John Clay: Big Blue now seeing red

When it comes to the Monday morning quarterbacks, color the Big Blue Nation a deep shade of red.

Red as in red alert: Saturday's 42-35 loss to Ole Miss wasn't so much disappointing as it was forever frustrating. The loss to Florida, well, that's as annual as Halloween. But Ole Miss had lost to, yikes, Jacksonville State. And, yikes, Vanderbilt. Both, yikes, at home. Yet, Ole Miss found in its heart to accept Kentucky's gift-wrapped present. Thank-you card to follow.

Red as in red zone: Yes, three UK turnovers gave Ole Miss short fields with which to work. But, at some point, your defense has to force field goals. Consider this scary stat: Kentucky's foes have scored 12 touchdowns the last 12 times they've been in the red zone. There are bend-and-don't break defenses. That's a bend-and-break defense.

Red as in red dog: In the old days, "Red Dog" was a code word for a blitz. UK defensive coordinator Steve Brown is not a huge fan of the blitz. He prefers more of a base defense, one that makes the opponent keep snapping the football until it makes a mistake. That's fine. Last year's defense caused 22 turnovers, including 16 interceptions.

But this year's defense isn't creating turnovers. Through five games, UK has forced five turnovers. It did not force a single turnover Saturday. That was the difference in the old ball game.

John Barber Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello