Photo by Keyli Chisesi (Go Big Blue Country)
Consistency. That is what Matt House and Mark Stoops are looking for in the secondary this week, as Kentucky travels to Vanderbilt for an SEC Eastern Division clash.
A secondary that returned plenty of talent and depth has been less than stellar this season. As a team, the Wildcats rank 120th in the country in pass defense, giving up 279.4 yards per game. Also, opponents are averaging 11.92 yards per completion against the Wildcats this season.
To explain how bad the secondary has been, the UK offense has gained a total of 3,183 yards this season, while the Wildcat secondary has given up 2,515 passing yards to opponents. That is a 668-yard difference, which would be fine if we were talking about total defense but that is just passing yardage.
As bad as UK’s secondary has been, the run defense has been the opposite. The Wildcats are ranked 28th in the country at stopping the run, giving up 128.8 yards per game.
Overall, the secondary looked promising in September. Kentucky’s defense as a whole looked improved and ready to make a statement. However, something happened in the Florida game and since then, the Wildcats have looked out of position.
Often times opposing receivers have caught the ball and there hasn’t been a Wildcat within ten yards of them. The secondary has been burned with the deep ball multiple times, as Darius West has had to chase down a receiver to the goal line. That image is literally burned into my mind.
Crashing down and tackling hasn’t been the issue and the Wildcats have made plays in open space. Lonnie Johnson and Mike Edwards have looked great at times and so has Derrick Baity. The issue is consistency because when one is playing well, the others are not.
With three games remaining in the regular season, the secondary has to make plays. A unit that was regarded as a strength during the preseason has become a liability, one Kentucky can not afford to have if they want to finish strong.
The secondary doesn’t have to be spectacular; it just has to make enough plays as a unit. We know the secondary will bend but they cannot break. Timely interceptions would provide a lift, as the last time the defense recorded one was vs. Eastern Michigan on September 30th.
If Kentucky wants to finish strong and improve their Bowl location, the secondary has to step up and make plays.
