Rich Scangarello Understands Wildcats' Offensive Shortcomings

The first-year OC is well aware of what his offense needs to adjust down the stretch of the season

Kentucky's offense laid an egg in Knoxville, putting up a measly six points against Tennessee in what was one of the bigger beatdowns in the past few years of the Mark Stoops era. 

The 44-6 defeat doesn't have Big Blue Nation pointing its fingers towards the 10th-year head coach, however. Those fingers are instead firmly pointed in the direction of first-year offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello. 

UK managed just 205 yards of total offense against a Volunteers defense that also allowed 24 points to UT Martin just a week before the Wildcats entered Neyland Stadium. This season, Kentucky is yet to reach 40 points in a game and has scored over 31 points just one time. 

The six-point letdown last weekend solidified some frustration from BBN towards Scangarello and his play-calling. On Tuesday, he acknowledged that the offense hasn't been up to par.

"You can't overreact to one game, but yeah it hasn't been good enough," he said. "It needs to be tighter, we got to be better at staying on the field, but more importantly we got to take care of the ball, we got to create explosive plays." 

Against Tennessee, Kentucky's offense was the furthest thing from explosive. It let the Vols get out in front, spelling a quick end to any upset hopes it may have had at the beginning of the day on Saturday. 

"Bottom line is (Tennessee) got after us," Scangarello said. "Our guys played hard, I was proud of their effort. they were prepared, in their minds we walked off that bus, I felt like we were all in it together, they felt like we were gonna play great. For a quarter, it felt that way."

There were clearly some things that, while the Cats felt like they were prepared for, they really had no idea how do to handle. The extra oomph from an electric atmosphere in Neyland proved to be a bit much when added in with the dynamic UT offense. 

Kentucky thought it was ready, Scangarello included: 

"We got a lot of young players...when you got guys injured, different things coming out, it can affect continuity, but that's not an excuse. I mean...we had three great days of practice. Our walkthrough on Thursday in practice, I would bet if you asked the coaches and players, they felt like it was the sharpest it had been."

In the long two-week lead-up to the Tennessee matchup, there were multiple keys to victory that were discussed at length. Tempo, not giving the Volunteers any free points, denying a fast start. 

All of those keys were completely missed across four quarters. In the words of Scangarello, he tried to have the offense play perfect, but wound up nowhere close. 

"Let me just say this. Trying to be perfect is probably not the best way to approach it all the time, but in those kinds of games you feel like you need to be that kind of guy, That kind of play-calling, that kind of offense, and we weren't, we were far from it," he said. 

Everyone is allowed the occasional dud, that's simply the nature of college football. Scangarello's offense has now faltered multiple times this season, creating some cause for concern. 

Stoops dropped a tidbit regarding the Wildcats' offense at his latest game-week press conference on Monday, somewhat symbolizing where the group currently stands:

"You certainly better look at it and you better address it and better get it fixed - or you aren't going to last."

So, that's what Scangarello and his guys are going to do. He's well aware that there's been some shortcomings, but he's not going into panic mode. 

"You can't knee jerk, but you have to self-evaluate constantly, you got to make adjustments," he said. "It's based on the health and who you're playing and where we're at. There are a number of things that need to be tightened up." 

Kentucky's next opportunity to tighten things up on the offensive end comes in the form of a road test in Columbia against an eager and improving Missouri team that's fresh off of a 23-10 win over South Carolina on the road. 

The Tigers have been in nearly every game they've played this season, most of which is due to a stout defense. The challenges keep on coming for the Wildcats. 

"They're good. It doesn't get any easier, I mean this is the SEC," Scangarello said when asked about Missouri's defense. "They got pass rushers, they got cover guys, I mean Georgia went three quarters without a touchdown...this defense will get to you if you let em'. They're playing some really good, confident football,. They're up for the challenge and we're gonna be up for the challenge too, but it will be a dog fight." 

All eyes will be on Scangarello and the offense as Kentucky looks to rejuvenate its season for a final stretch run. Kickoff is set for noon EST, 11 a.m. local time and will air on the SEC Network. 

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