*NOTE: The opinions discussed in this article, as is the case with all columns produced by the Kentucky Kernel, is the sole opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff as a whole.

If you’re looking for someone to blame for Kentucky football’s 16-13 overtime loss then No. 21 Texas, look past the players and start with the playcalling.

The Wildcats had every opportunity to win. Saturday night wasn’t about effort or execution; it was about coaching decisions.

Kentucky’s defense once again set the tone against a young Texas offense, consistently putting the ball back in the offense’s hands. 

Even Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian credited Kentucky’s defensive effort afterward, saying the Wildcats “played well at the line of scrimmage,” “hit some timely blitzes” and “minimized the explosive plays.” 

He added that Kentucky “shrunk the field” and made it difficult for the Longhorns to find rhythm offensively.

The defensive unit has been Kentucky’s identity and saving grace all season, keeping the Wildcats close in games that might’ve otherwise ended in a blowout. 

Against then-No. 20 Ole Miss, the Wildcats racked up 75 tackles, five for loss and two interceptions from Ty Bryant.

In Columbia, they tallied 71 tackles, two sacks and limited South Carolina to 341 total yards. 

Then in Athens, facing then No. 6 Georgia, they once again showed up, combining for 69 tackles, six for loss and two interceptions while holding the Bulldogs to 270 yards and just three-of-11 on third down.

In all three SEC games, Kentucky’s offense couldn’t capitalize when the team needed it most. 

But against Texas, Cutter Boley and the offense flipped the script. Boley finally took control, completing 31 of 39 passes for 258 yards while adding 45 rushing yards and a touchdown.

The Wildcats outgained the Longhorns 395-179 in total offense, recorded 26 first downs to Texas’ eight, and dominated time of possession 39:23 to 20:37. 

In fact, according to ESPN’s SP+, Texas had the lowest postgame win expectancy in a victory for all week eight games.

The Longhorns were given only a 16.1% chance of winning based on the final stat sheet.

One thing that ESPN’s stats did not take into consideration was head coach Mark Stoops and offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan, who set up Kentucky for a 100% chance of failure. 

Facing short-yardage situations, the Wildcats returned to the same predictable looks that haunted them all of last season. 

In 2024, Kentucky finished 118th out of 134 FBS teams in red-zone scoring offense, with only 75% of its trips inside the 20-yard line resulting in a touchdown or field goal.

Heading into its matchup against Texas, Kentucky had improved to 73rd out of 139, converting 84.2% of red-zone possessions into points. 

Following the loss, the Wildcats dropped to 99th, now scoring on just 77.3% of red-zone drives.

On Saturday, these same offensive red-zone problems and short-yardage situations surfaced in Kentucky’s most critical moments.

In its opening drive, Kentucky faced fourth-and-1 from the Texas 16-yard line. Instead of spreading the field or giving Boley a run-pass option, the Wildcats went back to their comfort zone with a straight handoff up the middle. 

Unsurprisingly, Texas’ defense, which ranks amongst the best rush defenses in the country, was able to stop the run. The play turned a promising offensive drive into nothing,

The Longhorn defense continued to show its domination on its defensive line throughout the game, with the Wildcats only finding 137 yards on the ground compared to 258 in the air. 

The worst of the playcalling came in the most important drive. For the first time in 748 days, Kentucky had the opportunity to pull off its first SEC home win, against a team it had never hosted in Lexington before.

After heading to overtime with regulation ending with the teams tied at 13, the Wildcats and Boley took the field to open the period.

After a 22-yard completion to Kendrick Law put the offense at the 3-yard line, Kentucky ran the ball four straight times from inside the 5 and came up empty.

On fourth-and-goal from the 1, the call was another rush up the gut — and, as it had been for most of the night, Texas was ready for it. 

The Longhorns’ defensive front stood firm, stopping Boley short and setting themselves up for the victory.

“It was frustrating, and we had worked extremely hard to get that (short yardage situation) fixed,” Stoops said.

“We had been very efficient this year, but we weren’t effective tonight.”

Even Texas safety Michael Taaffe said he saw it coming the second the offense lined up.

“I knew it was going to be a quarterback sneak or a running back trying to jump,” Taaffe said. “I just wanted to time it up and make the play for my team.”

Taaffe and the Texas defense knew the success Kentucky had in the run game this season, and it was what had kept the Wildcats’ offense in the game week in and week out.

“I just knew when the game’s on the line and you’re a coach, what are you going to do?” Taaffe said. 

“You’re probably going to go to your bread and butter, the things that you trust and take your chances.”

Hamdan nearly echoed Taaffe when asked about the short-yardage calls.

“When you’re a yard, yard and a half away, you’ve got to make those decisions about what you’re going to live with,” Hamdan said. 

“We felt we were going to rely on being downhill with the backs and our O-line, and that was the decision we made.”

A fully packed Kroger Field once again left the game in disappointment, and even with stats that challenged his overtime play calling, Stoops stood by the decision to go for a touchdown rather than taking a field goal.

“There’s always a decision that I can definitely second-guess myself on, not that one,” Stoops said.

“I wanted to go play to win. We put ourselves in a position to win the game, and we came up short. And that hurts.”

Kentucky finally had both sides of the ball clicking, with a defense that dominated once again and an offense that moved the chains against a top-ranked defense. 

When the game demanded creativity, the coaches fell back on comfort.

The Wildcats proved they can compete with a ranked SEC opponent; they just lack coaches willing to play with the same confidence their players did.

All season, both players and coaches have echoed how close the team is to success, and that once the little things are addressed, this team can compete amongst the best.

Turns out, the biggest obstacle might be the ones in charge of fixing them.