The hire made sense. To coordinate Kentucky’s offense, Mark Stoops replaced one former NFL assistant coach with another former NFL assistant coach. Liam Coen came from the Kyle Shanahan/Mike Shanahan coaching tree. Rich Scangarello came from the Kyle Shanahan/Mike Shanahan coaching tree. On paper, the transition from Coen to Scangarello seemed seamless.
It hasn’t worked out that way. Ten games into its 2022-23 season, Kentucky ranks 107th out of 131 FBS teams in total offense. It ranks 94th in scoring offense; 88th in yards per play; 115th in yards per rush; 99th in red zone offense; 70th in third-down offense and 126th in sacks allowed.
It ranks 14th out of 14 SEC teams in total offense and 11th out of 14 in points per game. Worse, Kentucky lost 24-21 to Vanderbilt on Saturday at Kroger Field in a game in which Vandy snapped its 26-game conference losing streak by outgaining the Wildcats 448-322.
Once 4-0 and ranked No. 7 in the AP Top 25, Kentucky is now 6-4 and facing the possibility of a 6-6 regular season.
Bottom line: Kentucky’s offense isn’t working.
Bottom-line question: If you are Mark Stoops, what do you do now?
Do you fire Rich Scangarello? Do you give up on the coach you signed to a three-year contract after hiring him away from the San Francisco 49ers? Do you pull the plug on your current play-caller and subject your offensive players to their fourth different coordinator — from Eddie Gran (2020) to Coen (2021) to Scangarello (2022) to someone new (2023) — in as many seasons?
Or do you ride it out? Do you take the slings and arrows and keep the faith that with some adjustments and some improvements this is the offensive scheme you want to run and this is the man you want to run it?
Bottom-line consideration: The transfer portal. Kentucky has some good young players on offense who could be poached by other programs. Would a coordinator change make them more or less likely to turn a wandering eye elsewhere?
On the flip side, UK will no doubt be perusing the portal for a quarterback next season. Scangarello’s background and connections should be enticing to transfers and recruits. His offensive production this season is not.
To be fair, the offense Scangarello inherited from Coen lacked a second-round NFL Draft choice at wide receiver in Wan’Dale Robinson and two NFL Draft picks on the offensive line in Luke Fortner and Darian Kinnard. Its All-SEC running back Chris Rodriguez missed the first four games of the season via suspension.
But Scangarello did inherit a potential No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick at the game’s most important position. Will Levis has been good this season, but not great. He has thrown for 16 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He ranks 25th nationally in pass efficiency. He has played hurt, having been sacked 33 times.
Saturday, against a Vanderbilt defense that ranked 106th nationally, Levis was just 11 of 23 for 109 yards with zero touchdowns and an interception on a failed Hail Mary at game’s end. In Vanderbilt’s six SEC games this season, he’s the only quarterback to not a throw a TD pass against the Commodores.
There’s also this: Kentucky’s offense hasn’t improved. Last year, UK topped the 400-yard mark in four of its eight SEC games. This year, the Cats have topped 400 just once. And after gaining 478 against Mississippi State, it has gained 205, 252 and 322 the next three games.
“Are you to that point where you have to consider staff changes now?” Stoops was asked in Saturday’s postgame press conference.
“No,” was the coach’s quick response.
Personally, I wouldn’t either, and I know that’s not the popular response, especially fresh from the worst loss of Stoops’ 10-year UK tenure. Four offensive coordinators in four seasons is not a good situation for any program.
But I’m not the one making the decision. It’s a roll of the dice either way. And whether it’s now or after the season, it’s a decision Mark Stoops will have to make.
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