SB Nation - T.C. Drake

Kentucky 24, Mississippi State 31 -- After Action Report

Truzenzuzex — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:42:16 -0000

Dan Mullen, thinking. Why is Rich Brooks & Co. not here? Well, uh ...

First things first. Congratulations to Mississippi State for an outstanding game. They were determined, they were strong, and generally, they were just better than Kentucky. Anthony Dixon was just too much for us, and Kentucky's defense never could figure out how to contain him. Not only that, MSU made big plays on the downfield passing game, something that they have rarely been able to do in SEC play.

Give a lot of credit to the MSU offensive line, which dominated Kentucky's d-line all night long. Kentucky was never able to get good penetration, and it was almost like UK was playing seven down linemen instead of six, partially because of the inexplicable decision by Steve Brown to go with the nickel package all night against a team that is not exactly strong in the passing game.

I could rant and rave about this game all night, but in the end, it boiled down to game plans -- MSU had a far superior game plan on both sides of the ball, and UK was unprepared and unable to adjust. It was essentially a case of two equally talented teams, only one had better coaching. Tonight, that team was not Kentucky.

My observations follow the jump.

Morgan Newton did the best he could. He is a case study in why you don't succeed in the SEC with a freshman QB. It isn't that he was bad, he wasn't, and in some cases, he was downright great. But the little things -- the unwanted timeouts, the poor decisions, the really bad decision that forced the interception -- those things are the kind of things more experienced quarterbacks don't do often. Morgan was great -- except when he wasn't, and that was more often than not.
Too little Randall Cobb in the Wildcat. It is not rocket science to know that Cobb prefers to run, but Phillips insisted on calling running plays from the Wildcat instead of the passes that MSU was not ready for. It was something so obvious even a guy who last played organized football at QB 38 years ago could see it.
Kentucky's offense was as predictable as the sunrise. So was MSU's, but for some reason, UK couldn't figure it out. Example -- on the long MSU pass play for a touchdown, I looked over to my wife and said, "They will take a shot downfield on this play, just watch." Oh, to be wrong...
Derrick Locke continues to impress despite his fragility.
Our defensive line was pushed around from the first snap to the last.
Our offensive line was adequate, but little more, and we did a poor job picking up the blitz.
How do you have a player like Randall Cobb and fail to get him the football even once on the final drive of the game? I'm just askin'...
When it counted, T.C. Drake dropped a football that anybody could have caught.
Anybody but me missing Mike Hartline?
Injuries were a big factor in this. Micah was a shadow of his former self, and Trevard Lindley would have spared us the nickel package on most downs.

This was a loss that we will regret. Big time. UK may still make a bowl, but it will likely be nearby, and minor. I am extremely disappointed in both the team and the coaching staff, the latter in particular. They had been doing so well, and then this.

Well, I guess we should recognize that every team throws in a clunker now and then, and that includes the coaching staff. This wasn't exactly a clunker, I guess, but it sure was one of those games that you have to search to find excuses for. Make no mistake -- UK lost this game primarily because they were outcoached and outplayed by a team of similar talent, at home, where we should win against such teams.

On the bright side, think of all the tape that Brooks will have to show to illustrate what not to do. The problem is, he will be showing most of it to his coaching staff.

In the Rearview Mirror: Kentucky at South Carolina

Truzenzuzex — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:55:55 -0000

More photos » by Mary Ann Chastain - AP

According to reports, Mike Hartline will be out for the season.

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Well, it happens most years to Kentucky, and it has happened again this year -- a major injury to a player will define the season, one way or the other. WHAS11 is reporting that Mike Hartline will be out for the season. Some are suspecting an MCL tear, but I can almost promise you one or both of the cruciate ligaments, the ACL or the PCL, are torn. Knees are not designed to move the way Hartline's moved. The MCL could also be damaged, but unlike the ACL or PCL, the MCL has a blood supply that allows it to heal without surgery, and heal even faster with it.

But this isn't an anatomy lesson, this is football commentary. Losing Hartline, according to Corey Peters, will make some fans happy, but I'm quite certain nobody is happy he was injured. It does not make me happy. Mike Hartline might not have been the kind of quality SEC quarterback a team needs for success in this league, but he was by no means lousy, and he was showing all his doubters, including me, just how good he could be yesterday. Unfortunately, football is among the cruelest of all college sports, and this is another example of just how mercilessly cruel it can be.

With perfect 20/20 hindsight, we can see clearly a number of missed opportunities Kentucky had to either win or put the game into overtime which were blown either by the players or the coaching staff. This loss was, as most are, a team effort, and the entire team lost this football game by making one too many mistakes.

So for the record, let's recount why Kentucky lost this game:

Inability to guard Alshon Jeffery --Gamecocks burn Cats' young corners
"It was a learning experience, and the thing we can build upon is that they were in great position," UK defensive coordinator Steve Brown said. "It's not like they were beat. Now we just have to teach them to look for the ball and have the confidence to try and make a play."

Yeah, Brown's right. It isn't as though the missed an assignment, or fell down, or were ten yards behind. They just didn't make the play, mostly because they did not know where the ball was until it was too late.
The Gamecocks planned to pick on UK's young cornerbacks --Gamecocks get Cats once again - Sports - The Sun News
Kentucky was without both of its starting corners, including All-American candidate Trevard Lindley, because of injuries. Garcia said the plan was to go after their replacements - sophomore Randall Burden and freshman Martavius Neloms, making his first career start. "We've been practicing all week, throwing fade routes and quick slants," Garcia said. "It worked out pretty well."

You have to give South Carolina props for doing exactly the right thing at the right time. The touchdowns to Jeffrey were no accident -- they were practiced.
The fake field goal gone wrong -- Wildcats lose QB, game " Evansville Courier & Press
"That fake field goal was a dumb call by me," Brooks said.

Indeed it was, coach. 'Nuff said.
Despite gashing the Gamecocks defense on the ground and through the air, UK had too many drives stall outside the red zone, and penalties that killed the drives.

Column: Mistakes cause disappointment week in and out for Cats | The Kentucky Kernel
Because that’s what UK always does. They challenge South Carolina and play them close every year. Every year they lose. It’s always something.

But usually, it’s because UK always causes that something. Sure, not having Hartline hurt, but was it the difference in the game? Not when UK showed it could still march down the field and score without him.
Despite the fact Randall Cobb moved Kentucky all the way down the field for their last touchdown, for some reason, Phillips decided he would rather have his second-string quarterback throw the football for the two-point conversion than let Cobb use his amazing, multiple skill set that piled up 229 all purpose yards.

I don't know about you, but I'm calling that a mistake. I'll even call it an inexplicably foolish one.
Two dropped touchdown passes, one by Cobb and one by T.C. Drake. Okay, I'll cop to the argument that the pass to Drake was not that great, and it would have been a really good catch. But it was plenty catchable, and against SEC teams on the road, you have to make those.

The Cobb drop was not really forgivable. It hit him right in the hands, and he just dropped the football. So as well as Cobb played, we see that he is mortal, after all.
Two huge special teams faux pas put South Carolina in scoring position.
The five-yard punt by Tydlacka really hurt us, and at a very bad time. It wound up in the end zone.

There were more, obviously. Corey Peters was out of position on a play that allowed a USC touchdown, several costly penalties, and more.

Despite all this, UK played well enough to win, and showed it could move the ball on almost any defense. It showed that last week versus Alabama also, so I think there is no real doubt that UK can score on almost anyone in this league. What UK has not proved it can do is play a mostly error-free game, and a team like Kentucky simply has to do that, because we are almost always going to suffer from a talent deficit, and even though the talent gap is much less against a team like South Carolina than a team like Alabama or Florida, it is still a factor.

But we can't just look at the bad. Kentucky played perhaps their most complete game of the season on both sides of the ball, despite the loss. The loss of three critical starters was surely a major factor in this game, and in spite of that, but for some inexplicable mistakes, Kentucky still would have likely won this game. If only one of the two dropped passes had been secured and everything else remained the same, the cats would have won.

Defensively, Kentucky did a solid job against the USC running game for three quarters. It's hard to sustain that all game, particularly with all the three-and-outs UK began suffering in the middle of the game, tiring the defense and opening up the run a little bit for the Gamecocks. The UK D-line got really good pressure on Garcia, and sacked him three times. The offensive line opened up holes for Locke, who seemingly couldn't stand up yesterday and tripped over his own feet half a dozen times. Still, he stumbled his way to 155 all-purpose yards. But even that pales compared to Randall Cobb's great game -- 229 all-purpose yards, all but 55 of them coming on the ground.

The loss of Hartline for the year (trust me, it will happen) is a big problem. It places UK pretty much back in the spot we were in last year when Cobb went down with injury -- without our best on offense. Will Fidler may step up and impress, and I am not ruling that out. I am not ruling out Morgan Newton, who seems to be the only other QB ready to take a snap, rising up from his freshman status to lead us to victory should Fidler falter. What I am saying is that history is against the likelihood of either scenario. More likely, UK will simply suffer offensively.

So now, it's on to Auburn Tigers. This game is past, and we must now go down to Jordan-Hare Stadium to face an angry Tiger team that is smarting from an emasculation in Fayetteville this past weekend.

Oh, goody.

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)

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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.

Kentucky Wildcats: Time to Get Back to Football

Truzenzuzex — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:15:21 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

DeQuin Evans misses Jarmon. So do we all.

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While the Rick Pitino affair has been interesting and fun to debate, I figure it's time for us to get back to the business of talking about the Kentucky Wildcats of today, not of yesteryear. Particularly, I think it's time to check in with the football team and see how things are shaping up. A lot of this news might have been missed in the recent fusillade of posts about Pitino and Sypher.

First off, we begin with a couple of suspensions. Senior center Jorge Gonzales has been suspended for the first game for the infamous, "violation of team rules." Sophomore receiver Aaron Boyd was also suspended, but his case was apparently more serious, as Brook suspended him from all football activity for one week, again for an undisclosed team rules violation. This is much more serious for Boyd, as this is the point at which players get to make an impression on the coaching staff. Not only will Boyd miss that, but he will miss all the information and instruction that goes along with it.

Alfonso Smith has a gimpy wheel and has missed a couple of practices, as does one of his backups, CoShik Williams the walk-on. T.C. Drake has a groin pull that will keep him out until next week. Offensive lineman Jake Lanefski has also torn some knee cartilage that will keep him out for about 3 weeks after surgery. That is a blow to our offensive line depth, but hopefully he'll be back in time for the Louisville game, at least.

That's the negative side, but there is some good news to report after the jump:

Larry Vaught is reporting that freshmen Qua Huzzie and Ridge Wilson are ahead of the curve, according to linebacker coach Chuck Smith:

Huzzie and Wilson are kind of separating by the way they are picking up the system. The other two are going to be good players, but they are having a little more difficult time picking it up."

Smith did not rule out Huzzie and Wilson getting some time as freshmen, which is a very encouraging thing. Other Wildcats who have seen time as true freshmen at the linebacker spot include Wesely Woodyard, Micah Johnson, and Danny Trevathan.

It also looks like our receiving corps will be much improved this year. Chris Matthews and the redoubtable Randall Cobb have both been impressing early, but Brooks has had good things to say also about Gene McCaskill, Kyrus Lanxter, La'Rod King, E.J. Fields, and Matt Roark. That is big news to me, as our receiver youth was a huge reason why the Wildcat offense was ineffective last year, along with the lack of a vertical game from Hartline.

Matt Lentz is also coming into this year in much better shape with significantly improved numbers in the weight room and a better handle on what he can do to help the team:

Wasn’t it hard to give up playing a marquee spot to go to defense?

"A little bit, but not really. It was best for the team. We have good quarterbacks now, and they didn’t need me there. I can help more at safety and play special teams. I have to be a team player because that’s not only best for the team, but it is also best for me," he said.

This is a young man who is really becoming a team player, and I expect to see a lot of him in the defensive backfield this year. He has some really big shoes to fill with Marcus McClinton having graduated. Junior college transfer DeQuin Evans, who plays defensive end, is also missing another Wildcat who has moved on -- Jeremy Jarmon:

"I hated it when I heard the news about Jeremy Jarmon. I know not everybody will believe this, but I wanted to learn from the best," said Evans, who has been limited in practice so far because of a pulled hamstring. "I knew he gave me that chance.

Here's hoping that Evans and the other players at the spot can find a way to fill in for Jarmon by committee, because it will be very hard to fill those shoes.

Finally, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has a preview of the Louisville Cardinals, our rival and second game opponents. Here is the summary:

OUTLOOK: When asked about his quarterback situation, Kragthorpe said, "Its fun. You're evaluating guys every day."

Let's see how much fun he is having when the season begins. The schedule is awfully tough this season, including non-conference road trips to both Kentucky and Utah in the month of September. Kragthorpe simply doesn't have the horses to beat good teams, especially on the road. This very well could be the final year of a failed experiment with Kragthorpe.

Ouch.

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: Setting a New Standard

Ken Howlett — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:30:29 -0000

More photos » by Butch Dill - AP

Kentucky football head coach Rich Brooks believes he has reasons to smile.

Browse more photos »

This is the first in a series of 10 posts which will examine, position by position, the 2009 Kentucky football team. But, first, an introduction to the season.

In last year's preseason examination of the 2008 football squad, I wrote about the opportunity presented to that team to change the culture of Kentucky football. And even though the team experienced season-ending injuries to key personnel, and was much-maligned by the press and fans alike, they seized the opportunity, and claimed it as their own. By posting a winning record for the third consecutive season, along with winning the third of three straight bowl games, the 2008 UK squad accomplished a feat never before achieved by a Wildcat team. And Kentucky has been playing football since 1881.

In 2009, Rich Brooks and Company seem primed to take the next requisite step up the SEC food-chain. It's a step not easily attained, for it's fraught with Gators, Gamecocks, Bulldogs, and the ever-irritating Vols. But in order for Kentucky to continue on the upward arc of respectability, the step simply must be conquered.

Coach Brooks confronted the next step concept head-on at SEC Media Days:

"We've changed some history at Kentucky, we have to change some more. That would be beating some of the teams in our league that we've struggled to beat over a number of years. And we're a lot more capable of having that happen now than we were three or four years ago."

"We've had success against a few teams, but we have to continue to build on that and beat more of 'em, because our goal obviously is to be a factor and have a chance to win the SEC East. 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. Now, you know, we need to climb the ladder. This is not good enough. Going to bowl games and winning them isn't good enough. We need to compete for the SEC championship."

"Compete for the SEC Championship;" yes, that's what Papa Brooks said.

Competing for an SEC championship, in most years, equates to competing for a national championship. And that truism may never be more relevant than this year, considering SEC East rival Florida is the universe's selection as the preseason No.1 team in all the land.

But, I must applaud the coach for his attitude. For without a leader focused on that which is attainable, making history, and winning championships, are unattainable. The Kentucky football program, under Rich Brooks' passionate, positive leadership has accomplished that which very few thought possible. So no, this fan doesn't begrudge the coach for reaching high to grasp the stars that have yet to shine on the Bluegrass.

Speaking of reaching for the heavens, Brooks put it like this:

"You're reaching for a higher star, obviously, in trying to be a team that competes for an SEC championship. When you get to a certain level it's a lost easier to get to that next level, and I think that's where we are."

The next level ... the next step ... climbing the ladder ... Reaching the plateau where the serious pliers of pigskin excellence congregate demands that UK accomplish that which, for decades, seemed improbable.

Our sage coach realizes in order for stars to be lassoed, and championships competed for, Kentucky must beat (not compete with) a series of division bad-guys the boys in blue have rarely bested. Although UK boasts a three-year running record of 23-16, its SEC mark in the same time-span is merely 9-15. The perpetrators responsible for UK's less than stellar SEC record in that time are Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The not-so-attractive numbers look like this (brace yourself): UK - 1 Bad Guys - 11.

Sometimes statistics are party-poopers extraordinaire, but can shed light on ones shortcomings. Brooks knows:

"I think, realistically, we SHOULD (emphasis mine) beat some teams we haven't beaten in awhile, and we better beat some teams that we haven't beaten in awhile, because there's a lot of them on our schedule."

"... teams that we haven't beaten in a while ..." To the aforementioned East bandits, add Alabama and Auburn. Both UK foes in 2009: The Tide's record versus UK is 34-2-1; Auburn holds a 24-5-1 mark against the Wildcats, and have won 15 in a row dating back to 1967.

Just so we're clear: UK must play four SEC East competitors against which they are 1-11 over the last three years, as well as two SEC West teams that hold a combined 7-58-2 all-time record against the 'Cats. Now we see why most college football prognosticators are giving long odds on UK's chances of winning north of five games.

But, laughing at long odds is Brooks' specialty, and the need to overcome feeds Brooks' fire. Just take a gander at the circumstances he has beat-down over the last three years. Circumstances he's overcome which have enabled him, today, to be in a position to talk about taking steps, and "reaching for a higher star:"

In 2006, UK sat at 3-4 after a 49-0 drubbing at the hands of LSU. His team, also having lost to Louisville by 31 points, was at a crossroads. His career at UK was stopped at the same crossroads, blinker on, ready to turn for home and the rocking chair. But no, not yet. Brooks rallied his charges in the face of dire circumstances, finishing the season 5-1, with one of those victories coming over Georgia, a team UK had lost to in 14 of its last 15 meetings.
In 2007, after losing an ugly, mistake-filled game against South Carolina 38-23, Brooks refused to allow his team to wallow in the misery caused by falling to a team they should have beaten. For coming to town was the No.1 team in the country, the LSU Tigers. And in what may be the preeminent moment in UK football history, the 'Cats coaxed unlikely victory into paying a visit to Commonwealth Stadium, even though victory visiting was the longest of shots.
In 2008, after losing his probable starting quarterback (Curtis Pulley), his All-SEC caliber receiver (Dicky Lyons), his star tailback (Derrick Locke), and his most explosive performer (Randall Cobb), Brooks once again magically propelled his offensively-challenged team to another winning season, and a UK record-setting third bowl win in a row.

Of course I've not even mentioned the fact that Brooks, upon arriving at UK in 2003, inherited a roster depleted by probation, and ravaged by attrition. And over the course of his first three years, facing overwhelming media and fan disillusionment, his steely fortitude enabled him to persevere and execute his program-saving game-plan. So far be it for me to sit here at my keyboard, in air-conditioned comfort, and question a warrior's optimistic outlook.

So from Brooks' mouth, to your screen, comes additional thoughts from the coach on why he believes the 2009 'Cats will break down barriers, and tug at Orion's Belt:

"I think that this years Kentucky football team, going into the season, is going to be a better team than I had going into last season. The reasons I feel that way, is I believe our offense will be much more productive, which it needs to be, because we were not very good a year ago. (Quarterback) Mike Hartline should show marked improvement, and I believe he will. All I have to do is think back three years ago, Andre' Woodson's sophomore season, what he accomplished his junior season, and it was significantly improved. I think Mike Hartline will see a lot of that same type of improvement. The people around Mike Hartline will be more experienced and better, as well. I mean, we played five freshmen receivers last year. (Hartline's) understanding of the offense will be greater, and his accuracy I think will improve along with that experience."

On sophomore Randall Cobb and some of the other performers on offense, Brooks had this to say -- "(Randall Cobb) will be a receiver most of the time and we'll have a package for him in our Wildcat formation in the backfield. He has exciting play-making ability. He can run it. He can catch it. He can return it. He can throw it. We have our players; Kyrus Lanxter came on and had a good bowl game. Gene McCaskill came on and had a good bowl game in our win over East Carolina at the Liberty Bowl. We have a young man by the name of Chris Matthews out of junior college who caught 86 balls, who's 6'6", 210, and runs in the 4.4's (in the forty-yard dash). I think the experience at tight end with T.C. Drake, Maurice Grinter, and Ross Bogue returning; all of those guys are going to be better than they were a year ago. And Mike's ability to get the ball to them will be enhanced because of their experience, as well as his own improvement."

Speaking about the defensive side of the ball, coach Brooks said: "Defensively, we lost some very good players, but the great news is winning three bowl games in a row, we've established (through recruiting) some depth and better SEC-ready talent. And we have some young people that I think are going to be impact players for us on the defensive side. And I do not see us slipping on the defensive side, (just) because we lost some good players."

In any sport, a vital part of being a successful coach is displaying a positive outlook to ones team. But even more important, having an established track-record which solidifies ones optimistic mind-set is key to selling ones team, and fan-base, on realizing the dreams and aspirations of all involved. Coach Brooks possesses such credibility.

Even though for many fans the expectations for the upcoming season are tempered due to UK's rigorous SEC slate, I have to believe. I have to believe because Brooks leaves me no choice. I have to believe, because I believe in Brooks. I believe, before he takes his final bow as UK coach (presumably in the next two years), that he will fulfill the promise demonstrated by his previous accomplishments. I believe he's the man to take UK to the next level ... the next step ... and to climb the ladder skyward toward the stars that he will someday grasp.

Thanks for reading and Go 'Cats!

It's Raining Donations - Buff Bites

irish1611 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:47:51 -0000

Former Buff, TE Ryan Wallace, Set to Transfer to Kentucky | KentuckySports.com
Ryan Wallace has decided to transfer to the Kentucky Wildcats. If you remember correctly, Wallace and Josh Smith's transfer were announced on the same day. While Smith's transfer has been much publicized due to the University blocking his plight to everywhere except the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins, Wallace was able to transfer to Kentucky:

Tight end Ryan Wallace, a former All-State player from Bowling Green High, is transferring to the University of Kentucky. Wallace spent his freshman season redshirting at the University of Colorado before leaving after the spring semester. He was in Lexington on Wednesday to meet with the coaching staff and applied for admission to UK. Wallace is expected to walk-on in 2009 and receive a scholarship in 2010. He will have three years of eligibility remaining after he sits out this season as a transfer. Wallace was a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com and performed mainly on the scout team during his only year at Colorado. Wallace's father, Kevin, who coached him at Bowling Green, said homesickness was the primary reason for his son's decision to leave Boulder. Wallace's grandfather passed away this past Thanksgiving. "Things happened personally within our family that had an impact on him, and he welcomes the opportunity to get closer to home."

Wallace also considered Western Kentucky but ultimately decided UK was the best fit. The Cats' top three tight ends, T.C. Drake, Ross Bogue and Maurice Grinter, are all seniors, which would give Wallace a chance to learn the system during his transfer year and compete for the starting job in 2010.

"The potential is there for me to get early playing time, and the fact that's it the SEC didn't hurt,"

Wallace said of his decision to attend UK.

"It's far enough that I can be myself, but close enough that my family can come watch me play." The 6-foot-5 Wallace said he gained 30 pounds during his redshirt year at Colorado and is now up to 245. He will report to UK in August and can began practicing immediately.

More cash comes CU's way : Top Stories : Boulder Daily Camera
Just a few weeks after the University said they were delaying the $10 million practice facility construction for basketball and volleyball, the athletic department has received a sum of $5.36 million in donations from three parties in the last few days. On Friday, we learned about Louise Bennett Reed donating $4.75 million to fund athletic scholarships. Today, two more gracious parties donated a total of $610,000 to the athletic department for various projects:

Colorado's energetic athletic director was even more atingle than normal on Tuesday while announcing that the department had recently received two private donations totaling $610,000. One of the gifts, an anonymous donation of $360,000, was given so the football offices in the Dal Ward Center would be renamed the Eddie Crowder Football Operations Complex in honor of the legendary CU football coach and athletic director who died last year. The funds also allowed the athletic department to immediately replace the 18-year-old floor in the Dal Ward Center weight room with a rubber tile sports performance floor. Installation of the new floor was already underway on Tuesday. The second gift, a donation of $250,000 from John and Debbie Raeder, was given in support of the student-athlete academic center in the Dal Ward Center, which is now named for the Raeder family.

Thanks to those three parties for their donations. In the arms race that is college athletics, donations like this are extremely important considering the Buffs are on the lower side of athletic budgets. Go Buffs!

K-State improvements on hold | CJOnline.com
The economy has also affected other Big 12 schools from going forward with their plans to improve facilities. Kansas State has put a halt on their $70 million facilities project.

There won't be quite as many NCAA handbooks and high school coaching directories lying around Kansas State's athletic department this year. That was one cost-cutting measure cited by new athletic director John Currie at an open forum for K-State faculty and students Monday. But for most Wildcat fans, the more significant revelation involves K-State's $70 million facilities project, which Currie said has been shelved pending further evaluation.

Early College Football Betting Lines | Barking Carnival
The Barking Carnival, a Texas blog, claims to have some early football lines from the Golden Nugget. Right now, according to the Barking Carnival, the Buffs are 13 point favorites over Colorado State and 6 point dogs to Nebraska. Again, I haven't seen it published anywhere else.

Baker's Dozen: Q&A with Colorado head basketball coach Jeff Bzdelik
Coach Bzdelik sat down with the Examiner to answer questions about his favorite food, superstitions, alternative jobs, hobbies, etc.

Fulton qualifies for worlds - The Denver Post
The Colorado Buffaloes will not be playing the Air Force Falcons basketball this upcoming season:

Air Force men's basketball coach Jeff Reynolds said Tuesday his team's 2009-10 nonconference schedule is close to completion. Reynolds declined to reveal any opponents because "we don't have any contracts back." But he confirmed one team that won't be on the schedule — Colorado.

"I've had some dialogue with (CU) coach (Jeff) Bzdelik about it," Reynolds said. "Nothing's really changed from our standpoint, and that's pretty much where it is." Reynolds, a former Bzdelik assistant, said he didn't want to play a Bzdelik-coached team again (the teams met in 2007) because they are best friends.

Huskers to Wear Throwback Uniforms against Louisiana Lafayette - Corn Nation

Hinder in passing lane at QB camp - The Denver Post

One of the most highly recruited players in the country at his position, the 6-foot-4, 182-pound Hinder has been selected for a quarterback challenge under tutelage involving Hall of Famer Joe Montana. At the Steve Clarkson Academy, Hinder will be one of the "Super Seven" competing Thursday through Saturday, along with other top-flight high school quarterbacks including Montana's son, Nick, who has pledged to attend the University of Washington.

The drills will be filmed for a potential reality series that will search for the next great quarterback. Clarkson, who has mentored Joe Montana, Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Leinart, Gino Torretta and Matt Cassel, among others, will be on the field for the challenge.

UK Football: Spring Practice Wrap-Up -- The Receivers

Ken Howlett — Tue, 19 May 2009 08:06:41 -0000

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

For most Kentucky football fans, the '08 season was filled with frustrations -- Frustration with the quarterback situation, frustration with injuries, and finally, frustration with the receivers inability to catch the ball.

Whether one receivers "dropsies" were contagious, or if the group of young wide-outs were overly anxious to execute the catch-and-run, the sad fact is that many times they forgot the initial phase of the operation, which is to "catch."

Most blame the youth of the 2008 receiving corps as the primary culprit for their collective misdeeds, and if that is indeed the case, hopefully, for the sanity of UK fans and the sanctity of the program, we'll witness a maturity upgrade in the '09 season.

UK's 2008 Receiver Numbers

Points Per Game -- 22.6

First Downs Receiving -- 98

Average Yards Per Reception -- 9.8

Average Yards Per WR Reception -- 9.7

Average Yards Per TE Reception -- 15.0

Wide Receiver Touchdowns -- 6

Tight End Touchdowns -- 2

The Receivers

Players lost to graduation/injury: Dicky Lyons, Jr -- Lyons played in only six games before injuring his knee. He caught 33 passes for 264 yards (8.0 yards per catch), and two touchdowns. DeMoreo Ford played in seven games before sustaining a career-ending injury. He caught three passes for 56 yards (18.7 ypc), and one touchdown.

Returning players of note: Randall Cobb 5-11, 190 lb sophomore -- 21 catches for 197 yards (9.4 ypc), and two touchdowns. Kyrus Lanxter 6-2, 195 lb junior -- 23 catches for 196 yards (8.5 ypc), and one touchdown. Gene McCaskill 6-0, 175 lb sophomore -- 15 catches for 182 yards (12.1 ypc). E.J. Adams 6-0, 200 lb senior -- 14 catches for 180 yards (12.9 ypc). E. J. Fields 6-2, 190 lb sophomore -- No receptions last year (converted defensive back). Eric Adeyemi 6-0, 170 lb sophomore -- 13 catches for 108 yards (8.3 ypc). Aaron Boyd 6-3, 210 lb sophomore -- Five catches for 46 yards (9.2 ypc). Matt Roark 6-6, 200 lb sophomore -- One catch for 16 yards. Nick Melillo 6-2, 215 lb junior -- No receptions last year (walk-on).

Everybody; the fans, the coaching staff, and the media, knew going into the 2008 football season that the receiver position was a huge question mark for the Kentucky football team. After losing Steve Johnson, Keenan Burton and Jacob Tamme to graduation, the 'Cats were left with only two experienced receivers (Dicky Lyons, Jr and DeMoreo Ford), and a host of freshman and sophomore talent that had caught nary a pass, much less tasted the end zone.

Unfortunately, Lyons suffered a season-ending injury in the sixth game of the year versus South Carolina, and Ford never was fully healthy (knee), playing in only seven games, and eventually calling it a career after suffering a concussion versus Mississippi State on November 1, 2008 (doctors advised Ford to give up football). Adding to the misery was Aaron Boyd's (the highest rated UK receiver recruit in recent memory) fall fight with mononucleosis, which stole all-important practice repetitions away from the talented receiver, and ultimately led to his meager production.

What head coach Rich Brooks was left with was a receiver corps apt to drop passes, apt to run the wrong routes, and apt to run before making the catch.

A receiving corps, that at the end of spring practice, had Rich Brooks singing the praises of walk-on Nick Melillo, a Trinity High School grad, who had four catches for 43 yards and two touchdowns in the Blue-White Game:

"He's going to move ahead of some scholarship players. Right now he deserves a better look, and he deserves to move up the depth chart."

Joker Phillips also loves the kid Melillo:

"He's 100 mile per hour on every play. I told him he needed to gain weight and he could possibly be a guy like Jacob (Tamme). He comes back and he's gained 15, 20 pounds in the off-season. He does everything you ask him. He's a coach's dream. He's a tough kid."

Sounds like "Rudy" with talent.

If I were anyone other than Randall Cobb, I would be looking in the rear-view mirror, because everybody's job is up for grabs.

Brooks even took a stab at his receiving corps, disguised as praise for Cobb:

"He reminded me of Dicky Lyons. He made a one-handed grab that was behind him, and got it and gained extra yards. Those are the plays we need our receivers to make from time to time."

He's right about Cobb; he can be very special, but he needs help.

Similar to last season, the question in '09 is; who will take the pressure off Cobb? Who will emerge as a legitimate receiving threat, so Cobb won't have to endure double and triple-coverage all night, as Dicky Lyons did last year.

As of now, the top candidates are: Kyrus Lanxter, Gene McCaskill, and Eric Adeyemi. All are blessed with tremendous speed (along with Cobb, possibly the fleetest group of wide-outs in UK history), and the talent to out-maneuver their secondary counterparts. But, will they catch the ball? Will they demand an honest secondary?

I wish I had the answer.

In the late spring, however, Phillips had some complimentary words for at least two Wildcat receivers:

"Gene McCaskill continues to get better. I think he's got a chance to help us. I've got to get E.J. Fields coming because he's got a great body and great speed and he's got to help us. We've got to continue to get him better."

How the receivers perform this season will determine just how effective UK's offense will be. And if they continue down their current path, UK will be (to borrow a hardwood phrase) easy to guard. The opposing D-coordinators will have an elementary game-plan to put together -- "Spy" Cobb, and close hard on (Derrick) Locke and (Alfonso) Smith.

Maddening in all of this chaos, is the fact that all of UK's receivers are blessed with serious break-away speed; they can all gain separation on their defenders; and they all possess the physical tools of the trade. But, they must conquer the three mental aspects of the game -- Concentration, execution, and CONCENTRATION.

Freshman Receivers of Note

Chris Matthews 6-5 , 210 lbs -- The Los Angeles Harbor College transfer has two seasons of eligibility remaining, and he is expected to contribute right away. He's a Rivals 4-star recruit, and one of the top-10 JUCO prospects in the nation. Last year Matthews caught 80 passes for 1,235 yards and 11 touchdowns in only nine games. He runs a 4.5-40, and will push Kyrus Lanxter, Gene McCaskill, and Eric Adeyemi for playing time. He attended Dorsey High School, in Los Angeles.

Brian Adams 6-4, 210 lbs -- The Gainesville, Georgia native runs a 4.4-40, and will get a look at the receiver spot, as well as a possible punt returner. Adams is a 3-star recruit who played quarterback in high school.

North Hardin's LaRod King (6-6, 190 lbs) will also have the opportunity to earn some playing time in '09. He's a Rivals and Scout 3-star recruit who displayed his versatility in high school by playing quarterback, receiver, tight end, safety, and on special teams. Justin Bean (6-2, 180 lbs), a Tupelo, Mississippi product, is another freshman who will get a look at the wide-out spot. He's a 2-star recruit who caught 35 passes for 753 yards and six touchdowns in his senior season.

The Tight Ends

Players lost to graduation: Zero.

Returning players of note: Maurice Grinter 6-3, 260 lb senior -- 12 catches for 162 yards (13.5 ypc) and two touchdowns. T. C. Drake 6-6, 235 lb senior -- 12 catches for 204 yards (17.0 ypc). Ross Bogue 6-5, 250 lb senior -- One catch for eight yards.

The tight ends represent Kentucky's most solid offensive position on the field. UK returns experience, talent, athleticism, and depth at a position I thought was the most underused on the field last season.

Grinter, Drake, and Bogue all possess soft hands, and nimble feet. They provide the quarterback with a large target area, and an ability to make yards after the catch. While all three are terrific down-field blockers, I would like to see the trio thrown toward much more often.

Bogue came out of the spring No. 1 on the depth chart, but I expect Grinter to eventually win the job.

*T.C. Drake underwent successful sports hernia surgery earlier in the spring, but is expected to be a full strength by fall camp.

CliffsNotes Analysis

Randall Cobb is a stud, we all know that, but it will take more than Cobb's considerable talents to win football games in the SEC. That's just one more reason I would like to see UK's talented trio of tight ends utilized more effectively. With the receiving corps still posing a huge question mark, Grinter and company are answers, sitting there, unused.

Because of this (an unstable group of receivers), I foresee a major battle at the wide-out position this fall. Possibly coming out victorious in one of those battles with be JUCO transfer Chris Matthews. He has an excellent chance to earn a starting nod over one of the returning receivers, because of his demonstrable ability to catch the ball, while possessing the same speed numbers as his teammates. While it took UK's last JUCO receiver, the ultra-talented Steve Johnson, a full year to make an impact, Matthews isn't competing with Keenan Burton and Dicky Lyons for playing time. I look for this JUCO to receive serious consideration for meaningful game action.

Frankfort High product, and converted cornerback E.J. Fields also provides an interesting option for "head coach of the offense," Joker Phillips. Fields is sure-handed and as athletic as anyone on the offensive side of the ball. And, the fact that he was asked to make the switch to a very crowded position tells me that the coaches like his chances of seeing the field.

But, regardless of which player, or players, cut to the front of the line, it should be an interesting fall camp as it pertains to the receiver slot. Lots of competition, and lots of eyeballs monitoring the progress of that competition.

The bottom line, though, is simple -- They have to be better, much better than they were last year, if UK hopes to continue the upward tic that they have carved out over the last three years.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats!

UK vs. Arkansas: For the 'Cats, as "must win" as it gets

Ken Howlett — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 09:38:17 -0000

With Arkansas riding high off of their 25-22 upset road win over Auburn, UK is once again catching an opponent feeling good about themselves (South Carolina had just won in Oxford). Victories like that tend to build confidence and team unity, especially in a team as young as Arkansas. Will Bobby Petrino's squad continue to improve, or was the Auburn victory more of a showcase for all that is wrong on the plains of Tubber-ville? I know that Bobby Petrino will have his group ready to play, so UK better bring the good stuff if they harbor any hopes at all of reaching six or seven wins.

Razorback Personnel

Quarterback Casey Dick: 6'2", 215 lb senior -- On the year Dick is 115-197 through the air for 1,411 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has started all six Arkansas games. Last year Dick started all 13 games and was 150-262 for 1,695 yards, with 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Running back Michael Smith: 5'7", 173 lb junior -- Smith has 109 rushes for 599 yards, which is good for a 5.5 yards per carry average. He leads the SEC with 119.8 yards per game and he has ran for four touchdowns. Of course last year Smith played behind Darren McFadden and Felix Jones (both future NFL superstars), so he only garnered 46 carries for 303 yards (6.6 yards per carry) and three touchdowns.

Tight end D.J. Williams: 6'2", 250 lb sophomore -- Williams has made 28 catches for 315 yards (11.2 yards per catch) and two touchdowns (all three totals lead the team). He was selected to the All-SEC Freshman first team last year after making five catches for 94 yards.

Wide receiver Joe Adams: 6'0", 175 lb freshman -- The true freshman is second on the team with 22 receptions for 285 yards (13.0 yards per catch) and one touchdown. The multi-talented athlete is a converted cornerback. He was ranked the #12 best cornerback prospect in the country by Rivals, and the #2 overall prospect in the state of Arkansas. He's started in five of six games this year.

Wide receiver London Crawford: 6'2", 200 lb junior -- Smith has 15 catches for 163 yards (10.9 yards per catch). Last year he started the first six games at split end, making eight catches for 147 yards and a touchdown. He missed the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Wide receiver Greg Childs: 6'4", 205 lb freshman -- Childs has made 12 catches for 171 yards (14.2 yards per catch) and one touchdown. Another true freshman, the receiver was the #9 ranked recruit in Arkansas, and was the #72 rated receiver prospect nationally.

Defensive end Adrian Davis: 6'4", 238 lb junior -- Davis is second on the team with 35 tackles. He has also recorded three sacks (all versus Auburn), five tackles for loss and one interception. In '07 Davis made 65 tackles (10 tackles for loss), two interceptions and three sacks.

Linebacker Jerry Franklin: 6'2", 229 lb redshirt freshman -- Franklin leads the Hogs with 48 tackles. He also has 2.5 tackles for loss, and one interception. Franklin is another conversion; he was the #38 rated safety prospect according to Rivals and the overall #8 prospect in Arkansas.

Cornerback Jamar Love: 6'1", 197 lb senior -- Love has recorded seven pass-breakups, which is impressive considering the Hogs have only had to face 161 thrown passes by their opponents. He is experienced, having played in all 13 games last year ( 22 tackles and four pass break-ups).

Arkansas Related Statistics

Arkansas scores only 18.7 points per game, while giving up 35.3.
Arkansas averages 3.8 yards per rush, while giving up 4.8 yards per carry.
Arkansas has turned the ball over 14 times (five fumbles and nine interceptions), compared to only six takeaways (five interceptions and one fumble recovery). The 'Backs have had 10 opportunities to recover fumbles but gathered in only the one.
Arkansas quarterbacks have been sacked 21 times.
Arkansas has been outscored 48-3 in the fourth quarter.
Arkansas averages 362.8 total yards per game, but they give up 355.5 yards per game.
Arkansas is 13-16 (11 touchdowns) in red zone scoring opportunities. Their opponents are 18-22 (14 touchdowns) in the red zone.
Opponents are converting 41% of their third downs against Arkansas.
Arkansas opponents are averaging 183 yards rushing versus the Razorbacks.
Alabama running back Glen Coffee ran for 162 yards versus Arkansas ('Bama had 328 total rushing yards). By way of comparison, Coffee ran for 218 yards on 25 carries versus UK, and Alabama had 282 total rushing yards.
The University of Texas recorded seven sacks versus the Razorbacks.

The Razorback Schedule

Arkansas has defeated Division I-AA Western Illinois 28-24, Sun Belt member La.-Monroe 28-27, and Auburn 25-22. They've lost to #9 Alabama 49-14, #7 Texas 52-10, and #12 Florida 38-7.

Which one of these doesn't belong? Think Sesame Street.

Never have I been so surprised than to see Arkansas beat Auburn, on the road. Their other five games are rather uneventful; the 'Backs were soundly defeated by the big boys, and they beat a couple of teams that they should have, but sticking out like P Pat's new coif is the Auburn game. We all know that the Tigers have had trouble scoring, so much so, that they ('they' being Tommy Tuberville) fired new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin after only five games. To say that things are in disarray in Dixie would be an understatement.

A closer look at the Arkansas vs. Auburn game revealed a few revelations of note:

Auburn couldn't run the ball -- The Tigers ran for only 56 yards, which was good for only a 1.7 yards per carry average.
Arkansas could run the ball -- Tailback Michael Smith had a career day; rushing 35 time for 176 yards and a score. As a team the Razorbacks ran for 188 yards (4.3 yards per carry).
Since Auburn couldn't run the ball, Arkansas controlled the clock -- The Razorbacks won the time of possession battle 35:02 to 24:58.
Auburn quarterbacks Kodi Burns and Chris Todd were atrocious -- The two combined to go 10-28 for 137 and three interceptions.
Auburn had their chances to put the game away, but failed to deliver -- The Tigers were only two of five in the red zone. In the three unsuccessful trips they threw an interception, turned the ball over on downs (they had the ball 1st and Goal from the five yard line), and missed a field goal.
Arkansas converted their third downs -- The 'Backs were 8-17 on their attempts, while Auburn, unable to run or throw, converted only 4-15.
Both teams turned the ball over three times.
Total offense=total domination -- Arkansas 416 yards, Auburn 193 yards.
Casey Dick was serviceable -- The Razorback signal-caller was 17-32 for 222 yards and two interceptions. Well, on second thought, 'serviceable,' is being kind.

UK and Arkansas -- An SEC Stat Comparison

Scoring -- UK averages 26.2 points per game (6th in the SEC), Arkansas averages 18.7 (10th).
Scoring Defense -- UK allows 10.5 points per game (1st), Arkansas gives up 35.3 points per game (12th).
Total offense -- UK gains 317 yards per game (8th), Arkansas gains 362.8 (6th).
Total defense -- UK holds opponents to 274.2 yards per game (5th), Arkansas gives up 355.5 yards per game (12th).
Rush offense -- UK averages 129.2 yards per game (8th), Arkansas averages 115.2 (11th).
Rush defense -- UK gives up 108.2 yards per game (6th), Arkansas gives up 183.0 yards per game (12th).
Pass offense -- UK throws for 187.8 yards per game (7th), Arkansas throws for 247.7 yards per game (2nd).
Pass defense -- UK gives up 166.0 yards through the air (4th), Arkansas gives up 172.7 yards per game (5th).
Kick-off returns -- UK averages 29.4 yards per return (1st), Arkansas averages 21.9 yards per return (8th).
Punt returns -- UK averages 11.5 on punt returns, Arkansas averages 5.7 yards per return (11th).
Kick-off coverage -- UK nets 46.4 yards per kick-off (2nd), Arkansas nets 36.8 yards per kick-off (12th).
Sacks against -- UK has allowed four sacks (1st), Arkansas has allowed 21 sacks (11th).
Opponents third down conversions -- UK allows a 29.3% conversion rate (4th), Arkansas allows a 41.0% conversion rate (11th).
Third down conversions -- UK converts 30.1% of their third downs (11th), Arkansas converts 39.8% of their third downs (7th).
Turnover margin -- UK is +7 (t2nd), Arkansas is - 8 (12th).

What Must Happen Offensively

Kentucky has to win this game. They just have to. But how ...

In order for UK to come out victorious Saturday night they must run the ball better than they have all year. With Tony Dixon out with an injury, Derrick Locke and Alfonso Smith will be receiving the bulk of the carries. Locke will also be on the receiving end of his fair share of passes, considering the loss of Dicky Lyons leaves him the leading receiver on the team (22 catches for 189 yards and one touchdown). But, the game-plan needs to be run, run, run. Because what happened last week can't happen again ...

Last week versus South Carolina, UK threw the ball twice as much as they ran the ball (44 passes, 22 rushes). That's a ratio designed for failure, and it has to change, pronto. I realize Brooks can't run if they aren't gaining positive yards, so Locke, Smith and Moncell Allen have to find what it is they have been looking for all year, and that might be ...

With the addition of Randall Cobb to the starting lineup (he'll play wide receiver), one can at least hope for a more productive vertical game (actually, the mere existence of a vertical game would be news we can use). His athleticism and evade-ability make him a very dangerous weapon when healthy. UK fans will be watching every cut and catch, waiting for him to break a long one for six. But if he doesn't, always remember this ...

Simply Cobb's presence on an every-down basis will quite possibly loosen up the defenses UK faces, because now the defense has a definite play-maker they must keep one eye on at all times. The offensive possibilities are limitless when a coach possesses a talent like Cobb, lets hope we witness a healthy number of those possibilities versus Arkansas. He's not only talented, he's a good teammate ...

Classy move; the freshman displayed real leadership with his decision to wear Dicky Lyons' #12 Saturday. Dicky, we all wish you well, and only the best.

Here's a quick look at the remaining UK receivers and their numbers:

Derrick Locke -- 22 catches for 189 yards, one touchdown.
Randall Cobb -- 11 catches for 84 yards.
T.C. Drake -- 8 catches for 121 yards.
Kyrus Lanxter (will not play versus Ark.) -- 7 catches for 89 yards.
Maurice Grinter (questionable) -- 7 catches for 76 yards, one touchdown.
E.J. Adams -- 6 catches for 59 yards.
Aaron Boyd (he may start versus Arkansas) -- 4 catches for 30 yards, and ZERO DROPS.
Eric Ademyemi -- 4 catches for 24 yards.
Gene McCaskill -- 3 catches for 27 yards.
DeMoreo Ford -- 1 catch for 48 yards and a touchdown.
Matt Roark -- 1 catch for 6 yards.

In case you're counting, that's six freshman (and only three touchdowns).

What Must Happen Defensively

UK cannot allow running back Michael Smith to have a big day on the ground. The 'Cats have already fallen victim to running backs Glen Coffee ('Bama) and Bobby Rainey (WKU). Smith going for more than a-buck-twenty-five will lesson UK's chances at winning this game, and as we all know this is a "must win" for the boys in blue. At only 5'7", perhaps a brain-rattling hit from Micah Johnson is what our Mr. Smith needs to readjust his goals for the day. How they do it is of no consequence to me (that sounds harsh), as long as UK doesn't allow Smith to do his best Barry Sanders impression.

Razorback quarterback Casey Dick is only average. If Kentucky can get pressure on him, the likelihood is high that somebody will make a play on the ball (if he throws Lindley's way I'll be surprised). He's apt to throw picks, and UK's secondary is one of the best he'll face this year. UK must capitalize.

This is a tough one to predict, but since it's a "must win" I'll go with UK - 23 Arkansas - 14.

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

Western Kentucky @ Kentucky: After Action Report

Truzenzuzex — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 17:43:44 -0000

The Hilltoppers of WKU and the Wildcats of UK went at it last night in Kentucky's last out-of-conference game of the season. The Toppers, and particularly Bobby Rainey, produced some spectacular runs that should give them hope for the future, and I was impressed by the clean football that my alma mater played, having only one penalty (a roughing the passer call that was pretty close). Western is going in the right direction, even though they currently lack the kind of size and athleticism on the lines to compete against a league like the SEC. Kudos to the Toppers for taking on all comers and playing hard, clean football.

It has been an article of faith among SEC football watchers that Kentucky needed to show some offensive competence during the easier out-of-conference schedule. Up until this game, they have demonstrated very little offensively. The offense was almost non-existent at Louisville, struggled to score against Norfolk State, and despite gaining significant yardage against MTSU, struggled mightily to score in the red zone.

Yesterday against Western Kentucky, Kentucky demonstrated some offensive prowess, particularly on the ground. Unfortunately, the luster of this fact was reduced by two factors that should give 'Cat fans pause -- That most of the yards were gained in the second half, and that every other BCS team who has played Western gained more yardage than UK. Mark Story looks at the "Glass half full, glass half empty" viewpoint of the WKU-UK game. It would be nice to be able to say that UK has an SEC-worthy offense going into battle against an Alabama team that drubbed the highly-ranked Georgia Bulldogs yesterday in their home stadium, but unfortunately, we cannot. UK looked competent against a lesser foe last night, but I doubt that performance against the relatively weak Hilltopper defense will cause any SEC defensive coordinators to lose sleep at the thought of playing the Wildcats.

Still, we have to grant that Hartline looked better than he has previously, and seems to be growing well into the position. He showed a strong arm in a couple of vertical attempts that, even though they didn't connect, looked very respectable in both where the ball was thrown and the velocity it had on it. 'Cat fans have reason to be encouraged about Hartline, and Fidler looked like a competent backup in limited action against a lesser foe.

Overall, here is how I saw this game:

Offensive line run blocking -- The run blocking looked better, but mostly in the second half. What happened in the the first?
Wide receivers -- The wide receivers, particularly DeMoreo Ford, did some better things than they have done so far, but not nearly enough to give anyone confidence that there are more real threats on the field than Dicky Lyons Jr.
Special teams -- Field goal kicking seem competent now with Ryan Tydlacka, but it is only his first game and against a lesser foe. The return game was excellent as usual, but kickoff coverage was really poor. Yes, Bobby Rainey was a phenomenal runner, but is he SEC-quality? I hardly think so. If not, we could be in for trouble against tougher foes if we don't improve. But on the plus side, Derrick Locke did return a kickoff for a touchdown, and Dicky Lyons barely missed doing the same with a punt return.
Pass defense -- This was quite possibly the most dominant performance against the pass I have seen in college football in recent memory. How do you hold a Spread Option team to 15 yards passing? That's just unheard of, and it was primarily due to the utter domination of the Western offensive line by Kentucky's defensive line. Yes, the UK defensive secondary was very good, but the 'Cats defensive front was always in the face of the Western quarterback, and got four sacks for thirty negative yards.
Run defense -- After the Wildcats figured out that Rainey was a serious threat, they shut him down, but not before he gained almost 100 yards against a Kentucky defense that has been very stingy against the run (#5 in the nation) up until now. It is a cause for worry. If the 'Cats struggled with Rainey, what will Knowshon Moreno do?
The passing game -- Kentucky was competent in the passing game, but the UK wide receivers still have issues with route running, catching the football and blocking. The blocking was somewhat improved, but it's clear that UK has a long way to go to get the receivers up to SEC quality with the exception of Dickie Lyons Jr. Brooks can't be all that pleased with what he saw yesterday, but it was a clear improvement over the last game.
Pass blocking -- Pass blocking was excellent against Western, but their defensive front is hardly SEC quality. Still, it was a good game for the line when it came to giving Hartline time to throw. I consider them untested at this point, except against a decent Louisville defense, but I think they may be fine.
The running game -- Impressive in the second half, but what happened in the first? The running backs hit the holes, such as they were in the first half, hard, but the line simply wasn't getting the job done. The 'Cats did a much better job in the second half, racking up impressive yardage and some long runs, and pretty much looking like the team we expected to see. This game gives me some hope that we may be able to move the ball on the ground if we can get some kind of threat out of the passing game.

Overall, it was obviously a great defensive game for Kentucky, and a comptetent if unspectacular offensive game. The coaching staff has greased a few squeeky wheels, and even though UK didn't look like the well-oiled offensive machine they have been in the last couple of years, the first signs of genuine offensive faculty showed up yesterday, and that is a very good thing.

On the injury front, Justin Jeffries has a serious knee injury and is very likely done for the season. Even if it is more benign than many think, it is still going to sit him for a number of weeks, perhaps more than are left in the regular season. I hope for the best, but fear the worst. T.C. Drake also suffered an ankle sprain, but it doesn't look likely to keep him out more than a week. Maurice Grinter served capably and even rather impressively in his stead.

On the good news side, it is looking more and more likely that Randall Cobb's high ankle sprain will heal in time for South Carolina, if not Alabama. I expect to see Micah Johnson back at practice this week, and Ricky Lumpkin as well.

Next week we get the Crimson Tide, and the Elephants are coming of an impressive manhandling of the #3 team in the nation at their place. As the Tide has an open date after the UK game, that places next week's tilt firmly in the "trap game" category for them. We need to hope that they are still licking their wounds an enjoying the glow of defeating Georgia and vaulting to a top 5 national ranking (which they surely will) when the Wildcats bring their 4-0 record into Tuscaloosa next Saturday.