Staff roundtable: Where does UK go from here?

The Cats Illustrated staff goes to the roundtable for a discussion of Kentucky's loss to Southern Miss and where the team goes from here.

Derek Terry, Staff Writer: The offense only running 13 plays in the second half was obviously a big factor, but the defense's inability to get off the field was the biggest factor. Southern Mississippi did whatever it wanted to in the second half offensively and Kentucky failed to adjust and get stops. While the offense can take some of the blame in the second half, it did score 35 points in the first half which should have been enough for the defense to hold.

Josh Ellis, Staff Writer: Kentucky couldn't stop the run, simple as that. Southern Miss had nearly 200 yards rushing in the second half alone and the Cats had no answer for it. None of the runs were over 14 yards, allowing USM to milk the clock and march down the field possession after possession. It was clear the front seven wore down as the game went on, and depth issues became even more noticeable.

T.J. Walker, Basketball Recruiting Analyst: There were several factors, several plays but Kentucky's inability to stop Southern Miss on third down was crippling. USM had all the momentum in the second half but third down plays are so pivotal. One stop where USM converted could have completely changed the outcome of the game, but every time the Golden Eagles converted you could see UK's defense become more fatigued, deflated and defeated. Individual single plays include Blake McClain's dropped interception and a first half play, USM's touchdown just before halftime. That play likely kept USM's spirits high for a comeback.

Justin Rowland, Publisher: Lack of mental toughness. Dating back to last season and really two seasons ago the players on this team have yet to prove that their resilience and emotional maturity is up to their level of physical talent and football skill. They're obviously capable of playing much better than they did in the second half, but this program continues to allow things to spiral out of control, making a mountain out of a mole hill in key game moments. Call it a lack of leadership, call it a losing culture, call it whatever you want. Walking down at field level near the Kentucky bench during the third quarter, I saw a lot of blank expressions from players who didn't know what to say or do during the onslaught.

Derek Terry, Staff Writer: The front seven. I think the linebackers will improve as the season goes on but the defensive line is obviously a huge concern. It was a big concern in the preseason and nothing happened in the first game to alleviate those worries. Mark Stoops and D.J. Eliot will need to dig deep into their bag of tricks to find a way to make this defense at the very least competitive.

Josh Ellis, Staff Writer: Stopping the run. If Southern Miss can rush for a total 296 (!) yards against Kentucky then what will teams like Georgia, Tennessee and Louisville do? Adjustments are always going to be made after the first game but Kentucky was so bad stopping the run that I think it could take a few games just to figure out how to slow down opponent's run game. With the exception of a few bad pass interferences by the secondary I think it'll consistently produce at a high level this year -- but if the defense can't slow down the run than why would opponents even test those waters?

T.J. Walker, Basketball Recruiting Analyst: Front seven. Does this mean UK was perfect in other areas? Hell no. Far from it. But we knew the defensive line was going to struggle and it may have been worse than we thought. We know Nick Mullens is a solid QB and will be one of the better quarterbacks Kentucky will face this season. But no one expected USM to kill the Cats on the ground. 262 yards given up to USM is ridiculous and incredibly concerning for the rest of the season. The linebackers will improve but the defensive line is going to be a weakness all season.

Justin Rowland, Publisher: Offensive consistency, a less than dominant offensive line (that should have been dominant) and the defense (all of it). Aside from the issue of mental toughness raised in the previous question I think one related issue would be offensive consistency - another issue dating back to last season. For quite some time now (and maybe it's not entirely fair to trace the problem back to last year and before; there's only been one game in 2016) Kentucky's best offensive moments have too frequently given way to long struggles. The other main issue on offense was an inability of the offensive line to exert its will over a much smaller USM defensive front, although part of that was due to not having lengthy drives in the first half.

Defensively the issues are many. Quality depth, the defensive line, a lack of physicality in the linebacking corps and potentially some lapses in coverage assignments.

I think the issues on defense are probably beyond repair in the big picture this year. The coaches can call a different kind of game (see the last question/answer) but the personnel is what it is. I do think the secondary can clean up some of the lapses, but the front seven is what it is. On offense, the consistency can absolutely improve.

Derek Terry, Staff Writer: Drew Barker, Garrett Johnson, Jordan Jones and Tavin Richardson. Barker leads the SEC in passing yards after the first weekend of the season. He threw four touchdowns in the first half, a feat that hasn't been achieved at Kentucky since Andre Woodson did it against EKU in 2007.

Garrett Johnson hauled in two touchdown receptions and had seven catches overall, while Tavin Richardson showed he was worth the hype he received in fall camp. Jordan Jones had 19 tackles, which also led the conference. He battled with Eli Brown throughout fall camp but now would seemingly have that position locked down.

Josh Ellis, Staff Writer: The offense. Kentucky was so explosive in the first half of the Southern Miss game that if that's the offense that shows up every game, the Cats can give themselves a chance. Drew Barker had two costly turnovers I think he'll learn from. The run game was a bit concerning but Kentucky was on pace to surpass 200 yards on the ground in the first half and I think Boom Williams and Jojo Kemp are too good to keep themselves from becoming non-factors on offense. And certainly the talent at wide receiver is there. Garrett Johnson, Tavin Richardson, Jeff Badet and Dorian Baker are all guys who can make big plays.

T.J. Walker, Basketball Recruiting Analyst: The passing game. UK fans were dancing around in the first half thinking the Cats may truly have one of the better offenses in the SEC thanks to the passing attack from Drew Barker and UK's receivers. Kentucky's offense is going to be dangerous all season but the defense will have to help them out. Rhythm and momentum is huge for an offense, so when the defense can't force a punt and the offense is chilling on the sideline for a long period of time it's going to slow things down. But when things were clicking in the first half it was because Drew Barker was making some nice throws.

Justin Rowland, Publisher: Drew Barker's improvement, the play of the wide receivers, Jordan Jones at linebacker and J.D. Harmon in the secondary.

In the first half Barker was spectacular, of course, and that probably wasn't a fluke. He won't be that most of the time but he can still be good enough to win some games for Kentucky this year, especially with the receivers we saw in the first half. Jones was tremendous at linebacker and was all over the field, and Harmon's big plays will be among Kentucky's season highlights.

I thought for the most part Eddie Gran called a good game, with the exception of a little predictability on the second drive of the second half. And, related to Barker's improvement, Hinshaw seems to be helping with the little things.

Derek Terry, Staff Writer: I agree with T.J. on this one. Stoops said he thinks his secondary has elite talent. If he feels that strongly about his secondary then lean on them to make big plays. Kentucky's defense is going to have to turn into a high risk, high reward type to have any success. The front three isn't going to get much of a pass rush, but Kentucky has some athletic guys at linebacker that can get to the quarterback. Send them on blitzes more often than not and try to force Luke Del Rio into bad decisions.

Josh Ellis, Staff Writer: Yes. There were glaring weaknesses that stuck out in the Southern Miss game that need to be fixed immediately. Like I said in my previous answers, the run defense was so bad that things might have to be changed schematically. I'm with Derek and TJ on how to fix it -- load up the box with seven, maybe even eight guys and force opponents to beat UK through the air. The secondary is good enough to hold its own against most WR tandems, so by rushing the quarterback and loading the box opponents will have constant pressure on them to get the ball out quick.

T.J. Walker, Basketball Recruiting Analyst: Absolutely. Kentucky needs to attack and force its defensive backs to fend for themselves in one-on-one coverage. If UK tries to play an honest defense the Cats will be killed on the ground against every team they play. So don't allow that to happen. Put your cornerbacks in a bad spot and make them play one-on-one coverage. Worst case scenario your most talented defensive position group makes a mistake and the opponent moves the chains or scores a touchdown. Better quick then a 6-10 minute drive because the Cats aren't going to stop opponent's rushing attack unless they're sending seven or eight guys.

Justin Rowland, Publisher: Blitz, blitz, blitz - and attack everywhere. Having seen the defense against Southern Miss, I'd blitz a lot more. Perhaps more than at any point in the past three seasons. Going into the season I had serious concerns about Kentucky's defensive line and even the front seven as a whole. One game in I have to say that I feel like those concerns were completely justified. I just don't think Kentucky can line up, play a base defense - somewhat conservative, somewhat attacking in spots - and slow opponents down enough to win games. I think Kentucky has to attack in all facets of the game with the personnel that they have. That means being willing to go for it on fourth down rather than send the punting unit onto the field around midfield. That means blitzing all game long, putting your length and speed to use, realizing that you'll give up more explosive plays and perhaps even more points. If USM can rush nearly 70 times for 300 yards, it won't get much better in the SEC unless something changes.

Derek Terry, Staff Writer: 11 football games still remain this season. The loss to Southern Miss is obviously a big blow but the season isn't defined by one game. Several of Kentucky's players are from Florida and have been a part of the teams that have come close to beating Florida the past two seasons (Florida has won by a combined 11 points the past two seasons.) Florida is still better than Kentucky and is a sizable favorite, but I wouldn't expect Kentucky's players to be intimidated by playing the Gators, which is something you couldn't say for most of the last decade.

Josh Ellis, Staff Writer: I think the mental state of the team will get better as the week progresses. Eddie Gran said the team is already so far past that and they're ready to prepare for Florida. Realizing what went wrong in game one is important and I think we'll see some adjustments made. That being said I think UK plays Florida pretty close on Saturday -- a win in the swamp would be huge for the morale of this team moving forward and the Cats have come so close the last two years I wouldn't be shocked to see it come down to the wire for a third straight year.

T.J. Walker, Basketball Recruiting Analyst: Surprisingly I think the Cats will be up for the challenge this weekend. Kentucky has several Florida players on the roster and UK's entire team may take on a "us against the world" mentality. Florida isn't a great team and UK should be able to move the ball against the Gators, but where Kentucky has to improve is when they're down they get back up. They couldn't do it against USM and they won't have the crowd advantage in Gainesville. That falls on the coaches. Mark Stoops and company have to keep spirits high on Saturday even when things aren't going their way.

Justin Rowland, Publisher: I'm not overly confident of this pick because I think it's largely an unknown, but I'll say that the team will rally, shut out the noise (i.e. the criticism) and produce an enthusiastic effort at Florida. It's still early in the season - too early for the great mass of players to be jaded or completely lost. The nature and significance of that first loss makes me a little unsure of how they'll play, but I think they'll come out with fire. My bigger question is, once again, how they respond to adversity within the game.