It’s the same movie Kentucky fans have seen a hundred times, a chance to turn the tide, only to walk away with heartbreak because of decisions made on the sideline. Saturday night's 16-13 overtime loss to Texas wasn't about effort, defense, or the quarterback. It was about the playcalling; horrendous, predictable, and ultimately, just ineffective.
Playing not to lose
Mark Stoops’ reputation for playing not to lose rather than playing to win was on full display. With less than a minute before halftime, redshirt freshman quarterback Cutter Boley was dealing, slicing the Longhorn defense apart with precision. From the Kentucky 15 to the Texas 38, Boley went 5-for-5. Then, with 13 seconds left at the Texas 35, Stoops froze.
Instead of trusting his hot quarterback, Stoops sent out the kicker for a 53-yard field goal. Predictably, it hooked left. “If I don’t get that kick off, I might as well not show up to the press conference,” Stoops said afterward on the radio. That logic reveals the core issue: the fear of scrutiny outweighed the desire to win.
Déjà Vu strikes Kentucky football
It wasn’t an isolated mistake. The game started similarly. On Kentucky’s first drive, facing 3rd-and-2 after a Boley scramble, a QB push went nowhere. On 4th down, they handed off to Dante Dowdell, a back averaging just 2.6 yards per carry in SEC play, who was stuffed. Remember that, because Bush Hamdan sure didn't.
Incredibly, that same player, who finished with just 27 yards on 11 carries, was inexplicably given the ball on two key downs from the goal line in overtime. The results? Identical. Stopped cold after jumping straight up in the air.
Outplayed, outcoached, out of luck
The Wildcats outgained Texas 395 to 179. They had 26 first downs to the Longhorns’ 8. They held the ball for nearly 40 minutes. And they lost.
That’s not bad luck. That’s bad leadership on the sideline.
Cutter Boley completed an incredible 31 of 40 passes (77.5%) for 258 yards, Kentucky’s highest completion percentage in a game since 1999 with that many attempts (Dusty Bonner) and had nothing to show for it. The defense held Arch Manning to 132 yards and zero touchdowns. Yet, Kentucky walked off Kroger Field watching the other team celebrate again.
Bush Hamdan’s red zone calls lacked imagination. Stoops’ conservatism sucked the life out of promising drives. And once again, a team that played well enough to win left with nothing but frustration. At some point, it’s not about putting players in position; it’s about making the right calls when it matters most. Kentucky didn't.
When is enough finally going to be enough?
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion