Air Raid grounded as Kentucky Wildcats bullied by Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 35-26

Aug 31, 2013; Nashville, TN, USA; Western Kentucky Hilltoppers running back Keshawn Simpson (34) celebrates scoring a touchdown against the Kentucky Wildcats with teammates Western Kentucky offensive linesman Ed Hazelett (60) and offensive linesman Cameron Clemmons (52) during the first half at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

And that play came midway through the third quarter.  Kentucky was looking a bit better on offense and defense, and both teams had traded possessions.  Kentucky was driving and had the ball at the WKU 47 and faced a third and one.  Andrew Jackson burst through the Kentucky line and stuffed Jonathan George for a violent three yard loss.  And that play fired up Western and changed the momentum for the game.

Forced to punt, Kentucky gave Western an extra 15 yards on an interference call on the return.  Western gave UK a steady dose of Leon Allen as he carried the ball five times in a row, chewing up chunks of yardage.  Brandon Doughty then hit Mitchell Henry for the TD and it was all but over at 28-17.  Another three and out closed out the third quarter and Allen ran all over Kentucky some more.  Five plays and 60 yards later, Allen was in the end zone and it was 35-17 and getting ugly.

Jalen Whitlow was roughed up and sat out while Max Smith came in and the air game finally came to life.  Smith moved the ball with passes to Anthony Kendrick, Steven Borden, Raymond Sanders, and AJ Legree that moved the chains.  The offense stalled and Stoops had Mansour kick a FG as Kentucky fans booed the decision to not go for it.  On the next possession, we saw what Ryan Timmons is capable of as he rushed for 33 yards, but fumbled the ball and Western recovered.

Western was going conservative which allowed UK to start stopping them on offense.  Max Smith led another drive which culminated in a 34 yard touchdown to DeMarco Robinson.  Joe Mansour inexplicably missed the extra point which would have made it a one possession game with 1:47 left.  Mansour later whiffed on the onsides kick attempt, which effectively ended any drama as WKU held on for their 35-26 win.

And now Mark Stoops really has some decisions to make, starting with the QB decision.  The staff maintained that Jalen Whitlow gave the team the best chance to win, but the offense clicked with Max Smith in.  Smith was 8-13 for 125 yards and a TD while Whitlow was 10-15 for 78 yards.  Yes, Whitlow had 75 yards rushing, but he was inaccurate and seemed scared in the pocket at times.  He also threw two passes which should have been intercepted.  Whitlow can make things happen with his feet, but his passing may not be enough to implement the basics of the Air Raid offense.  I’ve said for a while that Max Smith was better suited and he showed it tonight.

And the defense was horrid.  The secondary made Brandon Doughty look like Johnny Football and the much hyped defensive line was a bust as WKU ran at will all evening.   And folks, this is still a Sun Belt team.  Kentucky had more talent, but Stoops got outcoached by Petrino.  And in the end, this loss goes on the coaching staff.  The defense was horribly unprepared and so was the offense as there were at least six false starts.  UK really made no changes in their defense the whole first half and 487 yards.  Throw in the ten penalties and you have the recipe for disaster.

But we knew this would be a tough season.  Just not this tough.  And while I still have plenty of faith in Mark Stoops and his ability, this was one of the easy games.  That said, you generally see the most improvement between game one and game two.  I’m excited to see how this staff responds.  But just remember.

Rome was not built in a day.