SB Nation - Tim Masthay

Kentucky vs. Louisville -- What Makes Me Confident, and What Makes Me Nervous

Truzenzuzex — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:01:59 -0000

Victor Anderson could give us some serious trouble tomorrow.

I see a lot of confidence in Kentucky fans regarding the Governor's Cup tomorrow, and I see an awful lot of pessimism in Louisville fans. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at either, but perhaps Kentucky fans should be a little cautious with their optimism and save the smack-talk until after the game is over. There is nothing less tasty than ~~Cardinal~~ crow after an upset.

Now, don't count me among the pessimistic -- I'm not. On paper, Kentucky has a number of advantages over Louisville, and Mike over at the Card Chronicle has done a pretty fair job of detailing them. So what I propose to do here is detail the things that make me feel confident, and nervous, about tomorrow's contest.

Confident

The Kentucky offensive line. UK has one of the most experienced lines in the SEC, and they get Jorge Gonzalez back at center for tomorrow's game. Kentucky was 5th in the nation in sacks allowed last year, so if the line comes to play, Hartline will get all the time he needs to find receivers.

Nervous

Trent Guy. Trent Guy is a gamebreaker, a lightning-quick athlete that, if he gets the ball in space, will leave UK defenders trying to tackle his vapor trail. This kid is fast, and reminds me a lot of Florida's Jeffrey Demps -- small, quick, and if he gets a step, gone.

Confident

Our "in the box" guys. Louisville has some very solid backs, but with the exception of the edges, Kentucky has a very experienced and talented defensive front. Even if Victor Anderson or Bilal Powell get loose a little, I think the 'Cats have the speed and athleticism to tackle them.

Nervous

Kentucky's kicking game. I think our punting game is OK, but kickoffs make me nervous. We simply do not have anyone with enough leg to get the hang time we need, and Tim Masthay is not walking through that door. With dangerous returners like Trent Guy and Doug Beaumont, I have nightmares about kickoffs to the Cardinals.

Confident

Kentucky's secondary. I think that the 'Cats are going to intercept passes from Louisville if they try to throw it downfield. UK has Trevard Lindley, but the other guys in the defensive backfield are also high quality -- Paul Warford, Calvin Harrison, Winston Guy, Randall Burden and Matt Lentz all represent major threats to an untested QB.

Nervous

Justin Burke. After a pedestrian outing against Indiana State, I fear that this kid will suddenly wake up and play over his head in a rivalry game. If he is able to get the ball to guys like Beaumont and Guy in space, Louisville could move the football. And if the kicking game is as bad as Brooks' fears, the Cardinals will be starting from less than 60 yards from our end zone.

Confident

Rich Brooks. I love what Papa Brooks has done over the last few years, and I am becoming a believer in his judgment, game management and experience. Brooks is the kind of coach that if you give him enough talent, he wins, and I think the Wildcats have plenty of talent for the Cardinals.

Nervous

Field Goal kicking. Lones Seiber has been anything but consistent, and if the game is closer than expected, he could be the difference between a win and a loss. I don't feel good at all about having Seiber as the bulwark against a close defeat.

Well, those are the things that make me puff my chest out, and the things that make me toss and turn in the bed at night. Feel free to chime in with your observations, I'd love to hear them.

Rivalry Week Wednesday links

Mike Rutherford — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:34:16 -0000

--We're now a mere 72 hours away from the big game, and....still nothing. No trash talk, no car flags, no hideous logo-embroidered dress shirts at work. Louisville fans still think they're about to get smacked and Kentucky fans are still too nervous to gloat.

I really think all this stems from the fact that Cardinal fans have gotten so used to success that a healthy dose of failure has made them overly pessimistic. On the other hand, the members of Big Blue Nation are so used to looking forward to football season solely because of tailgating that they're overly cautious even after enjoying a healthy dose of success.

These ingredients, combined with a few more, have resulted in the big bowl of silence that has been this week.

--And then there's A Sea of Blue's Ken Howlett, who throws caution to the wind and offers up four reasons why Kentucky rolls on Saturday.

4. 27 - 2 -- The score of last season's Governor's Cup contest might seem irrelevant, and it probably is, but I can't help but come back to this -- Last year, U of L played Kentucky at home, with a new starting quarterback in Hunter Cantwell; this year, U of L plays Kentucky on the road, with once again, a new starting quarterback. Last year, U of L played Kentucky at home, against a defense superior to the Cardinal offense; this year, U of L plays Kentucky on the road, against a defense seemingly superior to the Cardinal offense. Last year, U of L played Kentucky at home, while the 'Cats broke-in a new quarterback; this year, U of L plays Kentucky on the road, while the 'Cats sport a significantly improved, and more experienced quarterback. Last year, U of L lost to Kentucky, at home, 27-2; this year U of L ...

--Even if U of L fans aren't fired up, Steve Kragthorpe is. Don't believe me? Check out this tweet from last night.

Great attention to detail in our special teams units today in practice. Goettsche kicked the ball well. Great hang time and distance.

The Battle for the Governor's Cup always brings out his inner Ali.

--Speaking of special teams, Kragthorpe will name his starting kicker - Chris Philpott or Ryan Payne - on Thursday.

--Mark Maloney writes about Lexington natives Pete Nochta and Daniel Covington coming home to play inside Commonwealth Stadium, and both men represent the U of L program very well.

Covington, U of L's second-leading tackler last season (66), has no complaints this year, even though junior-college transfer Terrence Simien has taken his starting job.

"It's not been tough to take," said Covington, who had two tackles in the opener. "It's whatever's best for the team."

Nochta also gets himself back in my good graces by admitting how little he cares for the Kentucky football program.

What if he had to choose between beating UK or winning a Big East title?

"I really don't like them so I'm going to have to say Kentucky," said Nochta, whose dad, John, played for UK and is principal at Henry Clay High School. "Then we'll see what happens down the road, try to knock them both out."

--Not representing his program well: UK linebacker Ridge Wilson, who has officially been suspended for the Louisville game after being charged with fourth-degree assault.

--There a few legitimate reasons for Kentucky to be afraid of Louisville, one of them being Trent Guy's ability to bust the big one on kick returns.

Fear of kick returns: Brooks' voice rose a couple of octaves during his Monday press luncheon when asked about kick coverage. He wasn't auditioning for American Idol.

Tim Masthay is gone. So touchbacks are gone. Against Miami, on average, UK's seven kickoffs reached the RedHawks' 9-yard line. Luckily, Miami didn't possess a dangerous return man.

Louisville does have a dangerous return man. Two years ago at Commonwealth, Trent Guy returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score. He's still around. And chances are, he'll get some chances to repeat that feat Saturday.

The C-J's Brett Dawson also tackles the topic.

It doesn't have to come via a kick return, but there is zero chance (zero chance!) that Louisville wins this game without at least one giant, non-offensive play. Could it be a 70-yard behind-the-back pass from Goettsche to Rock Keys? Of course it could.

--ESPN's Pat Forde gives the game a line in the latest installment of his Forde Yard Dash.

And this week's rivalry game, Louisville-Kentucky (16), is still better off as a season opener (which it is when played at Louisville) than as an anonymous third-week game (which it is when played at Kentucky).

--Wednesday is apparently D-Line focus day on game week, as C.L. Brown and Chip Cosby take a look at the unit for the Cards and the Cats, respectively.

--The more I hear from him, the more I like Justin Burke.

It's a compliment he takes with a grain of salt. He'd like to think he's athletic too, but he doesn't think being hailed for his intelligence works against him.

"I like to be seen as the unathletic nerd," Burke said. "That's my thing, because then when you step on the field you can get an edge on people. I mean, I don't wear Poindexter glasses or anything. I'm still a competitive football player out there - let's not get that mistaken."

...

It's a challenge Burke has been thinking about since arriving on campus more than a year ago. Though he remained neutral about the rivalry growing up, he's a full-fledged Cardinal now. And the city where he grew up is a decidedly different place now that he's wearing red and not Kentucky blue.

"Right now, it's like a foreign city to me," he said. "There's the Burke complex and then there's the rest of the city. I don't feel like I can go out very comfortably anymore around there."

I can't help but say it. If, IF, we beat these guys, how fantastic would it be?

Pants-shedding fantastic.

Kentucky Football: Optimism is Sinking In

Truzenzuzex — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:43:20 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

All your passes are belong to ... ME! Trevard Lindley gets ready to lead what may be the best defensive backfield in UK history.

Browse more photos »

I was a little skeptical that Kentucky would be much improved this year from last. That skepticism is beginning to fade.

Reports out of the practice sessions continue to be largely good news, and Brooks seemed about as pleased as I have ever seen him about the scrimmage this past Saturday. The best way to judge if Brooks is pleased or not is, if you don't hear many complaints, he is about as happy as he will ever be about practice. Brooks was pleased with the effort and energy all around, and we keep hearing something that gives me hope: "Hartline is much better, and he has a lot of help."

Truly, if Mike Hartline and the receiving corps really are significantly better, that is as good as news gets. Neither of the true freshman are ready for any significant time at quarterback, and Will Fidler has firmly established himself as Hartline's backup. The word out of UK is now that they will be looking at which one of the two frosh is the most ready, and make "decisions" (read: redshirt) from there. That makes a lot of sense, and both Newton and Mossakowski came here knowing a redshirt was a definite possibility. One of them almost surely must sit out a year in order to create a progression.

The offensive line continues to get good comments from the staff, with one exception -- blitz pickup. For some reason, they are having trouble with that, and it is important they work out their difficulties in blitz blocking as soon as possible, because UK will be seeing a lot of them if Hartline is really capable of delivering the ball. Kentucky has some very dangerous skill players, and no defensive backfield in the SEC is going to be able to let those guys catch the ball downfield without lots of points going up.

Continued after the jump ...

Another group drawing some praise from Brooks has been the defensive line. It drives me crazy hearing this, because we can only imagine how much better this group would have been withJeremy Jarmon on the edge. Steve Brown continues to be impressed with DeQuin Evans' work, but even if he winds up being a small drop-off from Jarmon, I keep wanting to think of what kind of depth and power we would have had at that position if Jarmon were available. This is one of those "what-ifs" that is going to drive me crazy all season because of the circumstances surrounding Jarmon's loss of eligibility.

The defensive backfield, as highlighted in an article in the Courier-Journal today, is probably the strongest we have had at UK, maybe ever. Kentucky is deep and talented at all the DB positions, and it is being said that ~~Chandler~~ Randall Burden may be as good as Trevard Lindley was his sophomore year, which means that UK is going to be dangerous to throw against. No team, not even in the SEC, dares throw at Lindley with impunity, or as we have seen, defensive touchdowns break out. If Burden can only be 60% as good as Trevard, it farily boggles the mind. And Paul Warford is no slouch, either, and may wind up keeping the starting spot over Burden.

The one thing I have nothing to report on is special teams, particularly punting. Tydlacka is a capable, maybe even excellent punter, but I would like to hear how he is progressing. We have been spoiled here at UK for having such a good kicking game (if you can somehow forget Florida last year) for so long, but now that Tim Masthay is gone, I worry about this. Nothing can get you in as much trouble as bad special teams, and UK has been blessed with pretty darn good special teams for the last few years.

Finally, Team Speed Kills has a long post up containing a ton of information about the SEC. Yours truly participated in the information dump, so you should really head over there and check out the competition.

Breaking Down Kentucky at Vanderbilt

Anything but Gatorade — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:01:36 -0000

via assets.espn.go.com

Take the above image and repeat about five or six times and you have Commies at Cats, 2008. Several blogs lately have pointed out that the Doormat Bowl has evolved from answering the question of "who's going to be at the bottom of the league" to "who's going to be at the bottom of the league, but also gets to go to a bowl?" That wasn't the case in 2008, as Kentucky got torched and still went to the Liberty Bowl. It might not be the case in 2009, either, as South Carolina or Tennessee could easily fail their way to the same East basement that Vandy and UK have struggled so mightily to climb out of. Of course, every conference game is important, but, because UK/VU tends to happen so late in the season, it always seems like a fulcrum-type game, and 2009 looks to shape up that way, too. Chris Low calls the game a "fork in the road" for Kentucky, and Team Speed Kills calls it one of the 10 games that will shape the SEC this year.

Cocknfire over at TSK does a pretty good job breaking down the game, and I've taken a look at it myself recently, albeit a brief one. Of all the games on the schedule this year for both the Cats and Commodores, this was the hardest one for me to pick (or push). Here's a deeper look, and why it's probably not going to matter come November 14th anyway:

Coaches: Rich Brooks (123-150-4 in 24 total collegiate seasons, 32-41 in 7 years at UK); Bobby Johnson (87-92 in 16 collegiate seasons, 27-56 in 8 years at Vanderbilt). Oddly enough, Bobby Johnson is the longest tenured coach in the SEC. Both of these guys can really coach, and both have led historic turnarounds in their schools' football programs. I'll say this for Coach Johnson, though: he's done more with much less, and also without an athletic department. Brooks's efforts and success have been well documented, and the fact that he's still here after two and a half miserable seasons due to probation, etc., is a testament to his abilities and philosophy.

Offenses: Vanderbilt's offensive line last year was, in a word, bad. Luckily, they had fleet-footed Chris Nickson under center to scramble around behind them. Unluckily, Nickson's list of options was fairly limited: dump it off to someone who wasn't covered, try and run for yards, throw it away, or take a hard sack. The latter two options were the ones most often employed. Spelling Nickson occasionally was Mackenzi Adams, who played well enough in his opportunities but not so well to get the starting nod for 2009. It's my expectation that Larry Smith will get that honor, and he's got much better blockers this time around. Short white guy running back Jared Hawkins returns to a role he was oddly effective in last year. The receivers are young, and that's probably the biggest question mark in the whole unit (aside from "who the hell is that guy, these jerks don't put names on their jerseys").

Ken's going through this sort of thing for Kentucky, but the line for the Cats this year should be pretty good. Christian Johnson, Jorge Gonzales, and Zipp Duncan are all coming back, and T.C. Drake must've accidentally gotten his name on some watch list for tight ends. The receivers were bad last year aside from Dicky Lyons, Jr. and Randall Cobb, but showed some promise in the bowl game. The running backs are good, but it would be nice to see some gains between the tackles. I'm pulling for Hartline because it's too soon to throw a freshman into the SEC meat grinder and Cobb's way more effective in open space than behind center.

Who gets the edge? Like so many things about these teams, there's not much room for a difference. There are lots of questions at receiver. The lines are both good, though I'd give Kentucky's a better grade. I'd give Hartline a push at QB because even though he's more experienced, he wasn't good last year. Kentucky's got more proven backs than the Dores do. I'll give the Cats a slight advantage here.

Defenses: Vanderbilt's defense is why they made it to a bowl last year. D.J. Moore was a nightmare for everyone who faced him, and he had a freakin' coming out party against Kentucky last year. Fortunately for the Cats, he's gone now. In his place, though, are Myron Lewis, Jamie Graham, and Ryan Hamilton, all effective tacklers and coverage backs. The defensive line returns most of its starters, and the linebackers are an experienced group as well.

Kentucky's secondary is equal to if not better than Vanderbilt's, returning Trevard Lindley, Ashton Cobb, Paul Warford, and Matt Lentz. The linebackers are also a talented group, with Micah Johnson returning along with Sam Maxwell and Danny Trevathan. The question marks are all up front, especially at the ends.

Edge here is even more difficult to tell. Will Kentucky's D-line firm up by November 14? How much of a pounding has each unit taken over the season? The interesting part is the offense-defense matchup; neither offense is expected to be especially effective, so the defenses might be better than we think in this game. Push.

Special Teams: I'm not a Lones Seiber fan. Here's hoping he gets his act together this year, because if Kentucky wants to win games, field goals are probably going to be pretty important. Vanderbilt returns Music City Bowl MVP punter Brett Upson, who is about as good as Tim Masthay was in terms of putting the other team in a hole as far as field position. Ryan Tiddlywinks (I can't spell his last name without looking it up) will probably have his hands full this year unless the Wildcat offense becomes much more effective at keeping the ball.

Kentucky's bread and butter in the past has been its return game, and I don't see this year being any different with any combination of Randall Cobb, Alfonso Smith, Gene McCaskill, Derrick Locke, and Kyrus Lanxter filling those roles. They can't catch passes consistently, but at least the catch punts and kickoffs. I'm not totally sure who'll be returning kicks for the Dores this year, but I'd have to think Jamie Graham will probably be in the mix.

This is a push for me because even though I think the Cats have the better return unit, I have no confidence in their kicking ability until further notice, and Brett Upson is a stud.

Schedule: Vanderbilt plays 12 uninterrupted weeks this year and the Kentucky game falls on Week 11 of their schedule. This game will be the 10th consecutive game on the Wildcats' schedule also. Kentucky goes through the meat grinder a little earlier than the Dores do, playing Florida and Alabama in the first five weeks of the season, but they get a break before going to Nashville in the Eastern and Louisiana-Monroe games. Vanderbilt will be coming off a brutal stretch of games against Georgia, at South Carolina, Georgia Tech, and at Florida. No way do they make it through there without some injuries, so the lines and backs might be pretty dinged up at that point. It's a home game for the Commies, but Kentucky always travels well down to Nashville and the Dores have a tough time filling their stadium.

Conclusion: I think that the constant pounding in Vandy's schedule and what I hope is an emerging offense from UK will be too much for the Dores to overcome. Thing is, though, this game is always hard-fought and extremely important to both teams, and anything can happen. When the week before this game rolls around in a few months, you can probably throw all of the above out the window. Just be careful when you do that, though, there might be a person down there.

UK Football: Statistically Speaking

Ken Howlett — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:34:07 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

Rich Brooks telling Miami, OH's Michael Haywood that he is doomed to begin the '09 season 0-1. Or something along those lines.

Browse more photos »

With Tru having posted his thoughts on the football 'Cats non-conference schedule, I thought it time to take a statistical look at last year's team. This should give everyone an idea of what areas UK needs to improve on in order for Rich Brooks & Company to have a successful 2009 campaign.

At times the numbers don't provide pleasant reading material, but in the interest of reality, I recommend a perusal for the serious football fan. So, hold all of your calls, cancel your meetings and lock the door, because here come some stats galore!

** UK's SEC rank in parenthesis

Kentucky Opponents

Points Per Game -- 22.6 (6th) 21.5 (8th)

Comments: Kentucky needs to see an improvement in the number of touchdowns they score (a keen insight indeed). There were five SEC teams that averaged over 30-points per game: Florida (43.6), Mississippi (32.1), Georgia (31.5), LSU (30.9), and Alabama (30.1). If UK harbors hopes of being competitive in the SEC, they need to add at least half-a-touchdown to last seasons 22.6 points-per-game average -- Florida led the SEC last year by only allowing 12.9 points per game (Bama was second, allowing only 14.3 points per game). For the Bobby Petrino-bashers out there: Arkansas finished dead last in the league by allowing 31.2 points per game.

First Downs -- 212 (8th) 209 (5th)

Rushing Yards -- 1657 1810

Average Per Rush -- 3.7 3.8

Average Rush Yd's Per Game -- 127.5 (8th) 139.2 (9th)

Comment: A weak spot for the defense last year; stopping the run: Last season the two top SEC rushing performances came against UK -- Alabama's Glen Coffee rushed for 218-yards against the 'Cats, and Arkansas' Michael Smith ran for 192-yards. For comparative purposes: Alabama, at 74.1 yards per game, and Ole Miss at 85.5 yards per game, led the SEC in rush defense in '08. Offensively, Florida led the SEC in rushing last season with 231.1 yards per game; 45 more yards than the second best rushing team.

Running Back Rushes -- 404 ----

RB Average Per Rush -- 4.03 ----

Comment: The top four running backs in the yards-per-rush category are back for UK: Moncell Allen (5.3 yards per carry on 38 rushes), Derrick Locke (4.8 ypc on 63 rushes), Alfonso Smith (4.2 ypc on 74 rushes), and Randall Cobb (4.0 ypc on 79 rushes).

Rushing Touchdowns -- 18 15

Comment: Randall Cobb is tied with eight others for most points scored in a game last season (in the SEC), with 18-points, after his three rushing touchdown performance versus Georgia. Also due to that outburst, Cobb tied six others for most rushing touchdowns in a game with three.

Passing Yardage -- 2,234 2,511

Comment: Running back Alfonso Smith was the only Wildcat to record a 100-yard receiving game last year.

Att - Comp - Int -- 415-227-13 359-188-12

Comment: Mike Hartline's 47 pass attempts versus Middle Tennessee last season was the SEC high (in a tie with S. Carolina's Chris Smelley) in the category, and Hartline's 28 completions in the same game also led the SEC.

Completion % -- 54.7 52.4

Comment: Although Mike Hartline and Randall Cobb were sub-par passers last season, the wide receivers deserve at minimum, partial responsibility for the 54.7% completion percentage. The too-numerous dropped passes ebbed back to an acceptable number toward the end of the year, but through the first seven or eight games it was a freak show. On the year, Hartline was 172-311 (55.3%) for 1,666 yards, nine touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Randall Cobb posted these numbers: 52-99 (52.5%) for 542 yards, two touchdowns, and five interceptions.

Average Yards Per Catch -- 9.8 13.4

Comment: Pathetic. It's no secret, UK has to throw the ball down the field!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Average Pass Yards Per Game -- 171.8 (8th) 193.2 (9th)

Comment: Vanderbilt was the SEC's worst passing team last season, recording only 122.6 yards per game through the air, while Georgia led the SEC with 277.7 yards passing per game. There were only 10 300-yard passing games in the SEC last season; Arkansas' Casey Dick and Georgia's Matt Stafford were responsible for six of them.

Touchdown Passes -- 11 18

Total Offense Yardage -- 3,891 4,321

Average Yards Gained Per Play -- 4.5 5.2

Comment: UK's 4.5 yard per play average will go up dramatically if and when they begin throwing the ball down the field. Sounds familiar ...

Average Yardage Per Game -- 299.3 (9th) 332.4 (11th)

Comment: The defense, while performing better than the offense, was not the high-caliber unit I and many others thought it might be. Example: Versus the non-conference portion of last years slate, UK held the opposition to only 255 total yards per game. But, against the SEC that number ballooned to 377 yards allowed per game -- Florida, Georgia and Ole Miss averaged at least 400 yards of total offense last season. Defensively, Tennessee and Alabama tied for the leagues stingiest defense, allowing only 263.5 yards per game.

Touchdowns Scored -- 36 36

Third Down Conversion % -- 31% (12th) 33% (6th)

Comment: I thought all year long that the defense was doing a good job of stopping the opponents on third down, particularly, third and long. As many know, third and long, for many, many of UK's past opponents has represented a golden opportunity to trash the UK secondary. Not anymore. On the flip side, the struggles of UK's offense last year are glowingly obvious in the 31% third down conversion rate. Of course, it helps not to be facing 3rd & eight nearly every offensive series. In other words, UK had a real problem gaining real estate on first down last season. THAT has to change -- Florida led the SEC with a third down conversion rate of 51.6%.

Red Zone Scores -- 32 of 43 (10th) 26 of 33 (5th)

Comment: If a team doesn't run the ball well, they don't usually have good red zone numbers, and UK wasn't very effective on the ground for most of the season.

Red Zone Score % -- 74% 79%

Red Zone Touchdowns -- 22 of 43 (10th) 21 of 33

Red Zone Touchdown % -- 51% 64%

Comment: Fifty-one percent is exceedingly low. UK needs to run the ball more effectively, and make some field goals, then that number will begin to climb.

Red Zone Field Goals -- 10-17 (10th) -----

Comment: This number is unacceptable. To make only 58.8% of ones red zone field goal attempts is beyond putrid. UK faces a schedule full of close games, and having a competent kicking game is an absolute necessity -- UK's 17 red zone field goal attempts were the second most in the SEC.

Overall Field Goals -- 14-25 (9th) 9-23

Comment: Only two SEC kickers made over 70% of their field goal attempts last year: Joshua Shene of Ole Miss was 13-17 (76.5%), and LSU's Colt David made 12-16 (75.0%).

Time of Possession -- 29:27 (11th) 30:33

Comment: In this category, less than three minutes separates the SEC leader and the 12th place team.

Average Penalty Yards Per Game -- 43.2 (3rd) 52.7 (2nd)

Comment: Discipline counts -- Georgia was penalized an average of 72.7 yards per game, worst in the SEC. The Dawgs also gave up 35 first downs due to penalties. Ouch. Perhaps this is one of the reasons Georgia underachieved last year.

Kick Return Average -- 26.4 (1st) 20.9

Comment: Special-teams coach Steve Ortmayer is a happy man. Last season Derrick Locke and Winston Guy led the SEC in highest kick return average for one game: Locke returned two kicks for 127 yards (63.5 avg,) and a touchdown versus WKU. Guy returned three punts for a total of 146 yards (48.7 avg.) versus Georgia. Departed defensive back David Jones also returned a kick-off for "six" -- A 99-yarder against ECU in the Liberty Bowl. With both Locke and Guy returning, danger lurks Will Robinson ...

Punt Return Average -- 9.4 (8th) 9.7

Punt Average -- 41.7 40.9

Comment: Tim Masthay led the SEC by averaging 45.1 yards per punt. He also recorded the second longest punt in the SEC last year with his 72-yard boomer against Mississippi State.

Net Punting -- 38.4 35.7

Sacks By -- 32 (3rd) 13 (1st)

Comment: Obviously, excellent work by both the offensive and defensive lines -- Arkansas quarterbacks were sacked a total of 45 times. Whirlpool anyone? Ole Miss led the league with 38 sacks.

Tackles For Loss -- 86 55

Comment: Outstanding differential.

Pass Breakups -- 45 46

Pass Breakup % -- 12.5 11.1

Fumbles - Lost -- 19 - 8 27 - 14

Comment: UK's defense is beginning to beget a trend. It's been three straight years that the UK D has created many more turnovers than the opposition. Kudos to defensive coordinator Steve Brown for turning a historically UK negative, into Big Blue opportunity.

Turnover Margin -- +5 (4th)

Comment: Florida led the league with a +22.

First Quarter Points -- 34 101

Comment: Wow!! Set wake-up calls for an hour earlier.

Second Quarter Points -- 71 71

Third Quarter Points -- 78 41

Fourth Quarter Points -- 111 66

Comment: Last year UK outscored their opponents by 82 points in the second half. Impressive.

Final Thoughts

It doesn't take a Bear Bryant football mind to recognize that UK needs to improve in almost all areas, with the exception of kick returning: Pass better, run better, kick better, block better (for the running backs), and finally, defend the run better. There is no shortage of motivation for this staff to use to gain the hearts and minds of the players (and if there is, I'll be happy to fax over this post).

The simple fact is, though, last year was seen by many to be a rebuilding year for Kentucky. Most prognosticators predicted a "gloomy and doomy" sub-six win season for the 'Cats. But bowling they went, in spite of their youth, injuries, and uneven play. Kentucky fans expect more this year, they expect arced growth.

We'll begin delving into the possibilities, probabilities, and plausibilities of preseason prognostications over the next several weeks. Crank it up, football is almost here.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats!

Post-Spring Previews: Kentucky Wildcats

Gamecock Man — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:49:41 -0000

The Gamecocks dive into the meat of their SEC schedule when the Kentucky Wildcats come to Columbia. You have to think that the 'Cats really want this one, as we're currently enjoying a lengthy winning streak against them, with Coach Spurrier enjoying an even longer one. While we've undoubtedly been a bit better than Kentucky over the past decade, we haven't always been substantially better, so the losing streak miffs the 'Cats faithful to some degree.

Last year, Kentucky featured a great defense and a pitiful offense, perhaps the league's worst. This year, the defense should still be good, but it might be asking a bit much of it to play like it did last year, so the offense will need to improve. That's a big "if," though, as the 'Cats still have some significant question marks on offense. Let's take a look at how these guys stack up against us.

Offense

Quarterback

Last year's transition to life without Andre Woodson was largely a nightmare for the 'Cats. Offensive coordinator (and future head coach) Joker Phillips's pro-style offense thrives on a strong passing game, but last year the 'Cats sputtered to a 96-ranked passing offense. That's a big dip from the heady days when Woodson was under center. The coaching staff juggled Mike Hartline and multi-talented Randall Cobb throughout the season, with the two signal callers posting abysmal 104.7 and 95.1 QB ratings, respectively. Both, though, showed potential at times, and with more experience and a more experienced offensive line protecting them, the 'Cats could be poised to return to their old ways this year. At this point, Hartline appears to be the starter, with Cobb returning to his receiving and special teams duties. If Hartline doesn't play well, look for prize recruits Ryan Mossokowski or Morgan Newton to see the field. Cobb may also see time under center in special Wildcat packages, in much the same way that we plan to use Stephon Gilmore.

I'd say we have a slight to a strong advantage here; while Garcia hardly lit the world on fire last year, he was better than Hartline, and his ceiling is probably higher.

Verdict: Slight advantage South Carolina

Running Backs

Senior Alfonso Smith, who has been a reliable part of the rotation throughout his career but has never had a chance to be the featured back, appears to be about to get his chance to lead the 'Cats rushing attack. The 'Cats need him to perform well, as the 'Cats need to improve on their 81-ranked rushing offense from a year ago. Smith is a speedster that can also catch passes out of the backfield, the latter a valuable skill in the Phillips offense. Derrick Locke is another option at tailback, although there are questions about Locke's health after he tore two ligaments in his knee last year against Arkansas. The coaches say Locke will be ready in the fall, but it's not easy to come back from the kind of injury that he suffered.

I would give us a slight advantage here; I like Smith quite a bit, but I think we have a bit more talent and a lot more depth. If Smith goes down, the 'Cats could really be in trouble here.

Verdict: Slight advantage South Carolina

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

After struggling at receiver last year, the 'Cats now appear to have a lot of talent here. The aforementioned Cobb will likely be the go-to guy; Cobb played only sporadically at the position last season, but he showed lots of potential. The 'Cats also bring in JUCO transfer Chris Matthews. Matthews was one of the very best JUCO receivers last year, when he caught 80 passes for over 1200 yards in nine games. (It's also worth noting that at 6'5, Matthews looks like a prototypical NFL prospect.) Buffering Cobb and Matthews will be a crew of talented players that have shown the ability to contribute.

I would call this a push. Both teams have lots of talent here but lack a proven guy that has shown he can carry the load all season. Both will need to figure who that guy will be in their early-season games.

Verdict: Push

Offensive Line

Although they graduate former star tackle Garry Williams, Kentucky returns seven players that have starting experience on the offensive line. Rich Brooks and Joker Phillips are hoping that all that experience amounts to a better performance than they got last season. Kentucky's line is a little smallish for the SEC, but they are athletic and appear capable.

I would call this a push. I'm tempted to give us a slight advantage here as I believe we have more overall talent and depth, Kentucky returns more experienced depth, which is hugely important on the line. At any rate, both teams appear ready to get better protection this year than last.

Let's take a look at the defenses after the jump.

Defense

Defensive Line

Kentucky had one of the conference's best defensive line a year ago. Unfortunately for them, Kentucky loses a lot here this year. The 'Cats expected to lose Myron Pryor and Ventrell Jenkins to graduation, but they also lost star end Jeremy Jarmon after Jarmon was declared ineligible after testing positive for a banned substance. Jarmon was one of the conference's best ends and losing him leaves Kentucky without the fierce pass rush they thrived off of last year. Kentucky does return talents Corey Peters and Ricky Lumpkin, but to say that they now have serious questions to answer on their defensive line would be an understatement.

Barring injury, defensive line will be a strong point for us this year. Big advantage here.

Verdict: Strong advantage South Carolina

Linebackers

The 'Cats return a talented all-conference candidate in senior ILB Micah Johnson. Johnson recorded 93 tackles last season despite missing a couple of games due to injury. The 'Cats hope Sam Maxwell and Danny Travathan can competently complement Johnson by shoring up the OLB positions.

I would call this a push. Like Kentucky, we return an all-conference candidate in Eric Norwood. However, we will have to hope that Rodney Paulk can effectively replace Jasper Brinkley.

Verdict: Push

Secondary

Perhaps the best thing that happened to Kentucky over the offseason was CB Trevard Lindley's choice to stay in school for his senior season. Lindley is one of the best defensive players in school history and is a legit All-American candidate. Lindley is probably the best cover corner in the SEC and will effectively shut down one side of the field. We'll have to attack the other side, where things are a bit more unclear for Kentucky; they'll likely rotate Randall Burden and Paul Warford. Talented safety Winston Guy shores up a very solid Kentucky secondary.

Kentucky has a strong advantage here. I would say our safeties are comparable to slightly better than the ones the 'Cats have, but we unfortunately don't have anyone that has proven he can compare to Lindley.

Verdict: Strong advantage Kentucky

Special Teams

Kentucky had good return units last year, especially when Derrick Locke was returning the ball, so getting a healthy Locke back on the field could be important here, as well. Past that, the 'Cats were pretty rough around the edges on special teams last year. They gave up lots of return yards, had lots of punts and field goal tries blocked, and missed lots of field goals when they weren't blocked. Improving protection and coverage has to be on the agenda; Kentucky probably would have beaten us last year if not for an atrocious special teams performance that included giving up long kickoff and blocked-field-goal returns to Captain Munnerlyn. While Kentucky returns their most experience placekicker in Lones Seiber, they're considering handing over kicking duties to punter Ryan Tydlacka after Sieber's dissappointing 2008. Tydlacka will also take over full-time punting duties from graduated stalwart Tim Masthay.

I would give us a slight advantage here; we have questions of our own to answer at special teams after losing Ryan Succop to the draft, but Kentucky was truly atrocious here last year and really needs to improve.

Verdict: Slight advantage South Carolina

Head Coaches

While his overall record in Lexington isn't phenomenal, the job Rich Brooks has done at Kentucky has been remarkable. He inherited a program that had only seen intermittent success since the late 70s and that was at the time mired in probation. After some poor seasons early in his tenure, Brooks turned things around in 2006, leading the 'Cats to eight wins, including a bowl victory over heavily favored Clemson. He would follow with another eight wins in 2007 and seven this past year. Both included more bowl wins; the three straight is a Kentucky record. Indeed, these have been heady days for the Kentucky football faithful.

I would call this a push; both Brooks and Spurrier have proven themselves capable of doing pretty big things at schools that haven't always been very successful, but both have a little work to do to get to the next level in the competitive SEC East.

Overall

With a schedule that includes Miami (OH), Louisville, Lousiana-Monroe, Eastern Kentucky, and Mississippi State, Kentucky could very well make it back to the postseason if they can win those five and pick up an upset somewhere else, most likely against us, Auburn, Vanderbilt, or Tennessee. They could conceivably win seven or eight games if they can win multiple games against that quartet. However, on paper this looks like the weakest team in the SEC East. While the offense looks much better at receiver, quarterback is still a huge issue, and the defense will probably be significantly worse than last year's excellent unit. That could all change if Hartline or one of the freshmen step up at quarterback and they fix some of the holes on defense, but those are big "ifs" at this point. I'm predicting that our more complete lineup and home-field advantage will net us a 10-14 point victory here.

Prediction: 10-14 point Carolina victory

Poll

The Kentucky game will result in a...

Blowout Carolina victory

17 votes

Close Carolina victory

27 votes

Close Kentucky victory

40 votes

Blowout Kentucky victory

23 votes

107 votes | Poll has closed

UK Football: Spring Practice Wrap-up -- The Secondary

Ken Howlett — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:43:32 -0000

This is the first in a series of posts examining how the personnel for the 2009 UK football season are shaping up.

With Kentucky wrapping-up their spring football practice via Saturday's Blue-White Game at Commonwealth Stadium (with 20,000+ fans in attendance, oh my), it's time to take a look at what the future holds for the gridiron 'Cats. Kentucky, coming off a 7-6 season and a third straight bowl victory (over East Carolina in the Liberty Bowl), will strive to continue to re-write the history books with a fourth straight winning season.

Last year, the defense was the star of the show, and the secondary was the star of the defense. With several returning starters and a slew of promising underclassmen, the 2009 Wildcat's secondary promises to continue UK's leap from perennial defensive doormat, to bully on the block.

UK's 2008 Defensive Secondary Numbers

Opponent's Points Per Game -- 21.5

Opponent's Passing Yards Per Game -- 193.2

Opponent's Average Yards Per Pass -- 7.0

Opponent's Average Yards Per Completion -- 13.4

Opponent's Touchdown Passes -- 18

Opponent's First Downs Gained by Passing -- 94 (7.2 per game)

Opposing Quarterback's Attempt/Completion -- 188-359 (52.4%)

UK Secondary Pass Break-Ups -- 30

UK Secondary Interceptions -- 12

UK Secondary Interception Return Average -- 6.8 yards

UK Secondary Interception Return for TD -- 1

UK Secondary Fumble Return for TD -- 2

Opponent's Third Down Conversion Rate -- 62-187 (33.2%)

The Secondary

2008 secondary members lost to graduation: David Jones (cornerback), Marcus McClinton (free safety), Shomari Moore (cornerback), Robbie McAtee (cornerback).

Returning players of note: Trevard Lindley (senior cornerback), Randall Burden (sophomore cornerback), Ashton Cobb (senior safety), Winston Guy (sophomore cb/safety), Calvin Harrison (senior cb/safety), Matt Lentz (sophomore strong safety), Taiedo Smith (sophomore safety), Paul Warford (junior cornerback - redshirt in '08).

Redshirt freshman: Cartier Rice (defensive back).

Position Switch: Anthony Mosley -- Mosley is now a defensive back, making the switch from wide receiver.

The strength of UK's defense over the last couple of years has resided in its secondary. Led by First Team All-SEC cornerback Trevard Lindley, UK is no longer the team that enables average quarterbacks to perform like Peyton Manning. And in 2009, UK boasts depth at the cornerback and safety positions not seen in Lexington, possibly ever.

Third-year UK defensive coordinator Steve Brown had this to say about a couple of newcomers to UK's secondary:

"I think we've got as much, if not more talent, but it's really hard to say how much improved we'll be at this point. Taiedo (Smith) and Cartier Rice are very talented players, but it's so hard to beat that knowledge than Shomari (Moore) and Robbie (McAtee) had. Time will tell. Talent doesn't really pay off if you don't know what you're doing, but athletically we're in good position."

Lexington Catholic product Winston Guy (6'1" 200 lbs) has also been impressive this spring. His mix of speed, instinct, and desire will make it very difficult to keep him off the field. UK head coach Rich Brooks called Guy the most talented defensive back he's signed since he's been at UK (yes, that includes Mr. Lindley). Steve Brown agrees:

"Without a doubt. It's not even close. He's instinctive, he's athletic, fast, he's got size, he can cover, and he'll hit you. There's just so many positives. His deal is being comfortable with his assignments. Once he does that he's going to be very, very special."

Guy, who last year returned kick-offs after the injury to running back Derrick Locke, and played some cornerback late in the year, is currently listed as the back-up to Trevard Lindley. But in an effort to utilize his extensive skill-set as much as possible, he'll probably get a look at the safety position.

Another player who has impressed is sophomore cornerback Randall Burden (6'0" 170 lbs). Coming off a strong Liberty Bowl outing versus East Carolina (two pass break-ups), plus an impressive spring, he is currently listed as the starting cornerback opposite Lindley, but will face a stiff test once Paul Warford returns (he broke his foot on the first day of spring practice). Redshirt freshman Cartier Rice (5'10" 180 lbs), along with sophomore Taiedo Smith (6'0" 182 lbs) have turned heads this spring, and will battle Burden and Warford for playing time at the cornerback spot. Both Rice and Smith could also come into play in '09 when UK utilizes their nickel defense (five defensive backs).

The starting safety positions will be battled for by Matt Lentz (6'3" 209 lbs), Ashton Cobb (6'0" 210 lbs), and Calvin Harrison (6'1" 197 lbs). All three are experienced, but will possibly face competition from Guy, and Anthony Mosley (6'0" 180 lbs - 4.3-second 40), depending on how the cornerback battle plays out.

CliffsNotes Analysis

Once again Kentucky's secondary (ably led by secondary coach Chris Thurmond) should be the most productive part of the defense. The lethal mixture of experience, depth, speed, and power provided by Trevard Lindley, Ashton Cobb, Paul Warford, Randall Burden, Calvin Harrison, and Matt Lentz should propel UK to defensive heights not seen since the Jerry Claiborne days.

The potential greatness displayed by Winston Guy is certainly going to be a key to providing UK with another defensive playmaker, ala Trevard Lindley. And if the other youngsters, Taiedo Smith and Cartier Rice, continue to learn and improve, UK's secondary will be as deep as any in recent memory.

Congratulations

Former UK offensive lineman Myron Pryor was selected in the sixth round of the NFL draft Sunday by the New England Patriots. Pryor has an excellent chance to make the team ... good luck Myron.

Also, signing free agent contracts were: defensive end Ventrell Jenkins (Buffalo),cornerback David Jones (Baltimore), punter Tim Masthay (Indianapolis), safety Marcus McClinton (New England), offensive tackle Garry Williams (Carolina), and linebacker Johnny Williams (Jacksonville).

A Sea of Blue friend Dicky Lyons, Jr is still talking with several teams.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats!

Time to get back to the Wildcats: Friday Open Thread

Truzenzuzex — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:31:08 -0000

Christmas is over. Mine was wonderful. Hope yours was blessed. Moving on.

I thought I would start out Friday with a linkfest. I know most of you have been deeply engaged in Christmas activities over the last few days, and I feel a need to catch up on what is going on in the sports world.

I don't know about you, but I am still reveling in some of the reviews of the Louisville-Minnesota game, at least the ones that don't come with an anti-UK blurb, like this one from NCAA Hoops Today:

Pitino on the other hand is running out of excuses. No longer the "but the high-schooler went to the NBA" excuses work. Gone is Derrick Caracter. He should have had the team he was expected to. But the only one of his six guards that is meeting or exceeding expectations is Preston Knowles. The rest of them are just out of it

Louisville has lacked good guard play all year, and that is shaping up as an advantage for UK. Preston Knowles is a fine little player, but he is not the kind of guard that gets you deep into March. Can Kentucky take advantage of Louisville's guard play? I guess we'll find out soon.
Dawg Sports has a brief prediction for UK vs. East Carolina in the Liberty bowl. I hope he's right. In other Liberty Bowl-related news, John Clay offers his services as counsel for the defense of Kentucky's defense.
Hip 2 Da Game says Kentucky is a team to keep an eye on this year, owing to a top 15 rating in both defensive and offensive efficiency.
The Herald-Leader picks up on the theme of Gregg Doyel's article that we commented on the other day. Chip Crosby does a good job, I think. Also the San Diego Union-Tribune has a piece on minority head coaches which includes a brief discussion of Kentucky.
Stevie "Big Play" Johnson just continues to get raves around Buffalo, more because of the unexpected nature of his contributions than putting up big numbers. Great to see.
More love for Tim Masthay. Well deserved.
I'm not touching this with a ten foot pole.
The AP notices that Kentucky is looking good right now. How's that again, Mark Bradley? Overmatched, you say?
Kevin Galloway is getting it, and it shows.
The Grinch visits the Golden Gophers.
Jeremy Jarmon considers jumping to the League.
Jodie Meeks ranks #1 in this week's Rivals power rankings. Well earned. He might be there for a long time.

We'll have more on tomorrow's game later today.

Kentucky @ Tennessee: UT stats, personnel, commentary, and a prediction

Ken Howlett — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:28:16 -0000

UK's football 'Cats once again enter the final regular season game with high hopes of victory. Kentucky, coming off a bye week, has had two weeks to put into place new plays, new looks, and hopefully a game-winning attitude, because gaining a victory won't be easy (it's never easy when a team has lost 23 straight to the same opponent).

Emotions are running high in Knoxville. The players seem to have conquered their disappointment over Phillip Fulmer's dismissal of a few weeks ago, and with a victory over Vanderbilt last weekend, and their strong week of practice, they seem focused on winning their last game for the soon-to-be deposed Fulmer.

I would like to add my congratulations to coach Fulmer on an exceptional reign at UT. He's been associated with the Tennessee program for 32 years, beginning with his time in Knoxville as a player (four years), then as an assistant to Johnny Majors. He's of course served 16 years (plus four games) as head man of the big orange (he's 16-0 versus UK). He guided UT to their first national championship in like a hundred years, in 1998. He posted a 151-52 career mark ... here's hoping he ends up 151-53.

Tennessee Schedule

This year UT has wins versus UAB (35-3), Northern Illinois (13-9), Mississippi State (34-3), and last weeks road win against Vandy (20-10). The Vols losses shape up this way: @UCLA (27-24 in ot), home against Florida (30-6), @ Auburn (14-12), @ Georgia (26-14), home against Alabama (29-9), @ South Carolina (27-6), and at home against Wyoming (13-7).

Tennessee Offensive Personnel

Quarterback Jonathan Crompton: 6'4", 220 lb junior -- This year Crompton has thrown for 788 yards and three touchdowns, while going 80 for 159 and five interceptions. For his career Crompton has completed 118 of 267 passes for 1,286 yards, eight touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

Fulmer said this week that Crompton will be the likely starter this week versus UK.

Quarterback B.J. Coleman: 6'3", 210 lb red-shirt freshman -- In three games this year, Coleman is 4 for 8 passing, for 21 yards, one interception and zero touchdowns.

Coleman was limited this week in practice with a foot injury. Fulmer said this week that Coleman would probably see action against Kentucky.

Running back Arian Foster: 6'1", 215 lb senior -- The '07 Second Team All-SEC selection has rushed 110 times for 511 yards (4.6 yards per carry). He's run for one touchdown. He also has 18 catches for 149 yards (8.3 yards per catch), but no receiving touchdowns. For his career Foster has rushed for 2,905 yards, which is good for second place all-time in Tennessee history. Foster has proved to be multi-talented, evidenced by his 82 career receptions for 685 yards. The senior is third all-time in UT history with 3,804 all-purpose yards, behind Stanley Morgan ('73-'76) and Willie Gault ('79-'82).

Foster as made a nice living at UK's expense over the years: In '05 versus the 'Cats he carried the ball 26 times for 114 yards and caught five passes for 44 yards. Last year he rushed 27 times for 118 yards and caught 9 passes or 98 yards and a touchdown, on UT's first play from scrimmage.

Running back Lennon Creer: 6'1", 210 lb sophomore -- This year Creer has rushed 67 times for 364 yards (5.4 yards per carry), and three touchdowns. For his career Creer has ran the ball 103 times for 578 yards (5.6 yards per carry), and four touchdowns. He was honored as a PrepStar All-America coming out of high school in Texas. He was also named the Old Spice Redzone Player of the Year in Texas.

Running back Montario Hardesty: 6'0", 210 lb junior -- Hardesty has 69 rushes for 252 yards (3.7 yards per carry), and six touchdowns. He's also caught four passes for 24 yards. For his career Hardesty has 270 carries for 1,027 yards (3.8 yards per carry), and 13 touchdowns.

Wide receiver Gerald Jones: 6'0", 185 lb sophomore -- Jones has made 27 catches for 308 yards (11.4 yards per catch).

Last year versus UK, Jones caught a touchdown pass in the first overtime.

Wide receiver Lucas Taylor: 6'0", 185 lb senior -- Taylor has made 26 catches for 372 yards (12.8 yards per catch), and one touchdown this year. For his career he has 113 receptions for 1,43 yards, and six touchdowns.

Last year against Kentucky Taylor had six catches for 103 yards and one touchdown.

Wide receiver Austin Rogers: 6'2", 185 lb senior -- Rogers has made 14 catches for 180 yards (12.9 yards per catch). For his career he has 76 receptions for 891 yards (11.7 yards per catch), and four touchdowns.

Rogers was the cause of much pain for UK fans last year when he rushed 13 yards for a touchdown, and later caught the game-winning two-point conversion in the fourth overtime.

Wide receiver Josh Briscoe: 6'3", 183 lb senior -- This year Briscoe has made 14 catches for 176 yards (12.6 yards per catch), and one touchdown. For is career he has 79 receptions for 866 yards (10.9 yards per catch), and eight touchdowns.

Wide receiver Denarius Moore: 6'1", 185 lb sophomore -- Moore has 10 catches for 208 yards (terrific 20.8 yards per catch), and one touchdown. In his short career he has caught 24 passes for 420 yards (17.5 yards per catch), and one touchdown.

Tight end Luke Stocker: 6'6", 245 lb sophomore -- The Madison Central High School grad, and Berea native, has made 13 catches for 139 yards (10.7 yards per catch). For his career he has 17 receptions for 150 yards (8.8 yards per catch), and a touchdown.

Placekicker Daniel Lincoln: 6'0", 204 lb sophomore -- On the year Lincoln has made 10 of 17 field goal attempts. From 20-39 yards he's 8 of 11, and from 40-49 yards he's 2 of 3. For his career he has made 31 of 46 attempts. Lincoln was honored last year as an All-America by the Football Writers, and a Freshman All-America. He was also named Second Team All-SEC. Lincoln was a Groza Award semifinalist in '07( which goes to the nations top placekicker).

Tennessee Defensive Personnel

UT's defense is loaded with talent. They possess size, speed and experience. So it should not come as a surprise that the Vols rank very high nationally in nearly every statistical category: Total Defense - 6th (269.9 yards allowed) ... Scoring defense - 16th (17.4 points per game) ... Passing defense - 9th (166.2 yards per game) ... Rushing defense - 14th (103.7 yards per game).

Tennessee's defensive dominance begins with all-world ...

Safety Eric Berry: 5'11", 195 lb sophomore -- Berry has recorded 67 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, seven interceptions (265 INT return yards and two touchdowns) and six pass break-ups. Berry was named SEC Defensive Freshman of the Year in '07. He was also a consensus Freshman All-America and of course made Freshman All-SEC. In '07 he was voted Second Team All-SEC, and he led all SEC freshman with 86 tackles. Berry has 487 career interception return yards in only 24 games played. He's threatening the NCAA record of 501 yards, set by Florida State's Terrell Buckley. He is one of three finalists for the Thorpe Award, which goes to the nations top defensive back, and he's the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Week. Needless to say, Berry has to be accounted for on every UK offensive snap.

Last year versus UK he recorded a season high 14 tackles and one pass break-up.

Linebacker Ellix Wilson: 5'10", 225 lb senior -- Wilson leads the Vols with 80 tackles. He has recorded 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and two pass break-ups.

Wilson recorded one sack last year versus UK.

Linebacker Rico McCoy: 6'1", 221 lb junior -- McCoy has 79 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and three pass break-ups. He was named Second Team All-SEC in '07.

Last year against UK McCoy recorded nine tackles and one pass break-up.

Defensive back Dennis Rogan: 5'10", 185 lb sophomore -- Rogan has 50 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception, and five pass break-ups. Rogan also returns kick-offs, averaging a solid 24.9 yards per return.

Last year versus Kentucky, Rogan had three tackles and one tackle for loss.

Linebacker Nevin McKenzie: 6'2", 215 lb senior -- McKenzie has made 46 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four sacks, one interception and one pass break-up. He's a JUCO transfer.

Defensive tackle Dan Williams: 6'3", 310 lb junior -- Williams has 46 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and one pass break-up.

Last year Williams blocked a Lones Seiber field goal attempt, which ended up costing UK the football game.

Defensive end Robert Ayers: 6'3", 275 lb senior -- Ayers has 43 tackles, a team leading 14.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception, one pass break-up, and eight quarterback hits (tied for team lead).

Last year versus UK he recorded four tackles and one tackle for loss.

Defensive end Wes Brown: 6'4", 256 lb junior -- Brown has 37 tackles. 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits (tied for team lead with Ayers).

Punter Britton Colquitt: Colquitt has punted 38 times for a 43.2 average. He's had no punts blocked. Colquitt was selected Second Team All-SEC in '07.

Kicker Chad Cunningham: He's kicked-off 37 times, and recorded three touch-backs.

How did Tennessee beat Vandy ...

After UT's home loss to Wyoming (13-7) a few weeks ago, many thought the Vols may very well 'mail in' the remainder of the season ... 'many' would be wrong. Tennessee responded with defensive gusto in their 20-10 victory over Vanderbilt last week. Let's take a look at what enabled UT to come out with that seemingly improbable victory:

UT ran the ball, Vandy did not -- The Vols rushed for 222 yards on 51 carries (4.4 yards per carry), while limiting Vandy to only 25 yards on 28 carries (0.9 yards per carry). Tennessee was led in rushing by Lennon Creer with 80 yards on only 13 carries (6.2 yards per carry). Arian Foster and Montario Hardesty chipped in with 53 yards and 41 yards respectively.
UT contained Vandy's passing game, and the Vols weren't forced to pass -- Vandy quarterbacks Chris Nickson and MacKenzie Adams were a combined 19 of 44 for 188 yards, and two interceptions. Tennessee's D-line and linebackers pressured the Vandy QB's all day, finishing with six sacks. Fulmer went with the run game almost exclusively (he did say this week that he would like to throw more against UK). The two UT quarterbacks finished the day only 4 of 9 for 21 yards, and two interceptions (let's HOPE they throw more).
UT didn't have to go far to score -- UT managed only one sustained drive: a nine play 65 yard drive, which resulted in the only offensive touchdown of the day for the Vols. UT's other 'drives' and scores: five play 27 yard drive, which resulted in a field goal -- this drive was facilitated by a Vandy eighteen yard punt. Eric Berry returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown, and after a 69 yard interception return by Brent Vinson, UT ran two plays for zero yards and again kicked a field goal. All of UT's scoring occurred in the first half.

Final Thoughts

It will take a tremendous offensive and defensive effort to beat the Vols in Knoxville. But it can be done: UK must force Tennessee to pass the ball, and there are only two ways to do that -- Shut down the UT ground attack, or score early and often, putting the Vols in the position of having to throw the ball in order to play catch up.

Neither of those scenarios are highly likely to happen though, after-all, UK's 50th ranked run defense gives up 136 yards per game on average, and we've seen a number of backs post huge numbers against the 'Cat's defense this year. Getting off to a quick offensive start has also not been UK's forte this year; they've been outscored 98-31 in the first quarter, with many of those points coming off of UK turnovers, or other, more creative methods.

Kentucky's only real hope (other than forcing a multitude of turnovers) is for Randall Cobb to play out of his mind. With UK decimated by injuries to so many offensive players, Cobb will be the one looked toward to provide energy and creativity within the context of the offense. In order to fully utilize Cobb's multifaceted offensive arsenal, I feel that the run to pass ratio should be around 60-40 or 65-35, run. Kentucky has the talent to wear down UT's defensive unit, but the coaches have to stay with the run. UK has been far too successful running the spread/option sets to give up on the tactic if early success is not forthcoming. As an aside, I would really be pleased if 6'5" TE Maurice Grinter was utilized more when UK opts to throw the ball. He's a nightmare match-up for a linebacker, because of his size, athleticism and speed, plus he as Charmin-soft hands, and he gains yards after the catch.

On a positive note; UK does have one aspect of this game going their way, and that's the fact that they've had an extra week to prepare. Hopefully, we will see some new looks from Joker Phillips and Rich Brooks, if not, it could be a very long evening for the boys in blue.

Most prognosticators are predicting a low scoring affair. I say ...

Kentucky -- 20 Tennessee -- 17 ... hope springs eternal, and 7-5 looks a lot better than 6-6.

Tim Masthay

UK punter Tim Masthay has been named a First Team Academic All-America, and he currently ranks third in the NCAA in punting with a 45.6 yard average.

Congratulations to the UK senior. Truly, a job well done.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats beat Tennessee!

Vanderbilt 31, Kentucky 24: Post mortem

Truzenzuzex — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 04:52:54 -0000

Congratulations to the Vanderbilt Commodores on an outstanding win. They came in needing this game more, and they earned the victory over a rather inept Kentucky team.

I'm having a hard time mustering any more anger. This was one of those games that you just have to forget. Three roughing the kicker calls and one roughing the passer (one of the RTK's was offset) was the difference in this game. It is very common to see untimely penalties create a loss, and we saw that tonight on steroids.

Frankly, ladies and gentlemen of the Big Blue Nation, I am all outraged out this weekend. Vandy played a great first half, and UK played a pretty good second half. Here are my observations, for what they are worth:

I've never seen one team penalized so many times for roughing the you-name-it. This is a discipline problem that needs to be addressed. We are not Florida State.
Just what in the name of the Seven Hells was Joker Phillips doing in that first half? Every call was some kind of pass. Did he forget that Cobb is much more dangerous on the ground, and that the triple option actually works? Were we afraid we couldn't recruit if we moved the ball with the option, or what?
Opponents rarely throw the ball at Trevard Lindley, and they rarely throw the ball at D.J. Moore ... Oops ... except for Kentucky. Stupid.
Really schizophrenic game for the Wildcats in every respect. The special teams were either great, or horrible. The offense was either non-existent, or very good. The defense -- well, the defense just stank.
What is Phillips' aversion to running the ball outside? I really want to know. Every time we went outside this game it was for positive yards, but we just didn't do it enough. We haven't all year. Good grief, I am getting tired of making this complaint.
We had plenty of time on that last drive, and had been successful running the ball. Why so many passes? Inquiring minds want to know.
Tackling? UK couldn't have tackled a blow-up sex doll with its feet encased in 40# of concrete tonight.
Randall Cobb really did well in the second half. The two interceptions were rookie mistakes. Costly, yes, but that's what you get with a frosh.
Poor Matt Roark -- he finally gets wide open, and Cobb throws him a ball that Shagari Allene couldn't have caught.
Lones Seiber was perfect tonight.
Fake more punts. Kudos to Masthay for giving us our only first down of the entire first half.
Calvin Harrison knows how to bring wood. He needs to learn how to wrap his arms around the bad guys.
One more thing I forgot -- Kudos to Brooks for sticking with Randall Cobb. I thought he might bring in Hartline. It turned out to be a good decision -- didn't win the game, but it was still a good decision.

I must admit, losing to Vandy sucks like a singularity. But I also have to admit that this Kentucky team, as riddled with injury and starting practically nothing but freshmen at skill positions on offense, has done a lot better than they probably should have this year. Vandy was much more sound on offense than UK was, and UK's defense had no answer for Chris Nickson, and allowed way to many big plays. We were beaten by a marginally better team tonight. I only hope we can muster enough mojo to do something special in Knoxville two weeks from now. I know we can sure use the week off.

Finally, I sure am getting tired of writing about losses. I don't think this is what I had in mind when I signed up for this gig.

More tomorrow. Rest now, 'Cat fans. Or drink heavily. Whatever.