Sometimes, one coaching decision decides a football game. On Friday night against Texas, it was arguably the same baffling decision made twice on offense, and twice on special teams. We have covered the crazy decision to run it up the gut on 3rd and 4th down in OT, but special teams deserves a mention too. Why are you kicking the ball to game-breaking punt returner Ryan Niblett, not once, but twice?
The first warning ignored
After Niblett’s electrifying 45-yard punt return late in the first half set up Texas’ only touchdown through the first three quarters (and the whole game), logic dictated Kentucky would adjust. The obvious move? Punt the ball out of bounds, angle it away, you know the common sense thing to do. Don't let the opponent's most dangerous weapon touch the ball again with the game on the line. Even the announcers are saying it as the ball is snapped, do not punt this to Ryan Niblett. What did Kentucky do? They punted to Ryan Niblett again, and the explanation is dumber than the decision to do it.
Lightning strikes twice
Instead, facing a 4th down late in a tie game, Kentucky punted it right back to him. Niblett ripped off another massive return,43 yards this time, setting Texas up deep in Kentucky territory for a potential game winning field goal. While the Wildcat defense admirably forced that field goal, those crucial yards flipped the field and put Texas in position to take the lead. Kentucky answered with a great drive to tie the game, but they should not have had to. Those 10 points generated directly off Niblett's returns were ultimately the difference in a 16-13 game.
Stoops' defense vs. reality
On Monday, Mark Stoops defended the choices, seemingly deflecting blame. “Those were good punts… we had a guy right in front of him. He thought he’d fair catch it,” Stoops claimed.
That explanation feels flimsy. After watching Niblett shred the coverage unit once, punting to him again in a high-leverage situation borders on coaching malpractice. Stoops argued that “we’ve been exceptional in net punting all year,” which is akin to saying you’re a great driver, except for the two times you totaled the car this weekend. But you know, otherwise pretty good. Past success doesn't excuse present failure in critical moments. Especially, when he has already shown he can do it against your "exceptional" coverage.
A failure of risk management
Kentucky didn’t lose solely because of a scheme breakdown or a lack of effort on coverage. They lost, in large part, because of stubborn coaching decisions that ignored the obvious risk. When your defense is playing lights out and your offense is struggling to score points, risk management becomes paramount. The right call was the simple one: don't let Ryan Niblett beat you. Kick that think into the stands of Kroger Field
Instead, they gave the most dangerous player on the field another chance. And he made them pay, again.
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