Special teams hurt UK again
ATHENS, Ga. – For the second consecutive week there was little “special” about Kentucky’s special teams in a 27-3 loss at Georgia.
Senior punter Landon Foster continued his season-long struggles with a 35-yard kick on the first punt of the game that was exacerbated by a 15-yard penalty for fair catch interference against redshirt freshman safety Mike Edwards. Georgia started the ensuing drive at the Kentucky 45-yard line and needed just six plays for its first touchdown.
After what was likely the Kentucky defense’s best possession of the first half, junior wide receiver Ryan Timmons muffed a punt from the Georgia 22-yard line to set up first-and-10 for the Bulldogs at the Kentucky 25-yard line. The UK defense was able to limit Georgia to a field goal after the fumble, but the Bulldogs still took a 10-0 lead.
“With the fumbled punt, there’s not a lot I can say about that,” UK head coach Mark Stoops said. “Obviously we can’t do it.
Post-game analysis | Cats blown out in Georgia
“Field position has been a major issue. Guys are grinding. There’s a lot that goes into it, and kickers are a big part of it. When their punter is knocking the heck out of the ball and their kicker is knocking the heck out of the ball that certainly helps your cover units.”
The two mistakes that led directly to Georgia points were far from the only special teams errors of the game for Kentucky.
In the first quarter freshman running back Sihiem King made an ill-advised decision to take the ball out of the end zone and was tackled at the UK 14-yard line. A penalty for a block in the back against senior linebacker Daron Blaylock backed the offense up to the 7-yard line to start its drive. Another illegal block during a fourth-quarter kickoff return gave the offense the ball at its own 6-yard line.
After Kentucky scored its only points of the game with 1:12 left in the first half, the Wildcats appeared to recover a pop-up kickoff at the Georgia 33-yard line, but an offside penalty against freshman cornerback Derrick Baity negated the play.
Game Rewind | Georgia 27, Kentucky 3
In perhaps the most telling moment of the afternoon for the UK special teams, even what appeared to be a gutsy call on the onside kick attempt turned out to be fool’s gold for Kentucky as Stoops admitted after the game he did not call for the fake. Sophomore Austin MacGinnis, who was not used on any other kickoffs as he continued to deal with an injury, had simply mishit the kick.
“I should take credit for that,” Stoops said. “It would’ve been the only smart thing of the day.”
Email Jon Hale atjahale@courier-journal.com. Follow him on Twitter@JonHale_CJ.
