"We came up six inches short." That was Mark Stoops' assessment of the game-deciding play in Kentucky's 16-13 overtime loss to Texas. But the bigger question lingering over Kroger Field wasn't about the distance; it was about the decision itself.
'I wanted to play to win'
Facing 4th-and-goal from the Texas 2-yard line in overtime, Kentucky had a chance to seize control. Instead of trusting redshirt freshman quarterback Cutter Boley, who had been exceptional all night (31-of-39, 258 yards), or dialing up something creative, the Wildcats ran Dante Dowdell 3 times (11 carries, 27 yards) up the middle, and 2 times in a row on 3rd and 4th downs. He was stuffed all 3 times.
Stoops defended the sequence postgame. “There’s always a decision that I can definitely second-guess myself on, not that one,” he stated firmly. “I wanted to go to play to win… you put yourself in the position to win the game. We came up short.”
That is okay, I actually like playing it safe there. Of course Texas' offense looked like hot garbage all night long, but you score there and it is game over. If you do kick the field goal and so does Texas, are you ever going to get it better than 3rd and 4th down from the 1? Probably not. It was definitely not conservative in the decision, but it was way too conservative in the play calls.
A pattern of playing it safe?
But did the play call truly reflect a desire to win, or was it rooted in a fear of losing? That is the biggest question. The sequence felt emblematic of Stoops' late-game tendencies, defaulting to perceived safety over calculated aggression. It echoed the decision before halftime to attempt a 53-yard field goal instead of giving Boley another chance, a move Stoops justified by saying, "If I don’t get that kick off, I might as well not show up for the press conference."
That comment reveals a coach potentially more concerned with avoiding criticism than maximizing opportunity. While Stoops insists he wasn't coaching scared, the predictable, conservative calls in the game's most critical moments suggest otherwise. Against a stout Texas defensive front that had bottled up any run up the middle all night, running the same player up the gut twice felt less like playing to win and more like hoping not to make a mistake.
Kentucky's repeated heartbreaks often boil down to these moments. It's not about a lack of effort; it's about the choices made on the sideline when the pressure is highest. On Friday night, those choices left Big Blue Nation wondering if the program's identity is truly built to break through, or just to keep from breaking down. You decide.
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