly left the cupboard. You can’t win without an offensive line, but if we had a DC that would just not try to get cute, we may be undefeated right now despite the offensive line.

I’m still a fan of Baker, but it he isn’t reigned in I’ll be glad to see who he is coaching g next year.

I don’t EVER want to see a single-file stack on a football field again unless it is an offensive I-Formation.