KSR Postgame UK FB at Florida 10/20/24

Matt and Billy recap the Cats' 48-20 loss at Florida.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome everyone. It is the local toy of dealers KSR
postgame show. The Cats get absolutely blown out tonight in
Gainesville forty eight to twenty and embarrassing loss. After a
number of wins against Florida in a row, this one
is pretty bad. Eight five, two eighth, twenty two eighty seven.

(00:22):
Will open up the phones. I originally was gonna have
Ryan do this one tonight, but then after I saw
how bad we lost, it felt like I needed to
come on. I think sometimes in uh in seasons, but
also in sort of ten years of coaches, you get
games that that feel kind of important, and I thought

(00:43):
the Vandy game last week felt important, and I think
this one kind of does two. You know, I there
was obviously a chance they could lose this game, and
I don't think the game was as lopsided as the
final score showcases. But it also wasn't a game that
we should have won, and it was a game that
I think illustrates kind of the drop in performance of

(01:07):
the program. I mean over the years, over the last
few years, Kentucky has really kind of owned Florida. We've
sort of and even in the one or two games
we've lost, I mean, I think you can make an
argument going back to the last seven years when we've played
Florida that really accept one game, we were the better
team probably six of the seven times, I think we
won maybe four of them. Tonight that wasn't the case.

(01:31):
And Florida is not particularly better. I mean, well, they
are better, but then they've been the last two years,
but they're not good. And yet they kind of out
physicaled us and we're just kind of completely manhandled us
for a lot of the game. I mean, how many
games are you going to see in your life where
a quarterback what completes what seven passes? Billy? Is that

(01:54):
how many play passes?

Speaker 2 (01:55):
He completed seven fifty nine yards?

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Yeah, seven pass for two hundred and fifty nine yards.
I mean that means you gave up big play after
big play, which is the one thing that a Brad
White defense really doesn't do. I mean, that's one of
the strengths, and that was not the case. I think
even coming into this game, we were one of the
best teams in the country had not giving up big plays,
and they got absolutely crushed with big plays all night.

(02:20):
We could break down the myriad of things that went wrong,
but Ultimately, I think there's a bigger picture discussion to
be had, which is kind of a state of the program.
I mean, there are five games left in the season.
You play your two biggest rivals in Tennessee and Louisville.
You play two teams that'll be in the top ten

(02:40):
in Tennessee and Texas. You play an Auburn team next
week that I think is probably the second worst team
in the conference, and if you lose, then you're the
second worst team in the conference. I only think Mississippi
State is worse. So I mean, this is really a
huge step back for a program at a time in

(03:04):
kind of college football where I don't think you can
have a step back. You know, in the new Innile world,
this is a major time of transition. I think in
two years there's gonna be a new set of rules
for Inile and I think it's gonna kind of freeze
programs in time. Maybe sometime we'll talk about that later
in the year, but I do think these next couple

(03:26):
years are very important for a football program. And we're
kind of hitting a downslide at the worst time. And
you know, I don't know what you do. I mean,
I listened to Mark Stoops last week and this week
on the postgame show, and it's pretty clear. Man. He
one thing I like about him. He's pretty upfront and
he doesn't have answers. I mean he kind of acknowledges that.

(03:48):
Last week he sounded completely baffled, and this week he
kind of sounded defeated to me. And I don't know, man,
it's hard to see. It's hard to see how this
it's a lot better. I think best case scenario for
the season now is six and six. I think a
more likely scenario is probably five and seven. I'm now

(04:13):
to the point I think maybe we beat Auburn, maybe
we beat Louisville, We'll beat Murray. I mean, you can
have this could be a four win team. You know,
a four win team after what seven eight years in
a row of making bowl games, you don't get that
extra practice. You know, you probably see a roster overhaul

(04:33):
after the season. You know, we've been pretty fortunate here
at Kentucky to kind of, even during this transfer portal era,
really keep our rosters intact more so than almost any
program in the country. I kind of don't think that's
gonna happen at the end of the year, and I
don't know, it just feels like a thing that has

(04:55):
really taken a major step back. And you know, online
people are are already talking about how there has to
be a coaching change. And you know, if you if
you listen to this show over the years, you know,
I say that that's like not something that I think
you really talk about until the years over, because they
got to keep playing regardless. But it is hard to

(05:17):
see kind of how this gets better in the short term.
I mean almost kind of no matter what happens in
these last five games, it just feels like the program
is in a very stagnant and heading backwards place. And
it is highlighted today because you're you have now played
in the last two weeks programs that you've kind of

(05:39):
owned during the prime of the Mark Stoops era, and
you lost them both, one of them at home, and
you got kind of demolished tonight. And I don't know
how that gets better in the in the short term.
I really don't. A lot of the same problems we've
seen occurred, not as many penalties, but you know, bazar

(06:00):
are play calling, inability to convert third and short situations,
giving up third and long on defense, it didn't really matter,
but once again, terrible clock management at the end of
the first half. You know, it's just the same stuff.
So it's hard to see how any of it really

(06:21):
really gets better. And the longer I've been doing this,
the less I say a lot. I think KSR is
a reflection of the fans opinion. It's not necessarily a driver. Well,
the fan base is a lot more negative than it's been,

(06:42):
and part of it is a victim of stoop success.
You know, there's a lot of young fans out there
who don't remember the Kentucky that a lot of you
listening do, which is when we were terrible. But because
they've grown up accustomed to success. I mean, they believe
this program is in its lowest point, and whether that's

(07:03):
true or not, that's what they believe. And it just
feels like a program that is losing support at a
time that there's probably more excitement around the basketball program
than any time since pre COVID, So it is going
to be natural for people to just sort of walk
away a little bit from football. You know, we play
Auburn next week. Normally that would be a huge game,

(07:24):
Auburn at night. Well, I think It'll be a fine crowd,
but I don't think it's going to be a great one.
And then I think the Murray State game, it might
be friends and family at that game. I mean, there
might not be anybody there for that one. And then Louisville,
of course, the final one probably will have an okay crowd,
But like, it just doesn't feel like this fan base

(07:47):
is going to be excited for the rest of this season.
And I just don't know where we go from here.
I think, you know, I've said over and over Mark
Stoops is not going to be fired, and that's just
not going to happen. And like, there will be people
who make that argument, and they can make it all
they want. It's it's it's a perfectly fine position to have,
but it's not grounded in reality of what the situation

(08:09):
will be. But I do wonder if at some point
there's going to be a decision that like this just
isn't what even Stoops wants to do, because it just
doesn't feel like the same program it was even even
two years ago. In a lot of ways, if I'm
nine two eightho twenty two eighty seven, normally, you know,

(08:32):
when we do these late night when people are driving home.
Obviously this was a road game, so if you're awake
right now, you really care. So I want to hear
what the people who really care think about the game,
but also the program. I mean, this game sucked, by
the way, Billy, Has there ever been worse production from
a camera and game standpoint than the SEC Networks production too?

Speaker 2 (08:55):
They must have been drunk. I don't know what the
camera guys were doing the third quarter.

Speaker 1 (08:59):
I could have been like a high school football stream.
I mean, it was the worst thing I've It was
the worst thing I've ever seen. And I still don't
know on that one play, how how did we get
a first down? I thought it was like fourth and
two and we just had a first down And I
still don't know what happened there at the end of

(09:20):
the third quarter.

Speaker 2 (09:21):
Yeah, not only that, there was a score for Florida
in the third quarter, which I'm I'm not sure he
ever broke the line on that play.

Speaker 1 (09:27):
Well that was a ref's call, but part of why
it couldn't be overturned as it looked like they were
shooting it from an iPhone four and they didn't even
have an angle of the play. It was just it
was just a bizarrely terribly produced game, and our performance
pretty much matched it in uh negativity. So eight five
nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven for those

(09:50):
of you that are up at twelve forty five at night,
we'll take your calls. Cats with embarrassing lost to go
to three and four in the conference. This is the
local toyty KSR postgame show. Looking back, it is the
local Toy Dealers KSR post game show. I'm looking at
the text machine and at Twitter seven to seven, two
se to seven four five two five for it. Some

(10:11):
comments that a few people have made that I just
have quick comments on when person writes, Matt, what do
you think is the biggest problem that the staff and
the program has right now? I think it's that our
last two quarterbacks haven't been great. I actually don't think
that's the problem. I don't think our last two quarterbacks.

(10:31):
I mean, I don't think Devin Leary was great. I'm
not sure that Brett Vand and Griff's great either. But
to me, it's the offensive line. I think the inability
in the last couple of years to recruit and develop
really good offensive lineman is the biggest problem the programs
had because if you look at the years we were good,
the offensive line was really good. And I don't know
how many guys we had drafted five or six in

(10:54):
the last five or six years before these two previous
but they were like five or six seven Dick guys drafted,
and I think we'd only had like three or four
offensive lineman drafted in the history of the school. And
it's just been a huge regression. And if you had
a great quarterback, maybe you get by that, but we
don't have a great one. But I don't really think

(11:14):
the quarterbacks have been the problem. I think the problem,
to me is a lot more on the offensive line.
One person writes, Matt, do you think it all goes
back to pony Up? Well, I don't think the problems
with the program or him saying pony up, but I
think he lost a I think Mark Stoop's one of
his best qualities was he knew how to relate to

(11:37):
our fan base and he knew how to talk to him.
And in the end of the Caliperi era, whereas cal
kind of drifted from understanding, and it felt like Stoop
still did. And I just think that pony up comment
was so tone deaf, just so tone deaf, and it
sort of made fans question him in a way that

(11:57):
I don't think happened before that. It was just it
was Tony, especially when he said it and then we
lost to Missouri the next week, et cetera. Another person
along those lines says, Matt, do you think it's nil
has hurt this team the players care more about the
nil than the team? Well, no, but let's say that's true.
You still got to get around it. I mean, these

(12:19):
other teams are winning, like that's my thing to all
these coaches. You know, if every team's stunk, that would
be different. Indiana seven and oh with a new coach, right,
he's found a way to work the NIL stuff to
make it work for him. So if you can't do it,
then you can't coach. Like you can. You can complain

(12:40):
all you want about the system, but the system is
the system. It's gonna change in the next two or
three years and it's not gonna look like it does now.
I think it'll be a lot more regulated. But you
know what, if you don't want to do it, it's like
I said with Tony Benny, you don't have to do it.
Somebody else will do it, but other schools are navigating it.

(13:02):
So no, I don't think an Aisle's the problem. I mean,
Baron Brown was crying on the sideline after game. You
think he doesn't care. I think he cares. But you gotta.
You can't wind as they say, there's no wining in
the yacht. Man. You gotta. You're making nine point one
million dollars a year. You gotta figure out how to
navigate this system. All right, who's up first, Billy, Jimmy, Jimmy,

(13:27):
what's up, Jimmy?

Speaker 3 (13:29):
Hey Man? I just wanted to say, Man, I was
looking so forward to this team this year, with the
wide receiver room and the quarterbacks and all the good
running backs and obviously the good defense. Like I'm forty
years old and I remember going to Commonwealth when there
was no one there and we absolutely sucked. But that

(13:50):
being said, I've had some wars with my buddies over
the last two years. I think stoops peaked about two
years ago. Just to be real with you, and I
just I don't understand.

Speaker 1 (14:06):
Wars with your buddies. Do they agree with you or
disagree with you?

Speaker 3 (14:11):
They agreed with me in the long run of things.

Speaker 1 (14:14):
Just to be real with you, I think you probably
peaked too. I mean you probably peaked as well. I mean, look,
there's no doubt that it's gotten worse. What's frustrating to
me about this, and I don't know if you disagree,
but like when we were going twenty five years ago
or twenty years ago and looked awful, we had no talent.

(14:34):
We had no talent, right like now there is talent
on this team, you know, and and that I think
is what frustrates.

Speaker 3 (14:42):
People, absolutely absolutely man and and and one last thing
on the the the buy out, And this has been
my question. It was morely understanding on the contract that
was it six seven wins Bowl games? My question is
I understand and the beginning why that added more time

(15:02):
and more money onto the contract. Why didn't they ever
usk that?

Speaker 1 (15:07):
Okay, well you have to you have to go back
to I mean it's sort of like again, I feel
like we're having similar conversations. To win, Calvin John, you
have to go back to win. These contracts were revised
and redone. I mean, stoops. We won ten games two
years or three years ago, right, and I think that's

(15:28):
when the contract was redone and Stoops had a lot
of leverage then, man, I mean he had a lot
of leverage. He had just won ten games. If you
go back to after the season where we won ten
Will's first year we had and then won ten games
in two of the last four years, right, So for

(15:49):
Kentucky that's crazy. So if Mark Stoops's agent says, I
want more money and I want this, what is Mitch
Marnhart going to do? He has to do it, you know,
So I don't I you're right, but I think the
addition of years and stuff probably they had to do
that too, because what if after that next ten win

(16:11):
season he leaves and goes to a similar Kentucky type program,
not A and M. But like somebody on our scale,
our fan base would be furious.

Speaker 3 (16:24):
Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (16:25):
I kind of It's kind of similar to the cow thing,
like are you really gonna let John Calbary walk? Where
you're gonna really let a guy who won ten games
to the last four years walk? I just think it's tough.
It is.

Speaker 3 (16:37):
It's very tough that I appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (16:42):
Thanks, Yeah, I mean, you know, I understand how tough
that contract looks today, But it was a different situation then,
and I just we just have to I think we
just have to remember that who's next.

Speaker 2 (16:57):
Keith is next, Keith, go ahead, Keith?

Speaker 4 (17:01):
All right?

Speaker 5 (17:01):
Kay? Excuse me, man, I don't I don't want to
be all negative. I got two points, ones about the game,
ones about the program. We had two Google line plays
that that went against us, right, you mean.

Speaker 1 (17:20):
One when we got stopped and then when they scored,
and who knows if they scored or not? Is that
what you mean.

Speaker 5 (17:26):
Exactly that those those those could be two game changers
right there.

Speaker 1 (17:30):
They could.

Speaker 5 (17:31):
They could we have a first we have a first down,
the one mont guard line, we stop a touchdown.

Speaker 1 (17:36):
You're exactly right. I mean those plays go differently. Look
if this game had finished thirty four to twenty, I'm
with you, But he didn't, you know what I mean.
And and so while those plays frustrate me, they're not
going to be my excuse for a forty eight to
twenty game.

Speaker 5 (17:55):
I get that. But but a lot of things could
happen when when when you don't score touchdown versus do
or verse give it up?

Speaker 1 (18:03):
That's true, that's true. But I guess what I would
say is, you know, yes, I agree with that. But remember,
let's just put all that aside. It's thirty four to twenty.
We're driving. We get inside the thirty and we run
four of the worst plays I've ever seen, including a
tempet to sweep with barrying Brown on third down, and
we throw it on a fourth and six, we throw

(18:26):
it one yard five yards behind the line of scrimmage.
At some point when we do stuff like that, I
can't get too worried about whether or not that guy
was in or not. I mean, I didn't think he
was in at all watching it live. There is a picture,
a still framed picture that a photographer took from on
the Florida sites, and he's in on that one. Now.

(18:47):
I don't know if his knee had been down before
or not. It's a still frame picture, but you know
it does exist.

Speaker 5 (18:57):
And but and now I go to my to my
mind less negative is I feel like Stoops is Tony Bennett.
He is he hates the he hates what football is.
Right now he is writing out the contract.

Speaker 1 (19:16):
I wonder if, Yeah, I don't if that's the case,
and I don't think that's implausible. By the way, he
doesn't seem happy to me right now. I think it's
especially here and I don't know about you when he
talks to Tom Leach after the games. If that's what
it is, then he needs to not do it after
this year. I mean, I don't know that's what it is.

(19:38):
But if it is, because don't you agree with me,
man Like, if you can't do this, then you can't
do it, you know, right? But I mean, is not gonna.

Speaker 5 (19:49):
Change nine million dollars a year. You're not gonna wait
for nine million dollars a year.

Speaker 1 (19:53):
Though, I will say this about him though, I don't
think he's gonna be a dude who just stays here
just to take the check. I think if he doesn't
feel remember you know, he had he had his father die.

Speaker 5 (20:06):
For a while, he might for a while. He might
for a while.

Speaker 1 (20:09):
Maybe maybe we'll see. I mean I hope not, because
I don't think that's good for anybody. I wants for him.

Speaker 5 (20:16):
I want to believe that too. I want to believe
that too. But you put yourself in the same would
you walk away from now?

Speaker 1 (20:22):
That's that's a fair question, A fair question. Fair fair
question I appreciate to call. It's hard to just say
because there's a really good chance that if he goes
somewhere else now after this, he ain't getting the money
he'd get here. He's probably missed that time.

Speaker 2 (20:40):
Right, that A and M job less?

Speaker 1 (20:43):
Yeah, I mean that ain't well. The A and M
job was different though. I mean he's he's not gonna
get offered again. He's not getting offered an A and
M kind of Now. Now, if he were to quit here,
I do believe somebody would hire him. I believe a
good like a school like Kentucky would hire But I
bet they wouldn't pay nine million dollars. He'd probably make

(21:03):
four or five million dollars. So you know, it is
what it is. And who's next, Ethan, Ethan, what's up? Ethan?

Speaker 6 (21:13):
Hey, Matt, that's what I got a comment and a
question here. Uh So, I would just like to point
out that the potential best win in the Mark Stoops
era is what's now ranked eighteenth ole miss.

Speaker 7 (21:27):
Notice, I don't think that's.

Speaker 1 (21:29):
The best win in the market. I don't think that's
the best win, don't. I think we beat Penn State.
We beat Penn State and Citrus Bowl. We beat Louisville
that year with Lamar with him coming off the Heisman
on their home field. That Florida team we beat in
twenty eighteen finished ten and three. I mean, I don't
I look, if Old Miss finishes eleven and it finishes

(21:52):
ten and two makes the playoff, then maybe they are.
But he's had good wins. He maybe hasn't had the
signature beat the number one team in the country, but
he's had good wins.

Speaker 6 (22:05):
And I agree. And this to add on that that
I don't know if you realize that Penn State was
seventeen at the time too, But like I say, they were.

Speaker 1 (22:13):
Seventeen after we beat them. They were seventeen after we
beat them. But remember if you go back and look
at if you go back and look at that game
and there was a twelve team playoff that year, there's
a really good chance that the two teams that would
have been fighting for the final birth were US in
Penn State. They probably would have picked Penn State. So
we then beat them. But so, I mean, those are

(22:34):
good wins. They're not maybe not world beater, but they're good.

Speaker 6 (22:39):
Right, And I got a question here for you. So
I'm just thinking long term, whether it's football, baseball, basketball, soccer,
or whatever, is it something that can be put in
a coach's contract that they after their first two years
as head coach, if they fall below five hundred, their
buyout could go down.

Speaker 1 (22:55):
It can.

Speaker 6 (22:56):
Is that thing ever.

Speaker 1 (22:57):
Happened to me? It can, but they've got to agree
to it. And what coach is going to agree to that,
especially when they've had success. I mean, well, it's a million,
it's like the comp But but what Mark Stoops would
probably say is I'll go somewhere else that offers me

(23:18):
nine million and doesn't have that in it, right. I mean,
it's ultimately all contract negotiation is just leverage. And the
reality is when Stoops renegotiated his contract, and then six
years ago when Cal renegotiated his, they had all the leverage,
so he didn't have any leverage.

Speaker 6 (23:41):
But at that point, you're kind of betting on yourself.
So they may offer, you know, a million more, say
he'd get offered ten million. If he accepts, you know
that you're not going to lose.

Speaker 1 (23:52):
It's easy to say now when we lost to Florida.
But remember, I mean, are you old enough to remember
when Guy Morris walked away from here to go to Baylor?
Do you remember that?

Speaker 6 (24:02):
I'm twenty seven.

Speaker 1 (24:02):
Okay, so God Morris many years ago and other people
would know this situation better than me. But Goy Morris
was coming off a decent year, left here to go
coach Baylor because we wouldn't pay him enough. Rid got
crushed for that. Well, I don't think you can do
that coming off a ten win season, right.

Speaker 6 (24:27):
So, and I just have one last little question for you.
Do you say if it wasn't forty million, do you
think there is a number. Do you think if there
was ten million, he's smiling like ed or Dron headed
to the beach tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (24:41):
I don't know. It depends on how the season would end.
To be honest with you, I appreciate the call. I mean,
I think Mitch really appreciates Mark a lot. And I
think there's other stuff at play. I mean a lot
of it. We've talked about the show. Most of the
football donors were cultivated by Stoops. You know, if you
were to get rid of him and they didn't want that,

(25:02):
you'd have to start over again. I mean, there's a lot.
There's a lot to it. It's not just so simple
as just write a check. But ten million is different
than forty million. But I also think it will depend
how the season is. There's a big difference between finish
with four wins and fishing with six. So I think
we got to wait and see what happens. Who's next, Lance, Lance,

(25:23):
Go ahead, Lance?

Speaker 8 (25:26):
Yeah, man, there's I mean, there's all kinds of things
to say, including Stuke's contract, But one thing I want
to hit on is tell me why in what world
doesn't an offensive coordinator bring in a quarterback that everybody
knows it's either going to run or hand the ball
off on a crucial third and six in the third quarter.

Speaker 1 (25:46):
Yeah, I didn't like I didn't like that either. I
don't under I didn't understand. First of all, it felt
like to me, this was the best passing game Brocket had,
So I didn't understand it's a third and six passing
situation that the dude pass right and then you're exactly right,
I mean, Gavin is not gonna throw. And then I

(26:07):
still don't understand what our fascination with trying to get
bury on on the outside. We haven't been able to
do that all year. Like, Yeah, I'm with you. I
didn't understand that play all though.

Speaker 8 (26:21):
Nobody did, and I just it just goes back. It
seems like the game planning. I don't know, it's just
nobody's in sync. It seems like to me.

Speaker 1 (26:30):
I agree with that. It feels like, you know what,
there are people that know a lot more about football
than you or I that could break down the specifics.
But I think what you just said that it doesn't
feel like we're in sync is totally valid. Exactly.

Speaker 8 (26:47):
Yeah, and that's all I have.

Speaker 1 (26:48):
But all right, I appreciate it. If I'm nine to eighth,
twenty two eighty seven, Let's do one more before we
take a break. Who's next, Joe, Joe, go ahead, Joe.

Speaker 9 (26:57):
Yeah, thank you. Matt, I want to try you're one
of your points before the show started. Here and everything
come out the time management, Matt, I mean Buryan Brown
gave us life. This guy those ninety nine yards on
a kickoff. Now, earlier, coach Ster just blew a timeout.

(27:18):
He wanted to argue with the referees and we lost
a time out. But Matt, we still had two timeouts,
and he does not take that last time out. He
does us about fifteen seconds run off the clock. Now,
Matt hell Murray had a buzzer a field goal at
the bozzer would be used in this game if we
could have got the ball back.

Speaker 1 (27:37):
But I don't Here's what I don't understand. He let
twenty seconds run off and then call timeout, So like,
if you're gonna let it run out, just let it
run out. I don't think. I think they make decisions
at the end of these halves just completely on the fly,
and everybody's like, wait a minute, maybe we should try. Okay,
twenty seconds later they call time out. I'm with you

(27:59):
that I don't even care what bothers me about their
time management is not even that they choose differently than
I would. It's that their decisions have made no logical sense.

Speaker 9 (28:12):
No, man, I'm seventy two. I've been around for a
long time and I've watched a lot of UK football.
But this time management with this head coach Mark Soups,
I just don't understand it. It's like, it's like, well,
we'll be okay in the second half. Well when you
left points on the field, yeah, let points on the field.

Speaker 1 (28:31):
Second But what I don't get is he let twenty
seconds run off and then't called time out like that.
I don't know.

Speaker 9 (28:39):
That's three that Stree play, that's three plays or maybe
even four if you if you play it right. Well,
that's what I just don't understand. I'm all for the guys.
I love UK football, but by gosh, you cannot. You
cannot win college football nowadays by giving up the leaping
points and not going far. And that's part I don't
understand about any Thanks a lot, So I agree with.

Speaker 1 (28:59):
You, appreciate call. If I'm nine two eight h twenty
two eighty seven, I accept that, like if there are
two choices to be made, and there's a case for both,
that someone else may choose differently than I do. But
but what I want is to have a coach or

(29:19):
anyone in leadership who, even if they choose differently than me,
at least the decision is logically done. What I don't
understand about Stoops at the end of these halves is
it seems like not only does he always choose differently
than what I would have done, but he doesn't even
execute his plan logically. And I don't get that, And

(29:43):
it has to be because there's no one figuring out
in those moments what to do. He If I'm nine
two eighth twenty two eighty seven, we will take a break,
take your calls. It's the Local Toy Dealers KSR Postgame
Show quarterback and is a Local Toy Dealers KSR postgame
Show eight if I'm nine two eight oh twenty two
eighty seven. One person writes, uh, this is uh. Bryce

(30:06):
says Matt. We didn't win ten games three years ago.
Mark Stoops wasn't worried enough about his program, and those
games got vacated. Yeah, I mean, you can blame a
lot of stuff on Mark Stoops. I don't think it's
Mark stoops responsibility to make sure Chris Rodriguez fills out
his time cards on his off campus job, you know,

(30:27):
I mean, I don't put that on Mark Stoops. So
and also the concept of vacated games in twenty twenty four.
And I love making fun of Louisville Ford as much
as anybody, but the concept seems a little antiquated with
what with what what college sports is now. But but
if that bothers you, then that's fine. Who's up next?

Speaker 2 (30:49):
Let's go to Matt.

Speaker 1 (30:50):
Matt, what's up? Matt?

Speaker 10 (30:54):
Hey, let me tug.

Speaker 11 (30:59):
Obviously, Mark Stoops he can't be fired, and I don't
think he deserves to be fired. He can't fire your
all time winning as coach after one disappointing season. He
deserves the opportunity to write the ship if he wants to.

Speaker 1 (31:21):
I sort of agree with that for the most part.
I do think well, first of all, I mean, again,
the theoretical talk of firing, like you said, is dumb.
I don't know that anybody deserves to keep your job forever.
But what Here's what I worry about though. I just
think there are these times in college sports if you

(31:45):
look historically, where the whole genre shifts as to what
it is, and we are in one of those times
right now. In two or three years, college sports will
look completely different than it looks now, and that'll be
what it looks like for the next twenty five years.
And I worry that we are heading into that transition,
maybe at the lowest point we've been in fifteen years,

(32:05):
and it's the worst time to have it. And so
that's why the timing worries me so much.

Speaker 5 (32:11):
Does that make sense, Yeah, I think it does.

Speaker 11 (32:15):
I just think we have reached higher hides. I'm thirty
one years old.

Speaker 10 (32:20):
We have reached higher.

Speaker 11 (32:21):
Hides under Mark Stoops than we have and the rest
of my life. We went through I mean, obviously Probation
years and Richbrook years and Joker Phillips hears. We've reached
higher highs under Mark Stoops with a couple ten and
three seasons. I just think, if we can finish this
year six and six, beat Auburn, Murray, Louisville, get a

(32:45):
bowl game, we're good. If we don't, I think it
might be time for Stoops.

Speaker 1 (32:51):
I don't disagree with you, an, I think six and
six and four and eight are two really different things.
I really do. Just just terms of overall vibes and
all that, I appreciate the call. Let me give an
example of what I'm talking about, just in terms of
like his like shifts in college athletics, Like ten years ago,

(33:12):
when conferences were starting to align as like mega powers,
that was the wrong time to not be good. There
are teams like Missouri that are in the SEC because
their football program wasn't that bad and adding them at
that time made sense. Like I don't know if Louisville's

(33:32):
in the ACC when they got in the ACC if
it wasn't for the fact that Rick Patino actually had
that basketball program competitive and Bobby Petrino and Charlie Strong
had the football program competitive if their programs had been
where they were two or three years ago during realignment,
they mean, maybe like Memphis and left out. So I

(33:55):
think we're in one of those shifts right now in
college football. We are moving more towards a semi professional model,
and I just think this is the worst time you
could be bad, because I think everything's about to change,
and it'd be real nice to be one of the
programs doing well when that change occurs.

Speaker 2 (34:14):
But how is this possible? I mean, this was Stoops's
most talented roster to date.

Speaker 1 (34:19):
I don't know. I mean, I think at its core,
our offensive line stinks. Yeah, I really believe. I believe
that's a huge part of it. I mean, all these
other things are important in their problems, and the defense,
you know, the secondary took a step back today. I mean,
there's a lot of little things you can say, but
at its core, our offensive line is terrible and that

(34:42):
causes problems with everything else.

Speaker 2 (34:44):
Is the jury still out on Bush Hampden or have
we seen enough bad play calls?

Speaker 1 (34:48):
Within the thought? I think that it's not been great,
But I also think he's hampered by the fact that
like things we took for granted, like running it on
third and one one and knowing we were gonna get
the first down, we can't do with this group. You know,
he can't do it.

Speaker 2 (35:06):
He has too the sun we have to play, and
we have.

Speaker 1 (35:09):
To play these tight ends and that because we can't block,
and then we have less receivers downfield, which give us
fewer options. You know, there's so I don't think he's
like blown me away, but I also think he's limited
by the fact that our offensive line is not good
and it's probably the worst it's been since Stoops first

(35:29):
or second years. Doing good, doing good? What's up, guys?

Speaker 7 (35:37):
I wish I was doing good tonight, but I'm not.

Speaker 1 (35:41):
Yeah, I just.

Speaker 7 (35:47):
A lot of things you can say, but I just
want to, you know, throw it out there that coach
Stops if the absolutely best coach we could have had
for our program for the last several years. It's bully
for him. What do you guys think that we could
do from a team standpoint to like make us overcome

(36:10):
like the obstacles in front of us?

Speaker 1 (36:13):
You mean, how do we beat Louisville and Auburn? Really,
that's what we're talking about, right, I mean, I think
we certainly have that's the have That's I agree.

Speaker 9 (36:24):
I think that's the only chance we have to uh,
you know, to to Robra Stephen.

Speaker 1 (36:30):
We we have the players to beat to win those
two games, right, I mean, I think we have the
talent to do that. Uh. And but I think they've
got to clean up mistakes. I will say to you,
I don't think you're going to see some dramatic shift.
I mean, I don't think you can say, for instance,
take this guy out, put this guy in. I don't

(36:52):
know that there is any of that. I mean, I
really don't. We kind of you are what you are
at this point. So they just got to go win.
They got to go play better. I mean, we could
have beaten George, we could have beaten Vandy. We didn't, right,
so now we just have to kill me. Well we
could have. I mean I don't think you know, I mean,

(37:12):
we the South Carolina games.

Speaker 9 (37:16):
Sorry, I'm not trying to talk to Elly.

Speaker 7 (37:19):
I think that kills me and everybody else in this
fan base.

Speaker 9 (37:23):
We could have done those things, and now we are
basically we're locked into two games for the year to
determine what we're going to end up and that.

Speaker 1 (37:34):
Oh my gosh, did I appreciate the call? Doing good?
I would say, you know, now somebody can also say, well,
we could have lost Ole Miss. So I mean, you know,
there's you could do that all day. You are what
your record is. But they can beat Auburn and Louisville,
they also can lose to Auburn and Louisville. So you know,
I thought I thought we'd win tonight, and instead we

(37:57):
lost by twenty eight. So I'm I'm kind of done predicting.
I have no idea what's going to happen next week,
but you may. I think there's let's say you win
next week, you're gonna come into that game against Louisville
where I think the fan base's perception of Mark Stoops
Billy could come down to that game. It kind of

(38:19):
did that last year and the last year. But I
don't think people last year were like, we've got to
make a change. If they had lost a little, we
still would have made a Bowl game, you know what
I mean, Like you still would have You might get
there this year, And honestly, if you lose last week,
you're probably already there or she suld be lose next week. Talbor.
Who's next, Nate? Nate? What's up Nate?

Speaker 5 (38:44):
Yeah?

Speaker 12 (38:44):
Man, I got a point in a question. First point.
This is the first time in the Stoops There, I'm
sitting next to my girlfriend. I'm taking her to her
first UK game where or we live in Texas. We're
taking her to my her first UK game next week
in here wearing a Duke basketball shirt. And I thought
to myself watching this, I can't wait for basketball season.

(39:06):
This is the first time in the Stoops era. I
was watching that game and I thought to myself, please
let basketball season come.

Speaker 1 (39:11):
Fay No. I mean it's a good thing in some ways.
It's probably a good thing for Stoops that basketball starts Wednesday,
because it will divert some attention.

Speaker 12 (39:19):
And then my question, Matt is in the Stoops era,
we've only had one top seven finish in the SEC
and points per game in total offense, and that came
from an offensive coordinator who's leading the top five offense
in the NFL right now. So what that being said
is if this gets any worse. I granted, like Stups

(39:39):
isn't getting fired, You're right about that, but where's the
push to say, hey, let's.

Speaker 5 (39:44):
Go grab that guy in New Orleans.

Speaker 1 (39:46):
He's a top But what does that mean? I mean
when people when I continue to come back to what
does that mean when you say where's the push? What
would you like people to do? I mean, there's nothing
anyone can do, Like, nobody can force that to happen,
even if you think that's the right thing to do,

(40:08):
like tweet. You know, I think there's people who think
if they tweet really hard that that will happen. Like
the money is the money, so it's gonna be I mean,
I don't care if we finish four and eight. It's
gonna be Mark Stoops's decision whether or not he's here
next year. You know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (40:28):
Oh he hung up?

Speaker 1 (40:30):
Okay. I mean it's just like like people wrote me
after the game and they go mad, When are you
gonna say what needs to be said? And remember like,
first of all, I don't know that it needs to
be said that he's gone yet. I'm not sure that
I'll even think that at the end of the year.
But even if I thought that, it's not gonna change anything.
Mark stoops is gonna decide whether he's the coach next year.

(40:53):
That's just the fact. So you know, that's what makes
it a little bit depressing because I don't really know
that there's anything. There's no pressure that can be put. Really,
as weird as that sounds, Let's do one more and
then we'll take a break. Who's next, Jordan, Jordan, what's up? Jordan?

Speaker 13 (41:14):
Hey man? I just wonder who is in Mark Stoop's
ear when he's hiring an offensive coordinator because bush Handon
is awful and we're starting to see that.

Speaker 1 (41:27):
And I don't know that I totally I don't know
that I totally agree with that. I mean, I don't
know that he's he's I don't think he's done great.
But you know, we thought me included. We thought Shannon
Dawson was I understand that. I understand that, but I
also think we have the worst offensive line in the SEC.
But we thought Shannon Dawson was awful, and he's now

(41:48):
the offensive coordinator for a team that's gonna make the
playoff in Miami. You know, there were people that were
ready to get rid of Liam Cohen last year, and
now he's orchestrating the Tampa Bay offense that's top five
in the NFL. Eddie Grand we all are ready for.
But Eddie Grand was good. We just didn't like the style.
But Eddie Grant's arguably our best team was with Eddie Grant,

(42:13):
the team that beat Penn State in the Citrus Bowl.
So I think at some point that's on stoops, like
we can only point to these offensive coordinators so long.

Speaker 13 (42:26):
I don't feel like bush Hammon is a fit for
what we have at quarterback right now though.

Speaker 1 (42:33):
Well maybe, but bush Hampden beat Ole Miss on the road.
Bush Hampden played Georgia, who just went and whipped Texas.
Bush Hampden played him to a one point game. Our
defense was a big part of it, but our offense control.
I mean, we couldn't get in the end zone, but

(42:54):
we controlled the ball. I think we didn't we have
the ball for forty minutes of that game. So I
appreciate the call. I'm just saying I'm not I'm not
saying bush Hampden's great, But you know, I feel like
I've done a lot of these shows over the years
where people were like, well, Neil Brown's not what we

(43:14):
thought he was. Man, Shannon Dawson is this, and Eddie
gran Is is ancient in the way he calls things.
Liam Cohen second time arounds not as good as the
first time around. I mean at some point, like it
can't always be their fault.

Speaker 2 (43:29):
No, you're making sense. It was just four and five
and you throw the ball behind the line of That was.

Speaker 1 (43:33):
A terrible calling. That was a terrible call. But I
don't know. I don't know that I'm ready to say
he doesn't know what he's doing, but that I agree.
I thought that was a true Let's take a break,
we'll do final segment. AF. I'm nine two eight twenty
two eighty seven. This is the Local Toy Dealers KSR
post game Show. Welcome back. It is the Local Toy

(43:55):
Dealers KSR post game Show. I enjoy talking to Billy
over the last few weeks about voting in the president.
You I always talk about, I don't know an undecided voter.
You're the one, right Like, you're the guy the one
all these candidates Trump and Harris are chasing after you. Billy,
You're the one. You're the only person I know who

(44:15):
is undecided.

Speaker 2 (44:16):
A big decision coming up though November. Maybe they should
send more of those texts my way, that is sending
it to you, but like, I don't.

Speaker 1 (44:23):
Know another person who is undecided but you, And so
I'm got so when I when I hear people talk
about the undecided voter, I just picture Billy r Sports
as the you are the face of the undecided voter.
Hey five, twenty two eighty seven. All right, who's up next?

Speaker 2 (44:42):
Let's go to Josh.

Speaker 1 (44:43):
Josh, Go ahead, Josh hey Man, first time? Long time?
Who are what's up?

Speaker 14 (44:52):
I just wanted to talk about when that, Like, Like, I.

Speaker 1 (44:56):
Don't get it.

Speaker 14 (44:57):
Why we put him there just to run the ball? Hm,
it's it's you basically take up.

Speaker 1 (45:03):
Half of our offense.

Speaker 14 (45:04):
At that point, it's gone, Like passing offense is gone.
So every defense in the country knows blitz Blit's that play.

Speaker 3 (45:12):
He's not gonna throw it.

Speaker 1 (45:13):
Yeah, I think that's a fair point. I also don't
understand why at the end they didn't play him instead
of Cutter Bowley, Like what a terrible situation to put
Cutter Bowlie in by the way for his first game
down twenty one at Florida, Like, and he throws a
pick six first play, Like if you want, if you
want Gavin wims It to throw, why not do it? Then?

(45:34):
To give him some run. I didn't really understand that either.

Speaker 14 (45:39):
Yeah, they let him throw the ball in the I
can't remember the team we played with, the team we
beat bad. They let him throw the ball in that one,
and he threw dimes. They just won't let him throw
the ball any other time.

Speaker 1 (45:51):
Yeah, I mean they need to, because you're right, he'll
be more effective. I also don't understand, though. It feels
like when he has a third and one or a
fourth and one, he always gets it right. So why
did we have two third and fourth and ones where
we ran a quarterback seek with Brock, Like, if he's
gonna why don't we keep letting him do it until
he doesn't get it? You know? Uh, I don't know.

(46:12):
I mean, I'm not the one made to make the decisions,
but I appreciate the call. Derek says, Matt, I can
tell you pressure we could put on UK. What if
Kroger Field looked like it did when Joker played or
played Vandy. I mean, I think that would definitely be
a statement. Still a different situation. Though Joker was making
two million. Joker had like one year left on his contract,

(46:36):
so I think the school holding two million, not the same.
I mean it's a big difference. Who's up next, Andrew, Andrew,
what's up Andrew?

Speaker 9 (46:47):
Hey? You can hear me?

Speaker 1 (46:49):
Yes?

Speaker 4 (46:50):
Okay, A few things first. One thing that Buss does
it drives me crazy, is his personnel groupings are so bad.
So we were down two score there in the second half,
and he's constantly running new people out.

Speaker 5 (47:04):
So what that was.

Speaker 4 (47:05):
Doing was allowing Florida the seventh so we needed every
second we could get your down multiple scores. So he's
like changing Willie and Joshkatis constantly, which I personally don't
think there's much of a difference between any of our
tight ends, but that was allowing so much time off
because Florida was just walking players onto the field and

(47:26):
so we just constant time being run off second on
fourth and eleven. Your season's on the line, no, Dame Key,
no Barryon Brown?

Speaker 10 (47:34):
Are you serious?

Speaker 1 (47:35):
Yeah? I didn't get. I think you are exactly right
about the personnel groupings. Okay, because not only that, you know,
the best drive we had, I think was when was
to start the second half, when we ran up tempo
the whole time, right coming out of halftime, and when
you change those personnel groupings, you can't go up tempo

(47:58):
because you're right. They let him sup so that I.

Speaker 4 (48:02):
Could see some of Florida's coaches just walking those dudes
on this.

Speaker 1 (48:05):
Of course they and that's what they should do. So
like our best drive of the game was the one
where we ran up tempo, and that was I think
the only time we did it. And then you're exactly
right on the fourth and I appreciate the call on
the fourth down to have neither Brown nor dang key
and makes negative sense to me. I cannot believe on
two fourth downs we targeted a player that has one

(48:28):
reception on the year, both of them. That's I don't
get that either. Let's do four more and we'll call
the knight. Who's next? Dog? Dog? How are you? Dog?

Speaker 9 (48:41):
Hey, I'm doing good man. Well. I appreciate everything y'
all do for UK Sport. I'm a lung time ticket holder.
Also contribute to the nil, yes, and I'm really hurting
right now.

Speaker 15 (48:55):
And let me ask you a question, dog on the
nil thing, Cause like when you make the decision.

Speaker 1 (49:05):
To contribute on the nil, does like do you look
at this and say I'm less likely to do that
next year? Like I'm really kind of curious with people
who do that, what the success or failure of the team,
what it will lead you to do in the future.

Speaker 9 (49:27):
I'm I'm right now, I'm I'm disgusted. You know that
may change here in a doe more weeks or a
month or next year, but right now, I just don't
think we'll get an investment on our quarterback. We're paying
him like over nine hundred thousand dollars and he's just

(49:52):
not We need a quarterback and our officeneive coordinator is
out of his league and we'll de hurt my Now.

Speaker 1 (50:00):
Yeah, well, I appreciate it, dog, and thank you for
the no I understand well you're entitled to it, and
thank you for the kind words there too. I do
you know? The new age of college sports is what
it is, and I think it is more, in my

(50:22):
personal opinion, more fair than what it was before. With
that said, nothing in life is free, and in exchange
for players getting money that I would argue they deserve,
the expectation of how they're looked at is going to
be different. If you're going to be paid like a pro,

(50:45):
people are going to judge you like a pro. And
I think It's going to be fascinating to see when
people are giving money to pay players like a pro
if they don't get that performance, will they keep doing that?

(51:05):
I think programs all over the country are dealing with this,
and we are going to be one of those this year.
Three more Who's next?

Speaker 2 (51:13):
Brandon?

Speaker 1 (51:14):
Brandon?

Speaker 9 (51:14):
Go ahead, Brandon, Yes, sir, How are y'all doing?

Speaker 1 (51:18):
And that I'm doing good?

Speaker 16 (51:22):
Well, what I'm calling in to say is is that
I don't Mark Stoops. It feels like he's living in
the shadow of his bigger brother, Bob Stoops. He's trying
to chase that and he's just not ever going to
match it.

Speaker 1 (51:36):
Why do you say that? I mean, what does what
does Mark Stoops having a bad season have to do
with his brother?

Speaker 16 (51:44):
Well, I mean it's not necessarily that I mean, but
it's just like you know, I mean, you got a
bigger brother that does better on you. But in the
first half, but.

Speaker 1 (51:55):
His big brother, it might be that his big brother
being successful is what drove him to have the success
he has now.

Speaker 16 (52:03):
Yeah, but in the first half, we ran four straight
plays on the one yard line right up the gut,
and every single one of them got stopped. Instead of
running an RPO play and trying to fake it and
like fake a run and throw a flat run when
you could have you could have done that and faked
out the defense when they knew what was coming. He's

(52:24):
so predictable as a coach.

Speaker 1 (52:27):
Well, I mean, I don't disagree with the play calling.
This is now back to back and I appreciate the call.
Back to back games where we've been right at the
goal line and get zero points. So I mean, that's
that's a disaster. I don't think that has anything to
do with his brother, but uh yeah, I mean we've

(52:50):
been inside the five now two straight games, uh, and
come away with zero points and you're not gonna win
like that. You're just you're just not gonna win. Two more.
Who's next, Joe, Joe, go ahead, Joe.

Speaker 10 (53:02):
Hey, Matt Uh, I'm just I know he's a great guy,
a great kid. But I'm just curious why Jagger Burton
continues to start. I mean it looks like to me,
he has, you know, at least a penalty or with
the block every game and every time we put in
Dylan Ray. I mean he's not a you know, an
elite blocker, but he does his job, and so I

(53:23):
just I don't.

Speaker 1 (53:24):
I mean, I I think the their answer to that
question would be they don't feel like anyone's better. The
one position where I think that argument is tough is
exactly what you said. I mean, what we have seen
of Dylan Ray has been seemingly pretty serviceable and good.
So you might say, well, why don't you try it?

(53:47):
I will say, though, and I don't know. You may
you may have played offensive line or something. I don't
consider myself a great judge of interior offensive line play. Uh,
I think I you know, if can judge tackles a
little bit because you see it, but I don't. I
don't know. So I don't watch Jagger play by play

(54:07):
to be able to say, to be honest with you, yeah,
And that was what I used to rely on Freddy
for that. Freddie was the dude who would break down
interior offensive line play for us. So it's hard for
me to say.

Speaker 3 (54:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 10 (54:23):
And then you know my second question is, I mean,
I know you have some some inside information, but can
Gavin Wimsett just not throw the ball or like.

Speaker 14 (54:32):
I don't understand why he's not given more of an opportunity.

Speaker 1 (54:35):
I don't think they again, And I think this goes
back to the Rutgers days and just kind of the
way he played there. I don't think they necessarily feel
like his decision making in the passing game is all
that great. Now, can he throw it downfield a little bit?
Of course? And I it feels like to me, I mean,

(54:58):
he seems like he does a pretty good job figuring
out on the read option, like what what to do,
So throwing into where he also had an option to pass,
to me, doesn't seem like it'd be the worst thing
in the world.

Speaker 10 (55:09):
I mean, why not give him at I mean, give
him the time.

Speaker 9 (55:13):
It's the experience.

Speaker 1 (55:15):
Yeah, I'm with you. I'm with you. I feel like,
if you're gonna trust him enough to run the ball
inside the ten, which is a pretty serious time of
a game, then you should trust him enough to throw
a pass during the game. So, uh, I agree with him.
I appreciate the call. Let's do one more and we'll

(55:36):
call it a not Who's next.

Speaker 2 (55:37):
Or Cutter Bowley being put in that situation.

Speaker 1 (55:39):
I don't. I didn't. I don't understand that. Like what,
I feel like, that's a terrible situation to put the
kid in. I mean you want to get cutter bowlie
reps do it against Murray State in a few weeks, Like,
I don't understand that. And now he's zero for six
in his first game and he's and he throws it
in a pick sick, Like I just wouldn't that have
been a perfect time to see how you have? I mean,

(56:01):
that feels like I don't. I didn't get that. I
really didn't. But who's next? All right?

Speaker 2 (56:05):
Final caller?

Speaker 1 (56:05):
Jake, Jake, go ahead, Jake.

Speaker 17 (56:09):
Hey, Matt, No, I was just I was on my
way home from the game. I went to the game tonight, okay,
and on the right before the fourth or eleven that
you were talking about, it was weird. So there was
a TV timeout. Mark Soops was completely away from the
offense by himself, not sure what he was doing, but
he wasn't talking to any of the players, not the
other coaches, just standing over there by himself. But as

(56:32):
I was driving home, I was just thinking it was
like at the top of Mark Stoup's era at Kentucky,
we finished second in what was the SEC East this season.
If we were to finish in what would be the
SEC East, we'd be last. So that's the progression that
we had gone under the Mark soups era, and I

(56:52):
don't see it getting any better. And at this point,
if we don't make a change, the conversation definitely need
to be getting started. Thanks, Matt, have a great night.

Speaker 1 (57:01):
J Pet. I think that's man. I think that's fair.
I mean, you do have to remember that when he
got here, we were last in the SECSED and I
hadn't really thought about it like you're saying it, but
you're right. There's a very good chance we finished last
in the SEC East this time, so you know, life

(57:23):
comes full circle. And in some ways I think about
the basically back to back plays with barryon Brown where
he lets the ball go through his hands which leads
to a near pick six, and then immediately on the
next play runs a ninety nine yard touchdown back like

(57:46):
that's the Barry and Brown experience, and unfortunately it's kind
of been the Kentucky football experience this year. But the
problem is we're not getting enough ninety nine yard kick returns.
We're having way too many drop through the hands for
the other team to run it back, and that's unfortunate,
but it is where we are, and I think next week.

(58:06):
I really do believe. I think next week is a
game that it's not gonna win. Everybody back over. But
if you lose that game to Auburn and we go
into a stretch Vandy, Florida Auburn where we thought we
could win all three and play Tennessee in a game
that would be one of the most important in UK
and years. If instead we lose all three and we're

(58:30):
guaranteed pretty much a losing record and no bowl game,
that's gonna be hard to come back from. Thank you
all very much for staying up and listening. The numbers
of this show at one forty five in the morning,
show this program, the people around it still really care
about this thing and hopefully gets turned around. I will
see you all Monday morning. If you're up tomorrow, come
listen to me on ESPN. I don't know who's playing tomorrow, Billy,

(58:53):
so I gotta figure that out. We'll see you. This
has been the local Toyer Dealers KSR postgame show.