A quick glance at Kentucky Football's weekly press notes reveals many reasons why the Wildcats are 6-1 and ranked No. 12 entering this week's matchup with Missouri.
The Cats feature one of the best offensive players in the country in junior running back Benny Snell Jr., the SEC's leading rusher. They feature one of the best defensive players in the country in senior linebacker Josh Allen, the SEC's sack leader. Their offensive line continues to rack up league honors and their defensive unit is ranked No. 2 nationally in points allowed at 12.9 per game.
So why did Kentucky open as a touchdown underdog against a 4-4 Missouri team that has yet to win a league game?
It's a safe bet that a struggling air attack is the culprit.
The Cats threw for only 18 yards on Saturday in a closer-than-expected 14-7 win over Vanderbilt. In their previous game, a 20-14 overtime loss at Texas A&M, the UK offense managed only 108 yards passing. Fifty-four of those came on one play, a screen pass.
Kentucky is currently ranked No. 124 out of 130 FBS teams in passing offense at 127.3 yards per game. Only the three service academies (Army, Navy and Air Force), Maryland, Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern are worse through the air.
As a point of reference, the No. 50 passing team in the nation -- a modest South Carolina unit -- averages nearly twice as many yards per game (250) as the Cats.
On Monday during his weekly press luncheon, UK head coach Mark Stoops conceded that the lack of production has him concerned.
"We need to address it," Stoops said. ".... Certainly, we need to play better at that position."
Sophomore quarterback Terry Wilson has completed a respectable 63.9 percent of his passes this season but has only 122 attempts through seven games. He has recorded only 721 yards through the air with four touchdowns and five interceptions.
The junior college transfer has been a dangerous running threat but has also experienced ball security issues with numerous fumbles, which has some fans beckoning the staff to take a look at backup Gunnar Hoak.
"Certainly, we've got to look at all options like we always have," Stoops said. "I've always said that Terry's our starting quarterback and he's going to start this week, but we certainly need to look at the other guys and see if they can get an opportunity to get in there and play and help us.
"So we'll have a plan and we'll work Gunnar pretty extensively this week and have him ready to play as well."
Hoak, a third-year sophomore, has played in two games this season -- non-conference matchups against Central Michigan and Murray State. He has attempted only 14 passes but completed eight of those for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Film review of last week's game revealed that Wilson had chances to make plays with his arm but chose to run instead.
"There were times when he could have thrown the ball but didn't," Stoops said. "That needs to be fixed. That, I can't defend."
While praising Wilson for helping UK reach 6-1 at this point, Stoops said "We have an obligation to the rest of our team."
The staff is also concerned about the morale of its receiver corps, which is already asked to sacrifice some personal accolades in order to block for Snell and UK's powerful rushing attack. They are not getting the opportunity to make many plays, and the body language has shown some signs of frustration of late.
"Without a doubt, it's something to pay attention to and visit with them about," Stoops said. "It needs to be addressed. I understand that. Tell me a great wide receiver that doesn't want the ball, right?
"... I wouldn't say (the morale) bad, but I'd be putting my head in the sand if I said it doesn't need to be talked about. Those guys, we appreciate what they do and how hard they're working, but also, we need to improve in the passing game."
The need for a balanced offensive attack could be magnified on Saturday at Missouri. The Tigers are last in the SEC and 121st nationally in pass defense at 287.4 yards per game but are 7th/35th against the run at a respectable 131.6 yards per game.
Missouri has surrendered 33 or more points in five games this season but has also scored 35 or more in five games. The Tigers are coming off a 65-33 win over Memphis.
