Stoops Not Worried About Will Levis' Interceptions
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Through three games, Kentucky quarterback Will Levis has thrown four interceptions.
While none of them have been detrimental to the outcome of the Wildcats' games (see the 3-0 record and No. 8 next to their name,) it's a plausible cause for concern moving down the road this season.
Levis chucked 13 interceptions in his first season in Lexington, which was tied for the most amongst Southeastern Conference QB's. After one fourth of the 2022 campaign, only Spencer Rattler of South Carolina has had more turnovers through the air.
Not all of Levis' interceptions are on the quarterback, however. He's been sacked 11 times, which leads the SEC. His lone pick against Florida came via a sack that resulted in the ball hanging in the air long enough for the Gators' Gervin Dexter to snag it in the backfield.
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops can live with the occasional pick, as long as his QB carries conviction in his decisions when he's flinging the football:
"Interceptions are going to happen sometimes. It's just like the interception a week ago, I mean, is that really an interception? I mean, it was pressure, it got tipped, and it fell in somebody's arm. That stuff's going to happen, I guess what I'm saying, here or there. You don't want it to, but it's going to happen. Deflections and things of that nature, a bad pass here or there," Stoops said after Saturday's 31-0 win over Youngstown State. "You know, Will's playing at a really high level and I want him to continue to play that way, play aggressive, and play confident and do good."
When your offense fumbles the football four times in the same game, it takes some eyes off of the periodic bad throw.
"I could live with interceptions, because we don't want them to play tentative in thinking about that. We want (Levis) ripping it and confident and throwing. But, you know, fumbling, we can control that. We’ve got to get rid of putting the ball on the ground with fumbling," Stoops said.
Levis, like Stoops, can live with the sporadic interception. It's maintaining the same mentality on the field following a mistake that the senior team captain has to keep in mind and work on.
"The first interception, I thought it was the right read. I'm not gonna make any excuses, but, I think after that I was getting kind of cautious with the football, and coach kinda realized that, he was like 'dude, just go out there like it didn't happen and just rip it.' I just have to keep that mentality and not force balls, but trust our guys," Levis said. "The second one was on me, I was pressured, backing up apposed to stepping up and missed em high. They're gonna happen, but i'd rather them not happen, you know? We have to do what we can do and what I can do to eliminate them as much as possible."
The QB has thrown an interception in four straight games dating back to last season. In 16 games, Levis has played just three without hurling a pick. Kentucky is 13-3 since the Penn State transfer took over under center, however, so clearly the turnovers haven't come back to bite him as much as they could have.
Levis will continue to impress through the air and on the feet, as his NFL Draft stock continues to shoot through the roof. It's easy to harp on the negatives, but interceptions can be tough burden to bear if they keep on coming throughout the year.
Time will tell if the QB will overcome his turnover bugaboo, or if it will simply remain a piece of the gunslinging play-style that has propelled Levis to the top of stat-sheets and draft boards.
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