SB Nation - Zipp Duncan

UK Athletics: The Good, the Bad, and the Hilarious

Ken Howlett — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:00:19 -0000

More, please.

With the basketball 'Cats fresh off their 68-66 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels, and the football 'Cats officially going country with their third Music City Bowl invite in four years, there is much happening in the world of Kentucky sports. While normally I write about a particular event or topic, today I'm going to venture into the realm of diversification and include in this post thoughts on the happenings of UK basketball and football.

For more, make the jump with me:

The Good

Fast-break 'Cats -- For those who witnessed UK's roller-coaster win over North Carolina on Saturday, you saw nine minutes and twenty-eight seconds of near perfection. With UK down 9-2 at the 17:16 mark of the first half, the 28-2 Big Blue blitzkrieg that followed, had me, 'ol Roy, and anyone else watching wondering if the Wildcats would pulverize our powder blue rivals into submission before halftime. For nearly ten minutes the 'Cats did what they do best, and that is leave it to John Wall to gallop at a break-neck pace; passing, shooting, and alley-ooping his way into the hearts of Kentucky fans (and NBA scouts).

During UK's dominant first-half demonstration Wall scored seven points, and assisted on four of UK's other eight made baskets. He loudly and proudly announced to the world that the hype surrounding his "game" is not only justified, but it may be understated.

Also getting into the act during UK's nine-and-a-half minutes of bliss were: Darius Miller -- Two three-pointers, a mid-range jumper, two steals, and one assist: Patrick Patterson -- A jumper, dunk, layup, and two free throws: Darnell Dodson contributed a three-pointer and a steal.

During a stretch most coaches only dream about, the 'Cats made 11-14 shots (with six assists), pilfered the Heels four times, and committed only two turnovers (neither by a guard). UK's stifling defense (with an assist to the pace) held the Tar Heels to only 1-9 shooting, while forcing eight turnovers.

From down 9-2, to up 30-11 in less than half of a half -- No one, and I mean no one will want to run with this team. If Roy Williams, possibly the elite fast break coach in the country, doesn't want any part of the John Wall-led "Wonder of Me Tour," no coach interested in winning will be enthused to see Wall streaking unmolested toward the basket with a team of thoroughbreds filling the lane, or waiting to pop from the perimeter. To emasculate a lesser-team in such a way is impressive, but North Carolina's roster is filled with talent, which makes what I saw awe-inspiring.

UK won despite a sub-par performance by DeMarcus Cousins -- Many so-called experts have prognosticated that Kentucky cannot beat good teams (and therefore, be a Final Four contender), without Cousins being a major force. Bull excrement!

Patrick Patterson, Daniel Orton, and Perry Stevenson displayed why the mercurial Cousins, while very talented, is not the key to UK's low post play -- Patterson produced a typical PPat game: 19 points, seven rebounds, one block and one steal, while Orton and Stevenson combined to play 26 minutes and produced five rebounds, three blocks, one steal, and one assist.

As long as Patterson has another player of size working with him down low, taking a bit of the defensive pressure off, he is capable of handling the workload. He's proved that for two-plus years.

UK won despite John Wall missing seven straight minutes of action -- I admit, when Wall started limping, I started pacing.

When Wall left the game in the second half at the 18:46 mark (and began his hypodermic-dodging journey back to the floor), UK was up 45-30. When Wall reappeared, much to the delight of the record-setting Rupp Arena crowd (as well as millions of palpitating UK fans at home), at the 11:44 mark, Kentucky was up 54-42. My calculator says UNC outscored the 'Cats 12-9 in that nerve-racking stretch of the game. Not bad when one considers Wall is the heart and soul of what makes UK go.

The 'Cats did commit four turnovers (two by Bledsoe, one each by Patterson and Ramon Harris), and they made only 4-12 shots (three of the makes were by Patterson) during the stretch, but they held serve, they preserved the lead, and that's all that really matters. Good teams win despite adversity. The fulfillment of that adage was on full display Saturday afternoon.

The final two minutes -- With UK clinging to a 61-56 lead over the Heels (at the two minute mark), freshmen guards John Wall and Eric Bledsoe refused to allow the 'Cats to lose. Over the two minutes that mean the most, Wall and Bledsoe combined to make five of six free throws, stole a pass (Wall), made a layup (Bledsoe), and dished out an assist (Wall).

The "Cool Hand Luke" demeanor in which these two players perform in end-game scenarios, at such a young age, cannot be overstated. Some players are simply gifted with the absence of fear. We are now watching two such gifted athletes. Enjoy 'em while ya got 'em.

UPDATE -- Kentucky's three-point threat -- With UK's 6-16 (37.5%) three-point shooting against North Carolina, the 'Cats trey accuracy now stands at 37.9% (50-132) on the year.

Led by Darius Miller's 40.0% shooting (14-35), Kentucky is quickly putting to rest the preseason questioning of their perimeter game. Eric Bledsoe, who's only weakness was thought to be his shooting, has pitched-in to the tune of 12 made treys on 25 attempts (48.0%); Darnell Dodson, now liberated from the Calipari doghouse, has made a respectable 38.5% (10-26), and possesses one of the sweetest strokes this side of Chris Lofton; and finally, Patrick Patterson continues to impress with his outside shot by making 6-14 (42.9%).

I don't know when UK's perimeter game ceases to be a cause for concern, but I sense the time is near.

Music City Bowl invite -- While many UK fans are unhappy about returning to Nashville for the third time in four years, I choose instead to celebrate four straight years of UK bowl games. It's a milestone for the program, and a tribute to one of the best senior classes in Kentucky football history.

So many 'Cats had outstanding seasons -- Derrick Locke, Randall Cobb, Micah Johnson, Sam Maxwell, La 'Rod King, and John Conner all produced fantastic individual years. They, as well as the other 'Cats, deserve the full support of the BBN while they do battle with C.J. Spiller and the Clemson Tigers in the Music City Bowl.

Football 'Cats honored -- It was announced Monday that five UK football players were selected by the Associated Press as All-SEC performers -- Randall Cobb: First Team all-purpose player -- Corey Peters: Second Team defensive tackle -- Sam Maxwell: Second Team linebacker -- Derrick Locke: Second Team all-purpose player -- Zipp Duncan: Honorable Mention offensive lineman.

Congratulations to all the 'Cats selected, with one caveat -- Sam Maxwell deserved First Team honors. He was second in the SEC with six interceptions, and he made big play after key play in UK's road victories over Auburn, Georgia, and Vanderbilt. I honestly can't think of another SEC linbacker that I would have rather had.

The Bad

The DeMarcus Cousins in-game pout -- I was the same way at his age -- I allowed (perceived) poor officiating to get in my head.

What Cousins has to realize is: DON'T ALLOW THE OFFICIALS TO BEAT YOU TWICE. It's comparable to a golfer allowing one bad shot to adversely effect his next shot. It's a recipe for pine-time, and unfulfilled potential.

Although I feel confident John Calipari will work his pupil through this flaw in his game, it may take some time. Cousins, afterall, is accustomed to getting all the calls in high school, he's accustomed to bullying his foes, not being on the receiving end of such physical play (and there definitely was an abundance of physical play on Saturday). Well, this ain't high school ball, DeMarcus. Adjust accordingly, and become the beast that is within you.

Underused Patterson -- With the absence of John Wall from the 18:46 mark to the 11:44 mark of the second half, one would expect Patrick Patterson to become that which the offense runs through. Well apparently, one would be wrong.

During that seven minute stretch, Patterson took exactly four shots, with one of those shots being an offensive rebound of his only miss (of that stretch). UK's big man, and best player (if Wall isn't on the floor), simply has to receive more touches if such a predicament faces UK in the future.

I realize Eric Bledsoe was playing erratically at the time, he was ... trying to do too much while Wall was sidelined. But what young Mr. Bledsoe would be wise to remember is that he needs to run the offense through Patterson, ensure the big fella gets his touches, and everything else will open up.

Sam Maxwell's labrum tear and Micah Johnson's omission -- The terrible news out of the Nutter Complex that Sam Maxwell will miss the Music City Bowl was most unpleasant for this UK fan. Maxwell, a senior, played sparingly through his first three years in Lexington, opting to patiently wait his turn in lieu of transferring. And when earning the opportunity to start, the Georgia native put up big numbers, and made game-changing plays. My thanks to Maxwell for a job well done, and good luck at the next level.

Maxwell's senior statistics -- 80 tackles (42 solo) (second on the team), 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, six interceptions (second in the SEC), seven pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.

Micah Johnson's omission from the AP All-SEC team is laughable. UK's senior middle linebacker posted 100 tackles (fifth in the SEC) , 6.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and one sack. And he did all of this while battling plantar fasciitis and a bad ankle for most of the year.

The Hilarious

I like John Calipari. I've liked him since he brought his UMass team to Rupp Arena in December of 1991. He impressed me then, and he's impressed me ever since; he's a fine coach, and a great recruiter. A fan can't ask for much more.

But, his "like-ability" quotient shot through the roof Saturday, when after the game he said the following (paraphrasing) -- When I saw where Seth Davis predicted us to lose, I knew we had a chance.

Most UK fans know Seth Davis, and most UK fans don't like Seth Davis. He speaks of that which he doesn't know, and is paid handsomely to do so. Which is why I spewed my just ingested Coca-Cola all over my carpet when Calipari called a spade ... a spade.

Thanks, coach, finally someone with credibility called-out a national media member, and did so without hesitation.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats, beat the Huskies!

Kentucky Football: Giving Thanks to Those Deserving Much More

Ken Howlett — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:12:02 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

Kentucky head coach Rich Brooks gives his thanks, now it's my turn.

Browse more photos »

Still basking in the afterglow of unexpected victory after Kentucky's 34-27 triumph over the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, I suddenly find myself in a thankful mood. Thankful for not only the UK win, but upon reflection, thankful for those who have propelled the football program forward in 2009, instead of settling for a "rebuilding" year. It would have been easy for the team to call it a year after starting quarterback Mike Hartline was injured six games ago, but this squad has persevered.

We've settled for less than acceptable results in the football program for far too long around these parts, but now, with four straight bowl games imminent, and a possible 4-4 SEC mark (and gasp, second place in the SEC East) looking UK squarely in the face mask, it's time to give up the kudos for those who go to battle every Saturday ... to those who fight through pain and injury ... and to those who sacrifice. A little recognition for achievements not enjoyed at Kentucky in a very long time is also in order, so after the jump, join me in giving some props to the warriors who are right for the fight ...

I'm thankful that Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart didn't fire Rich Brooks after year three, even though nearly the entire fan base, along with the bulk of media members, were calling for his termination -- Love Barnhart, or hate him, that decision alone will forever keep him in my good graces. Take a bow, Mitch.
I'm thankful UK has learned the art of the comeback victory -- Since mid-season of 2006, a total of 42 games, Kentucky has orchestrated 12 fourth quarter comeback victories. This season alone the 'Cats have comeback three times to win games: Louisville, Auburn, and Georgia. Prior to mid-season of '06, one has to go back to 1991 to find 12 more UK fourth quarter comeback victories ... a span of 170 games -- How many times over the last couple of decades have I uttered, "Only at Kentucky," after the 'Cats let another sure victory slip away? Suffice it so say, a lot, but recently that phrase has been replaced by, "How 'bout them 'Cats"? Thanks to the UK web-site, "Cat Scratches," for the great info!!
I'm thankful Derrick Locke wears the blue and white -- Coming off what can be a career-ending ACL injury, Locke has been nothing short of phenomenal for the 'Cats this year. The Hugo, Oklahoma native is racking up yardage in nearly every offensive category: 821 yards and five touchdowns rushing the ball; 221 yards and two touchdowns catching the ball; 518 kick-off returns yards, and oh yeah, one touchdown. That's 1,560 all-purpose yards and eight touchdowns. Take a bow, Derrick.
I'm thankful Philip Fulmer didn't decide to recruit Randall Cobb until it was too late -- Cobb has been equally fabulous for the Wildcats this season. Also accustomed to remaining in motion during football games, Cobb has racked up 436 yards and nine touchdowns rushing the ball; 403 yards and four touchdowns catching the ball; 292 punt return yards, and one touchdown; 302 kick-off return yards; and finally, 46 passing yards -- Cobb's totals come to 1,479 yards and 14 touchdowns. Does anyone really believe if Cobb had not played on this year's team, that the 'Cats would be sitting on seven wins? Take a bow, Randall.
I'm thankful linebacker Sam Maxwell patiently waited his turn -- Maxwell, a senior stuck behind a litany of superlative linebackers over the last three years, has taken the UK defensive stalwart mantle as his own. All Maxwell does is lead the team in interceptions with five; lead the team in solo tackles with 41; he's second on the team with 73 tackles; he has 5.5 tackles for loss; seven pass breakups; and two forced fumbles. He is ubiquitous, he is omnipotent, he is First Team All-SEC in '09, or I want somebody's head on a big blue platter. Take a bow, Sam.
I'm thankful for the Kentucky offensive line -- Zipp Duncan, Brad Durham, Justin Jefferies, Christian Johnson, Stuart Hines and Jorge Gonzalez have been nothing short of season-saving. This group of fighters have paved the way for Kentucky's 2,158 total yards on the ground this season. The six primary ball-carriers for the 'Cats - Locke, Cobb, Alfonso Smith, Moncell Allen, Donald Russell, and John Conner have rushed for a combined 1,975 yards on 376 carries, good for a 5.2 yards per carry average. And make no mistake, a considerable amount of the credit goes to UK's veteran trench warfare practitioners. They have also done a remarkable job of protecting the UK quarterbacks, allowing only 14 sacks through 11 games. Outstanding considering the youth and inexperience of the Kentucky signal-callers. Gentlemen, take a well-deserved bow!
I'm thankful for junior college transfers --- Defensive end DeQuin Evans is second on the team with 10.5 tackles for loss, and he leads the team with five sacks. Replacing suspended All-SEC performer Jeremy Jarmon, Evans was placed firmly on the hot seat with expectations of greatness following him onto the field. Evans, while not "great," has been a very solid addition to the UK defensive line ... and I'm satisfied that we haven't seen the best he has to offer. Also, coming to Lexington via the JC route was wide receiver Chris Matthews. The highly rated Matthews was thought to be the potential savior of the receiving corp, and after a rough start, including a demotion, Matthews has played very well, along with earning praise for his blocking ability. He's second on the team with 29 catches for 299 yards, and two touchdowns. JUCO guys, take a bow!
I'm thankful linebacker Micah Johnson didn't heed the beckoning call of the NFL -- Johnson, while playing with plantar fasciitis for most of the year, leads UK in tackles with 84 (36 solo). He's also contributed 4.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and one sack. Take a bow, Micah.
I'm thankful linebacker Danny Trevathan has two more years of eligibility remaining -- Trevathan, billed as the next great UK linebacker, has not disappointed. The youngster is third on the team with 69 tackles (36 solo), and four tackles for loss. Take a bow, Danny.
I'm thankful defensive lineman Corey Peters has taken his turn to shine -- All Peters has done is lead the 'Cats with 11 tackles for loss, and six quarterback hurries. He's also contributed four sacks. UK fans were expecting Peters to be good, and after a "middling" start to the year, Peters has come on strong of late. Take a bow, Corey.
I'm thankful freshman receiver La'Rod King has such soft, supple hands -- The North Hardin product has leap-frogged over several more experienced receivers to earn starting time, mostly due to his ability to catch the ball, and run the right routes. He's made only 10 catches on the year, for 142 yards and one touchdown, but he's made those receptions recently, and he's snagged a few off-target throws which changed the complexion of the game. Most recently, his one-handed (and left-handed) 21-yard touchdown reception against Georgia on Saturday. "Stickum", he don't need no stinkin' "stickum". Take a bow, La'Rod.
I'm thankful freshman quarterback Morgan Newton opted for the 'Cats, instead of the Cards -- After the injury to Hartline, UK fans were frothing at the mouth to see the high school All-America lead the 'Cats, and while expectations were waaaaay overblown for what the young man could accomplish, Newton has played solidly. The Carmel, Indiana native has thrown for 539 yards on 52-90 passing (57.8%). He's limited mistakes, i.e. turnovers (only three interceptions), and led the 'Cats to three tough SEC road wins (Auburn, Vandy, and Georgia) for the first time since Jesus was preachin' in Omaha. Take a bow, Morgan.
I'm thankful running back Moncell Allen got his academic house in order -- Allen's skull-rattling hit on Georgia kick returner Branden Smith to begin the third quarter, and the resulting Matt Roark fumble recovery, turned the tide in UK's favor Saturday. Allen has been excellent for UK all year, but his finest moment came on that play. Take a bow, Moncell.
I'm thankful Georgia coach Mark Richt turned a blind eye to UK players, and Georgia natives, defensive backs Trevard Lindley and Randall Burden; linebackers Sam Maxwell and Shane McCord (he of the game-clinching INT); and wide receiver/special teams performer Matt Roark -- Not good enough for the 'Dogs ... read the scoreboard, coach.
And finally, I'm thankful head coach Rich Brooks has stuck around Lexington long enough to record a 30-20 won-loss mark over the last four years, the best four year record for any UK football coach since 1950-'53 (Paul Bryant). Brooks has also deftly directed the 'Cats to four straight seasons of at least seven wins for the first time since the 1909-'12 seasons. A win over UT on Saturday and he's SEC Coach of the Year, at least in my book. Take a bow, Papa Brooks.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats, beat the Vols!

UK Football: Mid-Season Accolades

Ken Howlett — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:14:46 -0000

More photos » by Butch Dill - AP

Randall Cobb, doing it all.

Browse more photos »

With Kentucky coming off a season-saving, come-from-behind 21-14 victory over Auburn on Saturday, we find ourselves at the mid-point of the season. The first six games of the 2009 season have regaled us with many great individual performances, several disappointing developments, and a record about where most (in the preseason), thought it would be. So, in keeping with the positive vibes surrounding UK athletics at the moment, let's honor those players and units that have achieved beyond the expected:

Most Outstanding Offensive Player: Randall Cobb (Sophomore Do-It-All Dynamo) -- The Alcoa, Tennessee native has simply been electric for nearly the entire season. Cobb has ran for 239 yards (7.5 yards per carry) and three touchdowns, as well as being a danger as a receiver; 24 catches for 322 yards (13.4 yards per reception), and another four touchdowns. In an effort to get the ball in his hands as many times as possible, the coaching staff has Cobb returning punts (although I'm not happy about it). He's hasn't broken-off a long one yet, but he's averaging a healthy 8.9 yards per punt return (3rd in the SEC). Cobb is also averaging 129.5 all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving, and returns) per game (5th in the SEC).

Not in recent memory has UK possessed such an extreme talent. Cobb is a threat to score every time he touches the ball, and with his exceptional speed, elusiveness, and explosiveness he has become option No. 1 in the Kentucky offense. Enjoy the "Cobbinator" while we have 'im!

Honorable mention goes to junior running back Derrick Locke. Coming off major knee surgery, there were question marks about his ability to maintain his incredible burst and overall speed, but Locke has posted some very strong numbers this season, rendering the medical questions null and void. Locke has rushed for 459 yards (4.6 ypc) and three touchdowns, and he's once again proving to be a real asset catching the ball out of the backfield with 16 receptions for 128 yards (8.0 ypr). In addition, he's returned 12 kick-offs for 385 yards (32.1 ypr), and a touchdown. Locke leads the SEC in all-purpose yards with 162 yards per game.

Locke does a splendid job of countering Cobb's "escapability" with a power/speed running game. Lucky us, Locke and Cobb have one more season together!

Outstanding Defensive Player: Micah Johnson (Senior LB) -- Johnson was thought to be the defensive leader of this team prior to the season, and he hasn't disappointed. He currently leads the team in tackles with 52 (5th in the SEC), to go along with 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack.

Solidifying himself as the best defensive player of the first half of the season, Johnson came up huge Saturday at Auburn. His 14 tackle effort was the impetus behind him being named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week. Johnson's combination of size, strength, and quickness make him a ball-chasing holy terror, almost impossible to stop one-on-one. And when he locks his highly sensitive radar onto the ball carrier, it's time for the trainer.

Honorable mention goes to junior linebacker Sam Maxwell -- Maxwell has been excellent, especially on passing downs. He's recorded 36 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and an incredible five pass breakups, to go along with two interceptions.

Maxwell has shown Micah Johnson-type pursuit ability, and an uncanny knack for being around the ball.

Most Improved Offensive Player: John Conner (Senior fullback) -- Conner has been outstanding since arriving at UK, but I had to find a way to honor his dedication to perfecting the art of blocking. Conner's incredible effectiveness at providing room to run for UK's Locke, Alfonso Smith, Randall Cobb and Moncell Allen, makes him a valuable commodity to coach Rich Brooks. Conner, a 5'11", 240 lb wrecking ball of a fullback deserves much of the credit for the improved performance of the running game in 2009. He consistently clears a wide swath of turf for the ball-carriers, and has proved to be a reliable runner (15 carries for 47 yards) and pass catcher (11 receptions for 89 yards) out of the backfield.

Honorable mention goes to the offensive line -- Left tackle Zipp Duncan, left guard Christian Johnson, center Jorge Gonzalez, right guard Stuart Hines, and right tackle Brad Durham have paved the way for UK's talented ball carriers like a bulldozer clearing powdery snow. The penetration the linemen have gained, has at times, been almost comical ... at least to UK fans. They have collectively cleared a path for the fifth ranked rushing offense in the SEC (186.5 yards per game), and in UK's two most recent contests (versus South Carolina and Auburn), the O-line allowed Kentucky to rush for a combined 487 yards. Additionally, UK ran for 133 yards against an Alabama defense giving up an average of only 63.3 rushing yards per game. On the season, UK's backs have rushed for 1,119 yards (4.5 ypc) and 11 touchdowns, and just as importantly, UK's quarterbacks have been sacked only six times ...

... Saaaalute! To Kentucky's "big-uglies."

Most Improved Defensive Player: Danny Trevathan (Sophomore LB) -- Last season in mostly special teams duties, Trevathan accounted for five tackles and a blocked kick (versus Georgia), but this season the sophomore has made the most of his opportunity while playing alongside Micah Johnson and Sam Maxwell. Trevathan is third on the team with 39 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, and one pass breakup. In UK's last outing versus Auburn, Trevathan did his finest MJ impression, recording 14 tackles.

We said in the preseason that this kid could be the next great UK linebacker, and thus far, he's on the fast track.

Pleasant Surprise of the Year (Individual): Lones Seiber (Senior Kicker) -- Seiber came into the season having made less than 60.0% of his field goal attempts for his career, but in '09, he has made 5-8 field goals (62.5%), with one block, and a miss from 49 yards. So, overall he's been much improved from the inconsistent kicker he has been over the last three years. And with all of the criticism he has received (me included), he deserves some kudos.

Pleasant Surprise of the Year (Team): The running game -- Derrick Locke, Alfonso Smith, Randall Cobb, Moncell Allen, John Conner and the offensive line are of course responsible for the incredible, season-saving success of the Kentucky's running game. It has been powerful, elusive, and overly effective ... let's keep it up. (See running game stats above)

Biggest Negative Play of the Year: The failed two-point conversion attempt versus South Carolina -- I don't want to belabor a point that has been beat to death by everyone from myself, to the mainstream media, but if I could ask Rich Brooks and Joker Phillips one question regarding that decision it would be, "Why?" The staff's decision to allow Will Fidler to quarterback on the play didn't cost UK the victory, but it cost the 'Cats the chance to win. I could keep going, but ... well, let's leave the unpleasantness where it belongs. In the past.

Biggest Positive Play of the Year: Randall Cobb's 61-yard scamper (or did he run about 80-yards?) to set up the winning touchdown versus Auburn -- Cobb, in that one play, displayed why he is considered such a dangerous weapon: He broke a long run, he evaded several would-be-tacklers, and he did it with the game on the line. Pressure? Cobb has pressure for breakfast.

Honorable mention goes to Louisville's Trent Guy for his fumble late in the fourth quarter of the UK vs. U of L game. If Guy doesn't put the ball on the turf on his attempted catch of a UK punt, Big Blue's chances of winning diminish exponentially.

Most Outstanding Performance of the Season: The defense in the Auburn game -- Without UK's smothering defense for the entire game, Cobb's 61-yard run would have been for naught. Kentucky's defense held Auburn to 170 fewer yards than the Tigers average on the year, and gave up only a single touchdown. This against a team that averaged nearly 39 points per game.

Thoroughly frustrated is the most appropriate term to describe Auburn quarterback Chris Todd. Coming into the game the Elizabethtown native was the SEC's second leading passer, averaging nearly 227 yards per game, while completing 57.8% of his passes. UK held Todd to 10-24 passing for 80 yards and only his second interception of the year. Kentucky's rush defense was nearly as impressive -- Auburn running back Ben Tate was averaging 6.1 yards per carry coming into the game, but was held to only 4.3 yards per carry. Tate's running mate, Onterio McCaleb, averaged 6.0 yards per carry, but MJ and his Crew held him to only 22 yards on seven carries (3.1 ypc).

Coming into the Auburn game, I wasn't sure UK could keep up with the Tiger's rapid fire offense, how silly of me. Hats off to the D! The Auburn victory belongs to you.

Feel free to condemn, but as always,

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats!

Initial Impressions from the Kentucky Game

outsidethesidelines — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:20:20 -0000

A few initial impressions after the Kentucky game:

From the outset, looking at the entire picture, the Tide simply did not play very well against Kentucky. Of course you should never complain too much any time you can go on the road in conference play and get an 18-point victory, but by the same token you shouldn't be so blinded by the scoreboard to not realize that we played poorly and that, based purely on the performances of the two teams, that this game should have been a lot closer.
Without doubt, Kentucky was their own worst enemy in this game. They had five personal foul penalties, a slew of dropped passes to open receivers, several incredibly bone-headed throws by Hartline (many of which resulted in interceptions), and that is not counting the last-second fumble to end the first half that resulted in a Courtney Upshaw touchdown. Truth be told, Kentucky beat themselves in this game more than anything else. The lopsided margin of victory was really the result of Alabama just allowing Kentucky to keep shooting themselves in the foot.
Offensively, our strategy in the beginning of the game really made very little sense. Kentucky never even remotely stopped our running game, but we decided to stop it ourselves by airing the football out. And making matters even more head-scratching was that we kept throwing deep, instead of trying to establish the short and intermediate passing game. And that strategy was even more perplexing given how Nick Saban talked after the game about how the strong winds made throwing the football so difficult early. I really just never understood what we were trying to do offensively, nor did anyone else, and our offensive play-calling was perhaps the most suspect it has been since McElwain arrived.
And speaking of the running game, I worried coming in that Kentucky would be able to shut us down, but our guys really answered the bell. Kentucky never really stopped us in the running game, and Mark Ingram and Roy Upchurch combined to run for 153 yards on only 24 carries. Trent Richardson's stat line doesn't look very good because he got the workhorse duty in the fourth quarter trying to run out the clock, but again in meaningful situations Kentucky never really stopped us. The problem was, really, that we stopped ourselves by simply choosing not to run the football.
The offensive line did a very good job in pass protection. As I said in the preview, Kentucky could really get after the quarterback, and we largely neutralized them at the point of attack. McElroy was hit several times -- which is honestly a given for any team these days really wanting to throw the football a lot -- and he is clearly helping the offensive line out by not holding onto the ball too long, but even so our guys up front did a fine job. McElroy threw 26 passes yesterday, and was sacked only once. Moreover, thanks to McElroy's pocket presence, he limited that sack to only a two yard loss. Truth be told, protecting the passer is a joint effort between quarterback himself and the offensive line, but I do think it's clear at this point that McElroy and the newly revamped offensive line do a better job of it than John Parker Wilson and the group we had a year ago.
Good news on injuries... there were none. I did see Barrett Jones gimpy at one point, but he never left the game and looked to be okay. Few things in football are more precious than staying healthy.
The Wildcat... didn't see it a single time all day, to my knowledge. I think it's clear now that our offense uses it as a weapon -- and forces the opposing defense to prepare for it -- but for the most part we really do not see it as an integral part of our offense like many other teams do.
Earl Alexander came up with a huge catch on the touchdown drive late in the second quarter, and the redshirt junior continues to make good things happen when he can actually get in the game. The problem is he's buried on the depth chart by Julio Jones and Mike McCoy, and he doesn't get very many balls thrown in his direction.

Julio Jones... I just really don't know what to make of him. I really don't think he's 100% right now, and for much of the day yesterday Trevard Lindley got the best of him. That's no shame because Lindley is the league's best corner and a future first round draft pick, but it would be nicer to get Julio more involved in the game. We're doing just fine without him being a major producer, but it's hard to believe that through five games he has a mere nine catches on the year. Against Arkansas we really didn't get him involved that much, but I saw eight passes go his way yesterday, and it netted two catches for 13 yards. Julio's presence makes our offense much better simply because it allows us to get other players consistently isolated, but it would still be very nice to get some more production out of Julio.

Colin Peek finally put together a big game yesterday. He has been plagued by the drops for most of the season -- at least four by my count -- but he emerged yesterday as a big weapon. Hopefully he keeps producing like that.

Notice something eerily similar on that touchdown pass to Darius Hanks? It was the exact same play call that we won the 2007 Arkansas game with, except this time it was Hanks in place of Matt Caddell, and Julio Jones in place of Keith Brown.

Greg McElroy, in some ways, had his worst day of the year yesterday afternoon. Just like he did against Virginia Tech, he rallied strong after a slow start, but it wasn't his best day. Nevertheless, I'm not complaining a bit. The SEC has some tough pass defenses, and Kentucky may be the best one of them all, and even against them McElroy had a solid day throwing the football and completely avoided all big, negative plays. As a general matter, you can really ask for little more out of your signal caller.

Moving to the defensive side of the ball, things weren't so pretty. Kentucky has an offense that will almost certainly finish near the bottom of the SEC in most statistical categories, and they scored 20 points against us. Making matters worse, we never really stopped them, and they should have scored more. Again, we never really stopped them, they only stopped themselves. Had Kentucky not been so hell bent on shooting themselves in the foot, they could have legitimately scored 30+ points.

Kentucky effectively had 11 possessions yesterday. Of those 11, they scored on four of them, four of them resulted in turnovers, two of them stalled out with four dropped passes / penalties, and the Tide forced all of one legitimate stop. In other words, Kentucky had 11 possessions yesterday, and on 10 of them they either scored points or stopped themselves with their own incompetence.

Obviously the turnovers were the biggest difference-maker defensively, and while it's nice to see we got the four turnovers, I'm afraid to say that we didn't necessarily do that much to force those turnovers. The three interceptions by Kentucky were the result of two unbelievably stupid throws by Hartline, and a pass that bounced off the UK receiver's face mask (i.e. a ball that should have been caught). The fumble was a heads-up play by McClain, but again Cobb was really not securing the ball properly. The point is that a lack of turnovers has been a problem to date, and while it was nice to see us generate four turnovers against Kentucky, I'm afraid they were generally of the bone-headed variety that we cannot count on future opponents to give us.

Without doubt, the single biggest play of the game was the Rolando McClain strip and subsequent Courtney Upshaw fumble return for a touchdown. That single play absolutely changed the game, and it would have been a very different contest had it not occurred. If we don't get that then we go to halftime leading 14-6 with Kentucky getting the ball to start the second half. After that play, victory was never in serious jeopardy.

The biggest thing that Kentucky did to us defensively was win the battle in the trenches. They didn't mow us over, but they did neutralize our defensive line. We could not get pressure on the quarterback, nor could we get penetration into the backfield in the running game. By and large, they whipped us up front, plain and simple.

Kentucky had a good bit of success running the football, but notice how they did it. They didn't pound the ball in the A-gap like many choose to do, they instead ran things a bit wider in the B-gap and outside the tackles. It placed a greater premium on the lateral quickness of our defensive linemen than usual, and likewise with the linebacker corps. And again, we really didn't respond. They racked up over 130 yards rushing, and we struggled to stop it. Expect other teams to do many of the same things Kentucky did.

So, to replace Hightower, we went with Reamer in the middle, Anders at Sam, and Upshaw at Jack. Chris Jordan saw some time, but Nico Johnson only played on special teams. And I'm really not sure how well things worked. Reamer wasn't really the problem -- as much as he will probably get blamed for it -- but Upshaw was a bit suspect at times in run support. He didn't play the run as well from the Jack linebacker position as Anders did in the first four games, and that hurt. Moreover, things just generally looked out of sync at times. Saban has said in the past that he generally doesn't like re-shuffling a lot of players, and there is a reason for that. Perhaps we'll see something else moving forward. I know one thing... that South Carolina game cannot get here soon enough.

The most interesting thing I noticed about Hightower's absence was that we seemed to be taking fewer risks defensively. With Hightower and McClain in the game at the same time, we were taking a lot of risks with blitzes because we felt the linebacker corps could still get the job done even if they were undermanned simply because those two were in the game. Against Kentucky, though, we didn't see that kind of risk-taking, and that may have been one of the reasons why we didn't rush the passer as well. Truth be told, of Hartline's 31 passing attempts, we really only had one sack, and that came after Anders put a great move on Zipp Duncan out of a basic four man rush.

Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke made our defense look bad. Period. We couldn't cover 'em, and we couldn't tackle 'em.

The pass defense wasn't great, but it generally played pretty well. Javier Arenas looked really bad on the deep touchdown pass Cobb -- seriously, Cobb watched that football for about three seconds and Arenas never was even aware the ball was in the air -- but aside from that things were good. Taking out that one pass, Kentucky completed only about 50% of their passes and averaged only about 4.0 yards per attempt. Of course, though, given how poorly Hartline played, that should have been the outcome.

On the whole though, being unable to stop the Kentucky offense, this was probably the worst defensive performance we've had since 2007. Sure, Florida and Utah did well against us last year, but they were great offenses. Kentucky did well against us yesterday, and they were a bad offense. Big difference there. Our defense ought to be fuming mad after watching this film.

The kick coverage unit... this has to be one of the worst I've ever seen. Yesterday was actually one of our "better" days, and still two of the four returned kicks went out to midfield. It's been five games of this and we've seen no improvement, and right now I really just don't see much of a reason to expect any better. If all that was required was a simple fix, it would have been fixed by now.

Best fact of the day? With the win over Kentucky, Alabama has an 18-2 record in our last 20 games. That is easily our best mark since the height of the Stallings era.

All in all, not the best day for the Tide. We didn't play very well, and the lopsided final score was more the result of Kentucky beating themselves than anything else. We clearly will have to play better moving forward. Of course, though, wins in this league never come easy, and in all fairness Kentucky is a decent team that will likely make a bowl game, so an 18-point victory, on the road, is far from shabby. We clearly need to play better, but more than anything else this game just shows how much Saban has changed the mindset and the culture of the program. At every point from 1997-2008, we would have been literally wetting ourselves with glee over such a victory, and now such a victory is met general criticism. The times have changed in Tuscaloosa, that much we know.

UK vs. Alabama: Breaking Down the Rolling Tide

Ken Howlett — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:03:16 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

Did Rich Brooks make his point this week? We're about to find out.

Browse more photos »

The Kentucky Wildcats enter today's tilt (12:20 EST) with college football royalty, in great need of affirmation. After last weekend's titanic sinking at the hands of the Florida Gators, the 'Cats' collective psyche needs a renovation. And there is nothing better to renovate the soul, than a win over No. 3 Alabama (4-0, 1-0).

That was pretty easy to type, but it will much more difficult to execute. After-all, Alabama comes into today's contest, perhaps the most impressive team in the country, up to this point in the season. The Tide have totally dominated their opponents since the second half of their initial contest with then No. 7 Virginia Tech (a 34-24 'Bama win), outscoring their foes 146-35.

Alabama not only overwhelms their opponents with stifling defense, the Tide offense is averaging over 40 points per game, a rather large number considering the preseason questions about the quarterback position. Simply put, Alabama is a dangerously complete football team, and here's why ...

Alabama Offensive Personnel

Greg McElroy -- 6'3", 220 lb junior quarterback: This year, McElroy's first as a starter, he has completed 63 of 93 passes (67.7%) for 938 yards (234.5 yards per game), seven touchdowns, and one interception.

Versus Arkansas last week, McElroy completed 17 of 24 passes for 291 yards, and three touchdowns (no interceptions). He came into the season as one of the "Mystery Men of the SEC," a club chock-full of unproven quarterback talent. McElroy, though, has played brilliantly. The UK secondary is in for a real challenge Saturday afternoon.

Mark Ingram -- 5'10", 215 lb sophomore running back: In 2009, Ingram has rushed 61 times for 347 yards (5.7 yards per carry), and four touchdowns. He's also caught 13 passes for 141 yards (10.8 yards per reception) and three touchdowns. Last season, in earning Third Team All-SEC honors (Phil Steele), as well as making the All-SEC Freshmen Team, Ingram rushed 143 times for 728 yards (5.1 ypc), and a freshman school record 12 touchdowns, while splitting time with Glen Coffee (now of the San Francisco 49er's). His father, Mark Ingram, played for the New York Giants, and was a key figure in the 1992 Giants Super Bowl win -- Last season versus UK (a 17-14 Tide victory), Ingram ran 11 times for 66 yards (6.0 ypc) and a touchdown.

Bullish, yet speedy runner presents a real problem for UK's defense. His combination of speed and strength is not a combo Kentucky's defense has handled with aplomb in previous contests.

Trent Richardson -- 5'11", 220 lb freshman running back: This season Richardson has rushed 38 times for 280 yards (7.4 ypc) and four touchdowns. He's also made five receptions for 42 yards (8.4 ypr). Richardson is the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week after carrying the ball nine times for 65 yards (7.2 ypc) and a touchdown, in last week's game against Arkansas. Coming out of high school in Pensacola, Florida, Richardson was rated the No. 6 overall prospect in the nation by Rivals. He was a Parade, USA Today, and SuperPrep All-America. In his senior year in high school, the five-star athlete rushed 225 times for 2,090 yards (9.3 ypc) and 26 touchdowns.

In 'Bama's game last week versus Arkansas, Richardson exploded for a 52-yard touchdown run, which followed up his 35-yard run for six versus Florida International earlier in the year.

Terry Grant -- 5'9", 190 lb junior running back: On the year, Grant has ran 40 times for 166 yards (4.2 ypc), and three touchdowns. He's also snagged three passes for 47 yards (15.7 ypr). He started at the running back spot in 2007 for the Tide when he ran for 891 yards and eight touchdowns. In 2008, Grant rushed 35 times for 88 yards (2.5 ypc) and one touchdown.

Grant unleashed a 42-yard touchdown run versus Florida International earlier this season.

Roy Upchurch -- 6'0", 205 lb senior running back: In 2009, Upchurch has run for 107 yards on 11 carries (9.7 ypc), and scored one touchdown. He's caught three passes for 10 yards (3.3 ypr). He played in 10 games in 2008, recording 350 rushing yards on 58 carries (6.0 ypc), and nine catches for 101 yards (11.2 ypr). In 2007, Upchurch played in 12 games; he carried the ball 50 times for 237 yards (4.4 ypc) and one touchdown. He also caught seven passes for 51 yards (7.3 ypr) -- Last season versus UK, Upchurch carried the ball five times for 19 yards (3.9 ypc).

Julio Jones -- 6'4", 210 lb sophomore wide receiver: In three games this season, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Year has caught 7 passes for 120 yards (17.1 ypr), and one touchdown. Last year Jones started all 14 Alabama games, becoming only the 11th freshman Tide football player to start 'Bama's opening game since freshmen became eligible in 1972. In 2008, Jones caught 58 passes for 924 yards (15.9 ypr), and four touchdowns -- Last season versus UK, he made three catches for 52 yards (17.3 ypr).

Last week versus Arkansas, Jones caught a 50-yard touchdown pass. One of the most talented receivers in the country, Jones will receive attention from Kentucky cornerback Trevard Lindley. Their battle might go a long way in determining who's happy, and who ain't, come the final horn.

Marquis Maze -- 5'10", 179 lb sophomore wide receiver: This year, Maze has caught eight passes for 194 yards (24.2 ypr) and two touchdowns. He started four games as a freshman in 2008, recording 11 catches for 137 yards (12.5 ypr) -- Last season versus UK, Maze started, but did not make a catch.

Maze caught an 80-yard bomb for a touchdown last week versus Arkansas, to go along with a 34-yard touchdown reception.

Mike McCoy -- 6'3", 215 lb senior wide receiver: In 2009, McCoy has caught eight passes for 138 yards (17.2 ypr), and one touchdown. In 2008, he started nine games along side Julio Jones, and made 16 catches for 191 yards (11.9 ypr) -- He did not play against UK last season due to a hamstring injury.

Colin Peek -- 6'6", 255 lb senior tight end: This season Peek has made 8 catches for 95 yards (11.9 ypr). A Georgia Tech transfer, Peek sat out last season, but in his sophomore year for the Yellow Jackets, he caught 25 passes for 258 yards (10.1 ypr). and a touchdown.

Brad Smelley -- 6'3", 218 lb sophomore tight end: In 2009, Smelley has caught three passes for 12 yards (4.0 ypr). He came off of his redshirt last year in the seventh game of the season against Ole Miss. Over the second half of last year, he caught seven passes for 98 yards (14.0 ypr). Smelley's brother, Chris, played quarterback at South Carolina, and now plays baseball at Alabama.

Alabama Special Team's Dynamo

Javier Arenas -- 5'9", 198 lb senior kick returner/defensive back: Arenas has returned 15 punts this year for 285 yards (19.0 yards per return). He's returned five kick-offs for a total of 141 yards (28.2 ypr). In 2008, the Second Team All-SEC performer averaged 15.9 yards per punt return, and 23.6 yards per kick-off return. Also, in '08 he returned three punts for touchdowns -- 87, 80, and 73 yards. In 2007, he returned 21 punts for 323 yards (15.4 ypr), and one touchdown, as well as 27 kick-offs for 657 yards (24.3 ypr). In 2006, Arenas returned 31 punts for 286 yards (9.2) and two touchdowns, to go along with 18 kick-off returns for 313 yards (17.4). Arenas is Alabama's record-holder in the following categories: Punt Return Yardage (Career) - 1,544: Punt Return Yardage (Season) - 650 ('08): Punt Return Yardage (Game) - 153 (vs. Ole Miss last year) -- Last season versus UK, Arenas returned four punts for 52 yards.

What's been keeping UK special teams coach Steve Ortmayer up at night, Javier Arenas my friend, Javier Arenas.

Alabama Defensive Personnel

Rolando McClain -- 6'4", 258 lb junior linebacker: The First Team All-SEC (Third Team All-America by the AP), has recorded 23 tackles (15 solo), 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and three quarterback hurries in 2009. McClain is a finalist for the Butkus Award, given to the nations top linebacker -- Last season versus UK, McClain led the Tide in tackles with 10 (four solo). He also returned a first quarter Mike Hartline fumble four-yards for a touchdown.

Mark Barron -- 6'2", 215 lb sophomore defensive back: In 2009, Barron has made 20 tackles (eight solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, one interception and four pass breakups.

Terrence Cody -- 6'5", 365 lb senior defensive lineman: "Mount Cody," as he is nicknamed, has recorded 10 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one pass breakup,and one quarterback hurry in 2009. The First Team All-America anchors the defense that is second in the nation (and first in the SEC) in rush defense, allowing only 47.3 yards per game -- Last season versus UK, Cody recorded two assisted tackles, and allowed UK to run for only 35 yards.

Eryk Anders -- 6'2", 227 lb senior linebacker: This year Anders has made 19 tackles (9 solo), 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and three quarterback hurries -- Last season versus UK, Anders executed two tackles.

Javier Arenas -- 5'9", 198 lb senior defensive back: In 2009, Arenas has made 18 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, and two pass breakups -- Last season versus UK, Arenas recorded six tackles (4 solo).

Brandon Deaderick -- 6'4", 287 lb senior defensive end: The former Elizabethtown High School stand-out has recorded 5 tackles in 2009. Coming off a gunshot wound suffered the week prior to Alabama's opener against Virgina Tech, Deaderick has played in all four Tide games, but he has yet to start. Saturday, Deaderick will be lining up across from his high school teammate, UK's Zipp Duncan -- Last season versus UK, Deaderick had two tackles.

Tide Tidbits

Alabama gives up only 1.7 yards per rush to their opponents ... Florida International ran for one yard on 26 carries ... The Tide receivers are averaging 14.2 yards per catch ... 'Bama has converted 45% of their third down conversion tries ... Opposing quarterbacks are completing only 48.4% of their passes (59-122) against the Tide ... 'Bama has recorded 13 sacks ... Alabama's punt return average - 18.8 yards, their opponents - 4.3 yards ... Virginia Tech scored 24 points on the Tide, but averaged only 2.1 yards per carry ... Florida International had a 96-yard kick-off return for a touchdown against the Tide ... Alabama has outscored their opponents 162-52 in their four games ... The Tide held Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett to only 12-35 passing (34.3%) for 160 yards, one touchdown and one interception ... Mallett was sacked three times.

Alabama Accolades

Alabama is ranked in the top-11 in the country in the following categories: 2nd - Rush Defense (47.3 ypg); 2nd - Total Defense (202.5 ypg); 5th - Offensive Pass Efficiency (169.0); 8th - Total Offense (490.5 ypg); 9th - Scoring Offense (40.5 ppg); 10th - Rush Offense (234.3 ypg); 10th - Tackles for Loss (8.0); 11th - Punt Return Average (18.8).

CliffsNotes Analysis ("Must" Edition)

1. UK must be mentally focused.

2. UK must not commit silly, mental mistakes, i.e. excessive penalties.

3. UK must not start playing in the second quarter. The game starts at 12:20 fellas.

4. UK must run the ball. Some how, some way.

5. UK must not allow big plays, which 'Bama has a penchant for.

6. UK must throw for more than 85 yards (Hartline's total against Florida)..

7. UK must find a way to get Randall Cobb into space (no, not the heavens, open space).

8. UK must not allow the 'Bama backs to run as with gifted with impunity (less than 175 would be nice).

9. UK must not average less than 10.0 yards per catch.

10. UK must score (twice would be nice) a special teams or defensive touchdown.

11. UK must play like Wildcats, or risk ending up a skinned cat.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats, beat the Tide!

Week Five Preview: #3 Alabama at Kentucky

outsidethesidelines — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:15:10 -0000

More photos » by James Crisp - AP

2 months ago: Kentucky coach Rich Brooks looks on during the second half of their NCAA college football game against Florida in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. (AP Photo/James Crisp)

Browse more photos »

Almost a year to the day after earning an ugly, 17-14 win over Kentucky in Tuscaloosa, the Tide now takes the return trip to Lexington for the re-match. Historically Alabama has dominated this series, putting it mildly, and the Tide is once again a heavy favorite as we go into Lexington. Of course, though, the Kentucky program under Rich Brooks is a far better one than the Tide has historically faced when going up against the Wildcats, and conference wins rarely come easy. Kentucky is a formidable foe in their own right, and they present the Alabama coaching staff plenty of challenges. Let's take a closer look at the match-ups.

Alabama Offense v. Kentucky Defense

Despite being a general juggernaut throughout the first four games of the season -- averaging over 35 points and about 500 yards of total offense per game -- the Alabama offense did encounter its first real problems of the season last week against Arkansas, as the Hogs were able to shut down the Tide's running game. Thankfully we still scored a lot of points because we had three long touchdowns, plus one short drive created by Lorenzo Washington's blocked punt, but the chink in the armor was nevertheless somewhat revealed. Simply put, the Hogs had a big, physical defensive front seven, they committed the resources necessary to stop the run, and we simply could not do much with it.

And in all fairness to Kentucky, the Wildcats do have a fine defense. Oddly enough, after spending years of having a prolific offense mixed with a defense that couldn't stop anyone, Kentucky now sports a fine defense, and it will easily be one of the best defenses we face all season. It's just a good group, top-to-bottom, with good coaching and a couple of legitimate star players to boot.

The defensive front seven, much like last week against Arkansas, does present some major issues simply because they are big and physical. The front four averages around 270 pounds, with a couple of 300 pound players in Corey Peters and Ricky Lumpkin anchoring the interior defensive line. The defensive ends are about as big as you will find for legitimate 4-3 teams, and the linebacker corps is big even by 3-4 standards. As a whole the corps averages around 240 pounds, while standout Micah Johnson comes in at around 260 pounds and Sam Maxwell is nearly as big. Bottom line, just like Arkansas a week ago, this is a very big, physical defensive front seven, and that will probably give us a lot of issues up front.

In particular, don't sleep on Micah Johnson. He is probably the best defensive player in the SEC you've never heard of, and it's only because he isn't playing for a high-profile program. He was a five-star recruit out of high school that could have legitimately gone to any school in the country, and he's practically been a standout player since first setting foot on campus. Truth be told, he's every bit as good as Rolando McClain or Brandon Spikes, and he will play on Sunday one day very soon. He can make a very big impact on a game, and we'll have to do all we can to limit his effectiveness. If he played for a high-profile program like Alabama or Florida, everyone in the country would know his name.

The biggest concern, though, that this defense poses as a whole is their ability to play the pass. Arkansas was big and physical in the front seven, but they couldn't rush the passer effectively, nor did their defensive backs cover well in space. Perhaps not too surprisingly, then, the Hogs shut down the running game with ease, but were torched in the passing game by Greg McElroy and company. Kentucky, on the other hand, faces no such limitation. Kentucky is big and physical in the front seven, but they can also effectively rush the passer, and they also have a fine defensive backfield to boot. Simply put, that's a big problem for 'Bama.

The pass rush itself is probably one of the best in the conference. The off-season loss of Jeremy Jarmon -- Jarmon tested positive for a banned supplement, lost a year of eligibility, and entered the NFL Supplemental Draft -- was a big one for the 'Cats, but the pass rush hasn't exactly struggled in his absence. Junior college transfer DeQuin Evans has played well in his place, and Collins Ukwu has been a force at times as well. Moreover, freshman Taylor Windham brings a lot of speed off the edge and he has already proven that he can rush the passer well (see the knockout blow on Tim Tebow last weekend). The Kentucky defense has racked up seven sacks this year on 79 passing attempts, so they have already showcased an ability to get after the quarterback.

That's bad enough for the Alabama offense, but making matters worse is the strength of the Kentucky defensive backfield. Cornerback Trevard Lindley is easily the cornerback in the SEC, and he will be a first round draft pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. He's an impact player who opposing teams generally loathe throwing against, but unfortunately the rest of the Kentucky defensive backfield is a solid group as well. Paul Warford normally starts opposite Lindley at cornerback, but he is missing the Alabama game with an injury, and Randall Burden will play in his place. The good news for Kentucky is that Burden seems like a solid option, and if nothing else he can really dance. Likewise, Winston Guy and Calvin Harrison really aren't game-changers at safety, but both are decent players at this stage who can get the job done.

All in all, the Kentucky defense is a fine one, and they present a lot of problems for the Alabama offense. They are big and physical enough to stop the run, and once they stop the run, you have to throw the football successfully, and to that end they can rush the passer and cover in the defensive backfield. Again, it's a fine unit, and if they can stay healthy it's perhaps the best defense the Tide will face all year. Objectively speaking, points ought to be hard to come by.

Alabama Defense v. Kentucky Offense

Remember earlier when I talked about how Kentucky used to be a team with a prolific offense and a laughable defense? Well, now the roles have entirely reversed, and its the offense that suddenly cannot get out of its own way. The Wildcats finished 87th in the country last year in scoring offense, and if the early returns are any indicator this offense is likely to much more closely resemble the 2008 offense than it does either the 2006 or 2007 units.

The biggest problem that this offense faces is simply that they don't have a lot of high-end players, particularly at the skill positions. At quarterback, Mike Hartline is a big, tall quarterback with decent mobility, but that is generally where his positive attributes end. He can put up a good completion percentage when throwing a lot of dink and dunk routes, but he doesn't have the arm you would probably imagine given his frame, nor is he overly accurate. On the whole, most of the time he's just an average-at-best passer.

Likewise, there are really no true game-changers at the skill positions. Randall Cobb, the former quarterback, is really the only true playmaker on the outside, and in general Kentucky does absolutely everything in their power to get the ball in his hands (including putting Cobb in the Wildcat). Aside from Cobb, though, there is just really nothing of note on the outside. Chris Matthews and Matt Roark are both very big targets (at around 6'5), but neither are particularly athletic and they have struggled to get separation. Kyrus Lanxter has been slowed by injuries, and while T.C. Drake is a decent tight end, he's probably not as good as Jacob Tamme was back when the Wildcats could really light up the scoreboard. Truth be told, outside of Cobb, their best receiver is likely the speedy Derrick Locke, a tailback, coming out of the backfield.

And speaking of tailbacks, Kentucky has a decent group there that generally features a mix of size and speed. Derrick Locke is the speedster of the group, and he is one of the quickest backs in the SEC. Physically he is almost a clone of Arkansas' Michael Smith, and he brings to the table the same strengths and weaknesses. The Wildcats, however, do have some physical backs that they use to run inside, so they can attack you in more ways than one. Both Alfonso Smith and Moncell Allen are physical tailbacks well over 200 pounds that can pound the interior running game. Likewise, fullback John Conner -- not related to this guy -- is a legitimate threat at fullback as a runner, receiver, and blocker.

The biggest strength of this offense is clearly at the point of attack with the offensive line. This is the most experienced offensive line in the SEC, and they start four seniors. Left tackle Zipp Duncan and right tackle Justin Jeffries are probably the best two players of the group, but the interior linemen aren't exactly shabby in their own right. It's not a unit featuring any true standout players, per se, but it's a capable group. They aren't mashers in the running game, mind you, but they do generally do a good job of protecting the quarterback. Kentucky quarterbacks have only been sacked three times this year on roughly 90 passing attempts, so these guys can clearly get the job done in pass protection.

All in all, though, again, this Kentucky offense just isn't very good. There simply aren't enough playmakers at the skill positions, and the quarterback isn't a standout player either. The offensive line is a solid group, as are the tailbacks, but they don't do enough in their own right to be able to overcome all of the shortcomings everywhere else that would allow Kentucky to truly light up the scoreboard.

As a whole, you really have to feel confident about how the Alabama defense looks to match up here. Kentucky is a physical team that likes to run the football, but even with the absence of Dont'a Hightower, it's hard to see this team having very much success against the Alabama defense on the ground. Likewise, while the Tide may struggle a bit to get to the passer, it's hard to see Kentucky having a lot of success in the passing game considering they lack quality depth at wide receiver or a consistently effective passing quarterback.

Putting It All Together

In the grand scheme of things, you really have to like the Tide's chances of winning this game. I think it's clear that we are the better team here, and there is a legitimate reason that we are favored going into this game.

On the other hand, though, Kentucky is no pushover. They may struggle offensively, but this is a good football team, and I personally think that Rich Brooks is easily one of the most underrated coaches of his generation. These guys have made three straight bowl games, and they will likely make a fourth straight in 2009. Likewise, after getting embarrassed by Florida, expect this Kentucky team to show up Saturday morning in Lexington like they just ate nails for breakfast. They'll be ready to play a long, physical contest, rest assured of that.

The good news is that the Kentucky offense ought to have very little success in terms of point production, unless we really give them some cheap points via turnovers and special teams breakdowns (speaking of which, Locke had a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown against Louisville). That said, unless we can really improve in terms of run blocking, the Kentucky defense may very well shut our offense down as well, and we could be in for another long, ugly, low-scoring game much like we had a year ago. Those who think that the Tide is simply going to walk into Lexington and come away with an easy win are probably in for a rude awakening come Saturday. Unless we suddenly play a lot better up front, or Kentucky decides to beat itself for the second week in a row, this is a game that is likely to be close going into the latter stages of the contest.

Hope for the best.

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.

The Bitter Taste of the Bottom: Kentucky Looks for a Bump at SEC Media Days

cocknfire — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:21:27 -0000

More photos » by Butch Dill - AP

He was being good-natured with the taunts about his team's perpetual low standings in the media's preseason predictions. Really.

Browse more photos »

There was a touch of playfulness in his manner when Kentucky Wildcats head coach Rich Brooks formed a bit of a jovial growl to kick off his press conference, the final of the Wednesday beginning of SEC Media Days.

"I'll bet you're glad this day is over," Brooks said. "I'll be the last. That's where we get picked every year, so kind of appropriate, I guess."

Laughter filled the room. Brooks has made something of a habit of poking the press over their predictions; when he rebounded from the "hot seat" in 2006 with an 8-5 season, he began his presentation the following year with two words: "I'm baaaack."

Brooks return to his gripe about the ratings at the end of his remarks, capping them off with a reference to the reception held after the end of Wednesday's events.

"You guys can go have a cocktail, a cold beer, talk about where you're going to put Kentucky again," he said. "There you go. Have some fun with it. I'm having fun trying to prove you wrong on occasion."

Good luck with that. For the most part, the media has been pretty much on target in slotting Kentucky in one of the bottom two places in the SEC East. Since divisional play began in 1992, Kentucky has ranked better than 5th a total of four times. Only once in Brooks' six-year tenure -- the breakthrough 2006 season -- have the Wildcats accomplished the feat. (Some fans don't realize that because of its inferior conference record last year, Kentucky actually came in dead last in the East, behind even woeful Tennessee.)

Players seem unruffled by the snubs.

"They had us picked like that the last three years, so I guess we don't pay attention to it, just go out there and just play our hardest and see if we can get to go to another pretty good bowl and have another good season," said cornerback Trevard Lindley.

For the stagnation in the standings, though, Kentucky has improved over the last several years.

"People now look at the schedule and see us as a serious threat," said offensive tackle and All-Name candidate Zipp Duncan.

The problem they face -- the same one that has vexed South Carolina since the Gamecocks began their resurgence at the beginning of the decade -- is that Florida and Georgia also continue to improve. And in one of his more serious comments about the dynamics of the division, Brooks seemed to nod toward the fact that the writers' choices in recent years have been for good reasons.

"We've had success against a few teams, but we have to continue to build on that and beat more of them, because our goal is obviously to be a factor and have a chance to win the SEC East," he said. "To do that, we have to climb over the teams that have ruled the roost, if you will, and ruled it very well, I might add, in the past 10, 15 years."

That climb will have to precede any move up the media ballots.

SEC Media Days: conference issues credentials to two SB Nation bloggers

Joel — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:00:53 -0000

More photos » by Dave Martin - AP

Who let the bloggers in here?!

Browse more photos »

SEC Football Media Days next Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday may not kick off the 2009 college football season, but it does serve as the first faint glimpse of the game on the horizon. Each year, hundreds of media members descend on Birmingham to interview coaches and players from every team in the SEC. Or to serve subpoenas. Whatever.

I'm especially pumped about the event this year because I'll be attending as one of those hundreds of media members. cocknfire from Team Speed Kills, who live-blogged the event while in attendance last year, is going again this year, and he and I hope to collaborate on some coverage for you. If you have any ideas, please let us know, and we'll do our best to make you proud.

Here's the schedule:

Wednesday, July 22
ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS (1:00 - 3:00 pm) Bobby Petrino DT Malcolm Sheppard TE D.J. Williams	VANDERBILT COMMODORES (1:00 - 3:00 pm) Bobby Johnson C Bradley Vierling CB Myron Lewis	MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS (3:00 - 5:00 pm) Dan Mullen OT Derek Sherrod LB K.J. Wright	KENTUCKY WILDCATS (3:00 - 5:00 pm) Rich Brooks OT Zipp Duncan CB Trevard Lindley

Thursday, July 23
ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (8:30 - 10:30 am) Nick Saban OL Mike Johnson LB Rolando McClain	GEORGIA BULLDOGS (8:30 - 10:30 am) Mark Richt QB Joe Cox DT Jeff Owens	OLE MISS REBELS (10:30 am - 12:30 pm) Houston Nutt QB Jevan Snead DE Greg Hardy	FLORIDA GATORS (10:30 am - 12:30 pm) Urban Meyer QB Tim Tebow LB Brandon Spikes

Friday, July 24
AUBURN TIGERS (8:30 - 10:30 am) Gene Chizik TE Tommy Trott DE Antonio Coleman	SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS (8:30 - 10:30 am) Steve Spurrier WR Moe Brown LB Eric Norwood	LSU TIGERS (10:30 am - 12:30 pm) Les Miles OT Ciron Black LB Jacob Cutrera	TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (10:30 am - 12:30 pm) Lane Kiffin SAF Eric Berry TB Montario Hardesty

As you can see, many of these are simultaneous sessions. Obviously, I'll devote the Friday 10:30 slot to the Big Orange, the Thursday 10:30 slot to the Gators, and Wednesday to Vanderbilt and Kentucky. But what about the Alabama/Georgia and Auburn/South Carolina dilemma? What do y'all think?

The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Kentucky Has Six Pre-season All-SEC Players

Truzenzuzex — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:16:57 -0000

More photos » AP

Congrats to Jeremy Jarmon for getting picked in the third round of the NFL supplemental draft by the Washington Redskins.

Browse more photos »

Six. Not a bad number for the former doormat of the Southeastern Conference. It's good to have UK football players recognized as among the best in the SEC, even if it means little at this point. But if these guys do live up to their billing, it could be a very good year for Kentucky football.

Congratulations Trevard Lindley, Micah Johnson, Zipp Duncan, Corey Peters, Jorge Gonzalez and Mike Hartline. Mike Hartline? Really? Well, there you go.

UK Basketball News

How I’d Change Sports: Part One " Aaron Torres Sports
Since arriving in Lexington, Calipari has already marked his territory like a Great Dane at a fire hydrant, bringing one of the best recruiting classes in the history of college basketball. And that’s with only three months in Kentucky under his belt.

Read the whole thing. Some of it is not all that complimentary, but trust me, it is very, very funny.
Andre Riddick chokes Rasheed Wallace | Caliparti
A trip down memory lane
Andy Katz's Daily Word: U.S. team hears the boos in Serbia - ESPN
Katz also speculates on the meaning of some of the happenings during the Memphis hearing in which Calipari called in from China.
Darius Miller does a Q&A with Cat Scratches.
Doron Lamb Heading to Kansas in August
I still think this kid will be in Blue and White.
Rush The Court " Blog Archive " Coming Soon To A Discount Bin Near You…
Heh. A funny take on the Billy Gillispie Story. Other than that, I simply don't have much to offer.

UK Football News

No news is good news
No doubt.
Brooks, Petri prepared Jenkins for NFL
Ranking the coaches - Dooley’s desk - Gator Sports
Rich Brooks is moving up the charts.

Other UK Sports News

UK's Agostinelli to make pro debut in Fifth Third
Awesome for Agostinelli. I haven't heard of a professional former UK tennis player in a while.

NCAA Sports News

Which SEC Coach is Most Likely to Bail on His Team? | SECRivals.com
Punishment needed for NCAA violations - Sports
If only.
"BTS Previews: The SEC is still king"
No love for UK here.
How Long Does it Take to Build a Program in the SEC? - Track Em Tigers
A review of the past 25 years of SEC head-coaching experience. It's examined in particular, in years of head-coaching experience.
OSU basketball signee Matt Pilgrim confident he'll be eligible | NewsOK.com
"Me and Pat [Patrick Patterson] had some good battles," Pilgrim said. "My time at Kentucky was wonderful. It gave me time to sit down and figure out how I can make an impact in a game. I think my body matured, got more ready to play."
Florida Gators Country " Basketball " State of the program
This is a really good look at how Florida got where it is right now. It's easy to see how a rash of transfers, injuries and perception problems can lead a program into a mini-decline. Fortunately for Donovan, the perception problem surrounded the 04's ,and now that they are gone, he is in a position to recruit with the best of them.

But with Calipari now at Kentucky, there is an argument to be made that he will be recruiting from behind Coach Cal every year -- Donovan's pick and roll offense is a good offense to learn when heading to the pro game, but right now, the DDM is seen as superior, whether it actually is or not.

Other News of Interest

Some more Meeks commentary from Brew Hoop
Jodie Meeks 31 min, 8/12 fg, 2/3 3fg, 2/2 ft, 20 pts, 3 rebs, 1 stl, 2 to Jeremy called him a quiet assassin in the game thread, and he's absolutely right. With Jennings stealing the show and Alexander finally breaking out, it was easy to overlook another extremely efficient shooting night from Meeks. We also got to see more of Meeks range, as he drilled a pair of long, quick release triples. Meeks now leads the Bucks with 16.7 ppg on .600/.600/.833 shooting in Vegas. We know he doesn't do much else n the box score, but I can certainly live with drafting a lights-out shooter in the second round.

My comment would be that Jodie did little more than score at UK as well, which was always the knock against him. He will need to develop a more rounded game if he wants to earn the big bucks in the Association.
Details on Jode Meeks package with the Bucks
Brew Hoop, the SB Nation Bucks blog, has the scoop.
Bluegrass State Basketball: NBA Summer League: Meeks and Crawford are Solid
Lots of stuff from the NBA summer leagues, from Meeks to Crawford to some Louisville guys.

The Daily Schadenfreude

Nothing today

SB Nation - Zipp Duncan

UK Athletics: The Good, the Bad, and the Hilarious

Kentucky Football: Giving Thanks to Those Deserving Much More

UK Football: Mid-Season Accolades

Initial Impressions from the Kentucky Game

UK vs. Alabama: Breaking Down the Rolling Tide

Week Five Preview: #3 Alabama at Kentucky

Breaking Down Kentucky at Vanderbilt

The Bitter Taste of the Bottom: Kentucky Looks for a Bump at SEC Media Days

SEC Media Days: conference issues credentials to two SB Nation bloggers

The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Kentucky Has Six Pre-season All-SEC Players

Top Stories

UK Basketball News

UK Football News

Other UK Sports News

NCAA Sports News

Other News of Interest

The Daily Schadenfreude