Kentucky football defeated by the Florida Gators: 3 takeaways and postgame banter

The Kentucky Wildcats lost to the Florida Gators 48-20 in Gainesville on Saturday night.

The first half was about as bad as it gets for Kentucky. The Gators weren't consistent, but they made a few big plays that proved to be crucial in the long run. The Cats were stopped on the goal line once, and that made the point. A big kick return by Barion Brown at least kept the game close as Florida took a 27-13 halftime lead.

After the break, the management (and camera crew) got even worse. One questionable call after another from both Kentucky officials and coaches gave the Cats no chance. I can't leave out the touchdown Florida scored when it was just a yard from the goal line, but the Cats were their own worst enemy again.

This season is a lost one.

Next up, the Cats return home to take on the Auburn Tigers next Saturday night.

The offense was cruel…again

It begins and ends with Brock Vandagriff. Georgia's transfer has been mediocre at best this season, and he was terrible in this game.

After the South Carolina game, people assumed, or should I say hoped, that the quarterback didn't do that so bad-The offensive line was the problem. Unfortunately, while the offensive line hasn't been great, it's certainly not this team's biggest problem. This belongs to Vandagriff.

When he doesn't have time, he panics. When he has time, he acts like he doesn't know what to do with the ball. You can see a flash every now and then, but you don't have to be a football expert to realize that it's just not very good.

The running game is fine, but you certainly can't rely on it. The offensive coordinator makes quarterback changes like it's his only job, and the management was skeptical, although not entirely to blame.

The problem is that this team is built to pass the ball, especially with Chip Trayanum out (he returned tonight, sort of), but the running game is the only thing keeping this team afloat. The receivers are talented, but they are either underutilized or not utilized properly. Then it feels like every time the Cats get going, someone drops a pass.

It's bad. It's hard to watch. And it's getting worse every week.

All systems are down

We've gotten used to Kentucky's offense struggling this season. That's no surprise. The bigger problem in this game was how poor the defense was.

The Gators' starting quarterback Graham Mertz suffered a season-ending injury last week, leaving true freshman DJ Lagway to take the reins. He completely embarrassed Kentucky.

The Bend Don't Break defense was in full effect from the start as Florida advanced into the red zone on its first two possessions, but the Cats forced field goals. Kentucky responded, and I assume most BBN members assumed the defense would hold on and give the Cats some momentum. They didn't do that.

The Gators made one big play after another as the defense had no answer in this one. Lagway wasn't particularly impressive throughout the game, but it didn't take many finishes to open the game.

Because the offense is so bad, the defense has to be perfect for Kentucky to have a chance. Kentucky averaged just two points per game in SEC play prior to this game. No matter how strong the offense was, the defense didn't even give them a chance. It was a failure of all systems.

Misconduct in coaching

As has become commonplace under Mark Stoops, the offensive coordinator has no idea what he's doing and Stoops has no idea how to make adjustments.

On paper, this is the best Kentucky team Stoops has ever had. The schedule is a beast, so a 7-5 season seemed reasonable despite all the talent, but other than the Ole Miss win, Kentucky appears to be lucky to win one more game this season.

The talent is plentiful, but the coaching apparently isn't. I think Stoops called it, and it's obvious to almost anyone who continues to waste four hours every Saturday watching his team play.

It's fair to wonder if Mark Stoops has lost his program.