The Kentucky Wildcats had a lot to be proud of for the fight they showed in Saturday’s 13-12 near upset of the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.
But there’s no tolerance for moral victories in the SEC, something that Kentucky coach Mark Stoops acknowledged after Saturday’s loss, which dropped the Wildcats to 1-2 on the season.
In his postgame press conference, the question on everyone’s mind was Stoops’ decision to punt with his team down by one and facing 4th-and-7 at the Georgia 47-yard line and just 3:03 remaining in the game.
Kentucky had three timeouts left but Georgia drove 50 yards to the Wildcats’ 35-yard line, in part because of a huge 33-yard Carson Beck completion to receiver Dominic Lovett. The Bulldogs punted the ball with no time left for quarterback Brock Vandagriff and the offense besides some ill-fated trickery.
The game ended when receiver Jordan Dingle was tackled while attempting a lateral in Kentucky territory.
Stoops wasted no time in addressing his decision to punt instead of keeping the offense out on the field on the previous drive.
“You know I’ve been honest with you for 12 years, and if I made a mistake like last week, I’ll tell you. I don’t regret punting that ball,” Stoops said. “I felt like if we went for it there and don’t make it, then our offense, if we stop them, has to go length of the field and that was going to be tough against that defense.”
Going the length of the field was something Kentucky was tasked to do anyway after taking over at its own 20-yard line with just 9 seconds to play following Georgia’s last possession.
“A predictable pass situation, that’s not our strength,” Stoops said. “It’s a play to our strength to pin them. Plenty of time to pin them and get the ball back. What I don’t like is one play during that four-minute drive where they hit the sail. We’ve got to man that up and not give them the sail route that was completed on their sideline. That’s the one play that will haunt right here tonight and for a long time.”
Kentucky fans and college football analysts on social media clearly disagreed with Stoops’ decision to punt.
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“I’m proud of our coaches and proud of our players,” Stoops said. “It was a hard week and they responded and played exceptionally hard. We’ll go back to work and try to find the plays necessary to finish them off.”
Kentucky will host the Ohio Bobcats in nonconference play in Week 4 at Kroger Field. Kickoff is set for 12:45 p.m. ET Saturday. The game will be televised on SEC Network.