Georgia-Kentucky Q&A: Previewing the Wildcats with Nick Roush

ATHENS, Ga. — It’s time for my favorite feature of the week and one that as I write, I learn about the opponent. To help preview Georgia-Kentucky, I got in touch with Nick Roush of KSR who knows the Wildcats as well as anybody. He provides great perspective and gives us a sense of what can be expected from the Cats and Dawgs as they do battle in the Bluegrass State on Saturday…

Q: Kirby Smart talked about a game that got away from Kentucky last week against South Carolina. What was the biggest reason for that, and is the 31-6 loss to the Gamecocks indicative of bigger issues than just an off outing?

Kirby was kind enough to dismiss the disaster that was Kentucky’s performance against South Carolina. Entering the game, we knew the South Carolina front seven was disruptive. Nobody thought it could essentially force Kentucky to quit calling pass plays. The quarterbacks were pressed on 15 out of 22 dropbacks. That is a MAJOR concern. Kentucky has been one-dimensional in the past offensively and it’s created significant hurdles for the program. If they can’t stop leaks in the dam, they’ll be right back to square one.

Q: Kentucky has a pair of Georgia transfers on its roster, and both have played significant roles so far this season. What has stood out to you about the fit for Brock Vandagriff and Jamon Dumas-Johnson in Lexington?

Dumas-Johnson’s experience is difficult to describe, but you can see those instincts in specific plays. On his second snap, he tipped a ball to himself and intercepted a pass. He knows where to be at the right times and is sudden to fill run gaps. He’s been an excellent addition thus far. Kentucky will lean on his experience and leadership to weather this storm.

It’s a more difficult question to answer with Vandagriff. He showed his wheels and toughness in week one. He also had a couple of nice throws on go-balls and was able to ad-lib out of the pocket. Unfortunately, the pressure was so bad that he completely unraveled against South Carolina. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders, but can he keep his confidence after a catastrophic first SEC start? It’s not getting any easier against his old team.

Q: What is the biggest key for Kentucky offensively in this game to get going? On the other side, it feels like the Wildcat defense has done its job for the most part. What must they continue to do?

Kentucky has to be much more unpredictable in its play-calling. They got behind the chains against South Carolina, letting their excellent pass rushers tee off in obvious passing situations. They need to continue running the ball efficiently, then let Brock complete a few easy, early passes to help him regain that confidence.

Defensively, they look like a Top 10 defense on 90% of the plays. The problem is that in those other 10%, they struggle to finish sacks and it leads to huge plays. LaNorris Sellers had three long pass plays where nobody was covering the open target. The margin of error is thin and every little mistake has turned into huge plays for opponents.

Q: For Kentucky to be successful on Saturday, name one play that must play well and define what that looks like.

Marques Cox – The left tackle transfer from Northern Illinois opened his seventh season of conference play with a 5.1 pass-blocking grade by PFF. He got flagged twice for holding and allowed multiple pressures. Cox is supposed to be the most reliable player on that offensive line. He has to be good enough to give Vandagriff more than a half-second to find an open receiver downfield.

Q: Georgia is favored by more than three touchdowns on the road, but Kroger Field hasn’t been a place we’ve seen the Bulldogs blowout the Wildcats often. What must Kentucky do to keep this one interesting into the fourth quarter, and how do you see this one playing out?

The Kentucky offense needs to have a couple of long early drives that end in points. As flashy as a big play touchdown may be, they need more than one flash in the pan to give the offense some confidence.

Knowing Kirby Smart, despite Georgia’s clear advantage in the passing game, I think he’s going to challenge his run game to move the ball through the heart of the strength of the Kentucky defense. If they can run it against Kentucky, they can run it against anybody. That’s why I think it will get ugly enough for Kentucky to hang tough for at least 2.5 quarters. The +24.5 is tempting enough for me to play, even though this is a game Georgia fans should not have to sweat too much.

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