Kentucky must start winning the turnover battle consistently again

The Kentucky defense currently ranks No. 4 nationally in havoc rate (18.8%). Brad White‘s unit is piling up tackles for loss (25), pass breakups (eight), forced fumbles (four), and interceptions (four). Despite all of that playmaking, the Wildcats are 0-2 in the turnover battle in both SEC games.

South Carolina’s fourth quarter pick-six put the nail in the coffin in Week 2. Brock Vandagriff‘s sack fumble gave Georgia three points in game that had a one-point difference at the final horn. A plus in the turnover column could’ve flipped either game. Remember the fumble recoveries missed in both contests? But the offense also plays a role in this battle.

Dating back to last season, Kentucky is just 2-5-2 in turnover column battle in its last nine games against power conference competition. This has played a big role in the Wildcats being 1-4 in their last five games decided by one-possession.

OpponentTurnover MarginKentucky ResultGeorgia (2024)-1Zero takeaways | One turnoverSouth Carolina (2024)-1One takeaway | Two turnoversClemson (2023)-3One takeaway | Four turnoversLouisville (2023)+2Three takeaways | One turnoverSouth Carolina (2023)-3Zero takeaways | Three turnoversAlabama (2023)0Two takeaways | Two turnoversMississippi State (2023)+1One takeaway | Zero turnoversTennessee (2023)0Zero takeaways | Zero turnoversMissouri (2023)-2One takeaway | Three turnovers

Poor ball security played a big role in Kentucky blowing a double-digit lead in the Gator Bowl. Zero takeaways likely prevented Kentucky from ending Georgia’s long regular-season winning streak. Three turnovers allowed South Carolina to beat Kentucky in 2023. In these nine games, Kentucky is 2-7 outright and one of the wins needed a multi-takeaway advantage.

Football is a complicated game that can also be simplistic. If you win the turnover battle consistently you give yourself a great chance to win games. With three more top-10 teams remaining on the 2024 schedule, the Wildcats will need to steal possessions via takeaways to give themselves a true shot at an outright upset.

If Kentucky continues to lose the turnover battle, the losses will continue to stack up.

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