Kentucky’s performance vs. Georgia offers hope for rest of season, but questions linger

Now 12 years into his Kentucky football coaching career, Mark Stoops’ stance on moral victories is clear.

“We’re 10 years past that,” Stoops said after his team fell just short in a 13-12 loss to No. 1 Georgia. “But I do care about the way we play. I do care about our preparation. I care about the way we represent the fan base, the way we represent this university, the way we play.

“And we played hard and thought we had opportunities to win a game.”

Stoops might dismiss the idea of a moral victory, but how Kentucky fans feel about the near miss against Georgia likely comes down to their opinion on the subject.

After an abysmal showing in a home loss to an unranked South Carolina team a week ago, no one gave Kentucky a chance to even keep things close against Georgia. The fact that the Wildcats led at the end of three quarters and had a possession with a chance to take a lead late in the fourth quarter would have certainly shocked almost all of the 61,000-plus fans at Kroger Field before the game.

But when Stoops elected to punt on fourth-and-7 at the Georgia 47-yard line with 3:02 remaining in the game and Kentucky down by one point, the decision certainly looked like an admission that UK’s offense was not up to the task of gaining 7 yards in that situation.

“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 the length of the field. And that was going to be tough against that defense in a predictable pass situation.”

The decision mirrored the game plan at the end of the first half, when Kentucky looked satisfied to line up the third of what ended up being four Alex Raynor field goals in the game rather than take a shot at the end zone from the red zone.

Now, Kentucky’s offense has been held without a touchdown in both its games against SEC opponents.

“Certainly was proud of our guys and how we ran the ball, but we got to work to become a complete offense,” offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said.

Kentucky’s defensive performance against Georgia, holding the Bulldogs to their fewest points since the 2021 season opener, suggests Stoops’ squad should have a chance to win games moving forward when its own offense isn’t facing defenses as strong as Georgia or South Carolina.

The path to bowl eligibility becomes clearer with games against Ohio, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Florida and Murray State still on the schedule. It is also easier to imagine the Wildcats pulling off an upset in its remaining games against ranked foes Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas and Louisville.

But a program that is beyond moral victories should also have bigger goals than simply extending its eight-season bowl streak.

“We have been highly competitive in this league, and we’ve played really good football games against really good football teams for a good long time now,” UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart told the Herald-Leader before the game when asked about the direction of the football program. “And so I have confidence that we can do that again.

“I think that we’ve recruited at a really high level, at the highest level of recruiting this program has probably ever had under Coach’s leadership. So we’ve got good players, and we’ve got some guys out there that are game-changers in the game of football. We’ve got playmakers in spots. We’ve got to find ways to put all that together and make sure that we’re accomplishing some of the goals that we have.”

Barnhart acknowledged that a 12-team playoff should give programs like Kentucky more hope.

The Wildcats were never going to make a four-team playoff field, but could have at least been in contention in both 2018 and 2021 if the field had been expanded to 12 teams then. When Stoops told reporters at SEC Media Days in July he was not interested in just “existing” in the new-look Southeastern Conference with Texas and Oklahoma, no divisions and NIL collectives flexing their might, it was an acknowledgment that simply reaching bowl games was no longer enough.

An optimist can view the Georgia performance as proof that playoff contention is not too far away for Kentucky. A pessimist will note the result on the scoreboard is all that matters and ultimately Georgia was still able to beat Kentucky despite its own self-inflicted mistakes.

The way the rest of the 2024 season plays out will say much about Kentucky’s place in college football’s new reality, but for now Stoops and company will have to hope it at least spurs the confidence needed to right the ship quickly.

“We don’t do moral victories,” safety Zion Childress said. “We lost today, so if we’re not ready to go to work on Monday, better look in the mirror.”

The challenge eases next week against Ohio, but Kentucky has not been immune from struggles against perceived lesser opponents. A trip to No. 5 Ole Miss follows before the first of two off weeks this season.

After the off week, Kentucky faces perhaps its most pivotal three-game stretch of the season against Vanderbilt, Florida and Auburn. If Kentucky has at least five wins heading into the Nov. 2 game at Tennessee, a bowl berth should be assured with more opportunities to grab the marquee victory that eluded it Saturday.

Then, moral victories won’t need to be in the discussion anymore.

“Let’s be honest, it was a hard week, and nobody around our facility felt very good,” Stoops said, alluding to the fallout of the South Carolina loss. “And we won’t feel very good tomorrow, but at least I know a little something about this team now.”