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Kentucky Football Takes Subtle Jabs at Former Offensive Coordinator Rich Scangarello

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Kentucky Football offensive coordinators Rich Scangarello and Liam Coen
Via USA Today, IMAGN

As we all know, last season was a bit of a dumpster fire for Kentucky football. Despite finishing with a winning record of 7-6 and making an appearance in the Music City Bowl, things just never felt right with the 2022 team.

Perhaps the biggest downfall for Kentucky was their inability to get anything going on offense. After Liam Coen left UK for the Los Angeles Rams Assistant Coach position, Mark Stoops had to find his new Offensive Coordinator.

Who did Stoops hire as Coen’s replacement? The answer is Rich Scangarello, who was previously the Quarterbacks Coach for the San Francisco 49ers. At the time, this seemed like such a good hire, as he was heralded for his football knowledge.

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Mark Stoops had just replaced one well-established offensive playmaking genius with another. What a steal… right? The difference between Liam Coen and Rich Scangarello, however, is that Coen is a better communicator and was able to better translate his knowledge into a college football offense.

Confusion on the Offensive Line

Liam Coen, who Kentucky just re-hired as their Offensive Coordinator, said that Scangarello’s over-complicated offensive scheming severely hurt the offensive line.

“A little too much sometimes. Too much scheme,” Coen said about Scangarello’s complex blocking scheme, “As coaches, we try to fix things with schemes, when simplifying can actually be better.”

Wide Receivers “Running Around Like Chickens With Their Heads Cut Off”

Even Kentucky wide receiver Dane Key had something to say about his former coach’s offensive strategy.

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Key even went as far as to say that Coen and the coaching staff have actually been “teaching us how to be receivers, rather than just trying to get open, running around like chickens with their heads cut off.”


It’s unfair to make Rich Scangarello the scapegoat for all of last season’s issues. With Will Levis’ injuries, Chris Rodriguez’s suspension, and one of the worst offensive lines in the country, it would have been difficult for any Offensive Coordinator to have success.

Heralded for his football IQ, it is likely the case that Scangarello tried to overcompensate those issues with more schemes. However, at the end of the day, the stats speak for themselves. When Mark Stoops had the opportunity to bring back Coen, he took it.

With Coen back as Offensive Coordinator and a lot of talent at the skill positions, the Wildcats will look to pick up where they left off in 2021.

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Louisville Football Player Charged With First-Degree Strangulation, Days After Committing Game Losing Personal Foul

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Louisville Cardinals defensive back Tayon Holloway (20) reacts to his defensive play.
Eric Canha | Imagn

On Monday, Louisville football defensive back Tayon Holloway was detained and charged with first-degree strangulation and fourth-degree assault.

This comes just days after the former four-star prospect committed a costly personal foul to put a 2-7 Stanford team in field goal range and upset Louosillve 38-35 with a walk-off field goal.

As expected, Holloway has been indefinitely suspended from the team.

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“The University of Louisville is aware of the arrest of football student-athlete Tayon Holloway,” the university said in a statement. “As we gather more information, Tayon has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.”

Things Cardinals seem to be in a downward trend as the Commonwealth Cup nears, November 30th.

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Kentucky snaps four game losing streak defeats Murray State 48-6

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops talking to Murray State football coach Jody Wright.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

Kentucky gets a much-needed victory over Murray St 48-6 to snap its four-game losing Streak. Brock Vandagriff led the way for the Cats, going 12-19 for 183 passing yards and two touchdown passes to Hardley Gilmore IV and Ja’Mori Maclin. 48 Points is the most points Kentucky has scored in a game since 2021 when the Cats scored 51 points against Louisville.

The defense held Murray St. without a touchdown. For the second time this season, Kentucky’s defense has held an opponent without a touchdown.

Freshman Standout today:

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For the second time this season, Kentucky breaks the 40-point mark as three freshmen make impacts for Kentucky. Jamarion Wilcox had 13 carries and 124 yards with a touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

Receiver Hardley Gilmore IV had two receptions for 72 yards and caught the 52-yard touchdown pass from Brock Vandagriff on the game-opening drive.

Four-star quarterback Cutter Boley started the second half for the Cats, going 10-14 and passing for 130 yards with two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, both touchdown passes to sophomore receiver Anthony Brown-Stephens.

Defense Bounces Back:

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After giving up over 475 yards of total offense each of the last three games, Kentucky’s defense holds Murray State to 256 total yards of offense while also having three takeaways from the Murray State offense

Defensive Lineman Tre’vonn Rybka led the way for the defense with five tackles and the only sack of the game for Kentucky’s defense. Jordan Lovett had two takeaways in the first half for Kentucky and one in the red zone in the second quarter. Jackson Schultz had the final takeaway, picking off Jim Ogle’s pass late in the fourth quarter.

Box Score

With the win today over Murray St., Kentucky moves to 4-6 (1-6 SEC) with two games remaining. They look to keep their bowl eligibility alive as they travel to Austin, Texas, and face the No. 3 ranked Texas Longhorns at 3:30 pm on ABC. 

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Mark Stoops Responds to Retirement Rumors, “Zero Percent Chance I Do That”

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops responds to retirement rumors amidst disappointing season. "Zero percent chance I do that."
Jordan Prather | Imagn

To say there is unrest in the Kentucky Football fanbase would be an understatement. With a 3-6 record overall, and 1-6 in the SEC (15th out of 16) things look bleak, and there is still a quarter of the season to go. Considering the regression from the previous two seasons as well, it’s difficult to be optimistic about the future.

Over the last few weeks, rumors have circled that head coach Mark Stoops has considered retiring at the end of the season. Optics wise it makes sense, his older brother Bob Stoops surprisingly retired from Oklahoma at just 56, and Mark, now 57, has expressed a desire to spend more time with his children.

At his weekly press conference, Stoops was asked directly if there is any chance that he would walk away from Kentucky and retire at the season. To which he responded, bluntly:

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“Zero percent chance I do that. Next question.”

Mark Stoops is still owed more than $44 million on his contract. That’s A LOT of money to leave on the table and is the reason that the decision will be Stoops’ to make, as Kentucky cannot afford the buyout.

If Stoops holds true to his word and returns next season, NIL fundraising efforts may be the most difficult it has been for him. However, he hopes it sparks motivation to donate.

“I’ve seen it at other SEC schools,” Stoops said. “I want to stay away from that. I really get tired of — I don’t want to be like I am whining, I am crying. It is reality. You have to have dollars.”

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