If you feel like you are living in a time loop watching Kentucky’s pass defense this year, you aren't alone. We wrote about it back in August and a lot of people said we were crazy. Well....
The numbers are atrocious. Kentucky ranks 117th nationally in yards per pass attempt allowed (8.2). Any quarterback with a pulse, from Diego Pavia to backups, has looked like an All-American against this unit; except for Arch Manning and something isn't right there anyway.
But what is more concerning than the stats is the explanation coming from the head coach who is the most tenured coach in the best football conference in America, the SEC.
The same problem costs Kentucky football 'again' and 'again'
When asked about the defensive backfield struggles, Mark Stoops offered this quote:
"We got to make sure we shore up our depth. It’s hurting us again this year."
That word,"again", is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
This is Year 13. This is Mark Stoops' program, built in his image, with his recruits who have been taught his way. Why is depth in the secondary still a problem?
A clear systemic failure
Stoops is a defensive back guru, or that's what we have been led to believe. That was his calling card. Yet, his secondary is routinely getting torched by basic schemes and explosive plays, and nothing they are trying is getting any better. Depth issues aren't "bad luck" anymore; they are a failure of roster management and development.
Soft zone coverage. Bad leverage. Missed tackles. We see it every Saturday. There are almost always receivers running wide open, sometimes because they forgot how to line up.
If Stoops wants to be the coach in 2026 that BBN actually wants, simply saying "we need more depth" isn't going to cut it. He has had 13 years to build depth. The fact that he hasn't is the real problem. But it does look like Stoops will be back regardless of tomorrow's result. Micah 7:7.