SB Nation - Jeremy Jarmon

KENTUCKY vs. TENNESSEE: It Doesn't Get Any Bigger Than This

Ken Howlett — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:24:15 -0000

Kentucky running back Derrick Locke will hopefully show his backside to the Volunteer defenders.

We all know about the streak. We all are embarrassed by the streak. We're all tired of the streak. Afterall, losing 24 straight to any school, in any sport, is repulsive to most sports fan's sense of fair play. It's simply no fun playing the nail, opposite Tennessee's (6-5, 3-4) ball-peen hammer.

But this game tonight (7:00 PM) isn't about the streak. It isn't about 24 years of blowouts, near-misses, and overtime heartache. Rather, this game is about second place in the SEC East. Nothing else matters. All the pontificating about streaks are merely window dressing compared to the importance of the game at hand ... the importance of Kentucky (7-4, 3-4) overcoming major injuries to star players, the preseason loss of All-SEC defensive end Jeremy Jarmon, of having to play 11 straight games, and of losses that should have been wins ... for this program to still rise to a high level of accomplishment in spite of the adversity speaks volumes about the character of the young men wearing the blue and white, and about the elevated level of talent Rich Brooks and staff have brought to Lexington. And in a year where most predictors of such events had the Wildcats finishing considerably south of second place, for UK to play in the Outback or Chick-Fila Bowl would certainly be an attention-getter both nationally, and within the borders of the Commonwealth.

Four straight bowl games, and a 31-20 record over the last four years, topped off by a second place finish in arguably the most gruesome division in college football, would certainly qualify as a continuance of the Brooks building process. And for this group of 'Cats to continue to build on the unique accomplishments they are responsible for this season -- Winning three straight SEC road games since 1909-'12, beating Auburn for the first time since 1961, and beating Georgia between the hedges for the first time since 1977 -- adds to the legacy of Rich Brooks, but more importantly, enriches the perception of the Kentucky football program throughout the high schools of the south and beyond. Putting the Wildcats that much closer to the goal at-hand -- Becoming a football program that consistently competes at the highest level.

In order for Kentucky to take the next step, they must first conquer the demons in orange. Here is thine enemy:

Unit Comparison (SEC Rank in Parenthesis)

- Scoring Offense -- UT 30.6 points per game (5): UK's coring defense -- 22.2 points per game (7).
- Scoring Defense -- UT allows 20.7 points per game (t5): UK's scoring offense -- 26.5 points per game (7).
- Total Offense -- UT averages 390.8 yards per game (6): UK total defense -- 355.4 yards per game (8).
- Total Defense -- UT allows 313.2 yards per game (5): UK total offense -- 342.9 yards per game (10).
- Rush Offense -- UT rushes for 164.7 yards per game (7): UK rush defense -- 179.3 yards per game (11).
- Rush Defense -- UT allows 141.3 yards per game (6): UK rush offense -- 196.2 yards per game (5).
- Pass Offense -- UT throws for 226.1 yards per game (3): UK pass defense -- 176.1 yards per game (6).
- Pass Defense -- UT allows 171.9 yards per game (5): UK pass offense -- 146.7 yards per game (11).
- Sacks By -- UT has executed 19 sacks (9): UK sacks against -- 14 (5).
- Sacks Against -- UT has allowed only 11 sacks (1): UK sacks By -- 15 (12).
- Third Down Conversion -- UT is at 39.3% (6): UK third down conversion defense -- 39.0% (12).
- Third Down Conversion Defense -- UT allows a 34.4% conversion rate (5): UK third down conversion -- 39.8% (4).
- Turnover Margin -- UT is a + 4 (5): UK is a +3 (6).
- Red Zone Offense -- UT converts 41-46 (89.1%) of their RZ attempts (5): UK red zone defense -- 28-37 (75.7%) (5).
- Red Zone Defense -- UT has allowed 30-35 (85.7%) RZ scores: UK's red zone offense -- 33-40 (82.5%) (8).

The Tennessee Offense

Jonathan Crompton -- 6'4", 228 lb senior quarterback: This season the formerly embattled UT signal-caller has stepped-up his game considerably. He has completed 196 of 335 passes (58.5%) for 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Comparing Crompton's numbers last season -- 86-167 (51.5%) for 889 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions -- to those of this year reveals a much-improved quarterback who has been trusted with the reins of the Tennessee offense.

Crompton has thrown only one interception in the last four games (122 passes). His two best games this season -- Versus Georgia, he threw for 310 yards and four touchdowns on 20-27 passing; Against Memphis, Crompton was 21-27 through the air for 331 yards and five touchdowns. Last season versus UK, Crompton was an 6-8 for 101 yards and one touchdown.

Montario Hardesty -- 6'0", 199 lb junior running back: Hardesty's production is another reason for UT's success this season. He's rushed for 1,127 yards (102.5 yards per game) on 225 carries (5.0 yards per carry), and nine touchdowns. He's also caught 19 passes for 212 yards (11.2 yards per reception), and one touchdown.

Last week in UT's 31-16 win over Vanderbilt, Hardesty rushed for a season-high 171 yards on 22 carries (7.8 ypc), and one touchdown. Hardesty has scored at least one touchdown in eight games this year, and he's ran for over 100 yards four times: WKU, Ohio U., South Carolina, and Vanderbilt.

Bryce Brown -- 6'0", 215 lb freshman running back: Brown has carried the ball 98 times for 452 yards (4.6 ypc), and three touchdowns. He's also caught 10 passes for 137 yards (13.7 ypr), and one touchdown.

Coming out of high school last year, Brown was rated the No. 1 running back, as well as the No. 1 overall prospect in the nation by Rivals.

David Oku -- 5'10", 186 lb freshman running back: Oku has rushed for 94 yards on 23 carries (4.0 ypc) and two touchdowns. Oku has caught two passes for 13 yards (6.5 ypr). He's also returned 30 kick-offs for 780- yards (26.0 yards per return).

The Oklahoma native recorded 154 all-purpose yards in UT's game versus Ole Miss. Coming out of high school last year, Oku was rated the No. 1 all-purpose back in the nation by Rivals, and the No. 30 running back by SuperPrep.

Gerald Jones -- 6'0", 190 lb junior wide receiver: In 10 games, Jones, UT's top receiver, has caught 36 passes for 497 yards (13.8 ypr) and four touchdowns. Last season versus UK, Jones caught a touchdown pass in the Tennessee victory.

Jones went for over 100 receiving yards versus Georgia -- Five catches for 105 yards, and two touchdowns. He also had strong outings against Auburn (seven catches for 75 yards), and Alabama (seven catches for 72 yards), but he's caught only one touchdown pass in the last three games (versus Memphis).

Denarius Moore -- 6'1", 190 lb junior wide receiver: Moore has made 35 catches for 455 yards (13.0 ypr), and six touchdowns.

Moore has scored four of his six touchdowns in the last three games.

Quintin Hancock -- 6'3", 207 lb senior wide receiver: In only eight games, Hancock has made 27 catches for 298 yards (11.0 ypr), and two touchdowns.

Marsalis Teague -- 5'10", 180 lb freshman wide receiver: Teague has 13 receptions for 147 yards (11.3 ypr), and two touchdowns.

Teague was rated the No. 4 prospect in the state of Tennessee out of high school by Rivals, as well as the No. 28 athlete in the nation, also by Rivals.

Luke Stocker -- 6'6", 240 lb junior tight end: Stocker has been an integral part of the UT offense, catching 22 passes for 292 yards (13.3 ypr), and four touchdowns.

The Tennessee Defense

Eric Berry -- 5'11", 203 lb junior corner back: Berry has made 75 tackles (49 solo), 5.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and six pass breakups.

The First Team All-SEC selection is UT's defensive force in the secondary, although UT defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin has been bringing Berry up support the run defense. Don't be surprised if Berry is asked to contain Randall Cobb in tonight's tilt.

Rico McCoy -- 6'1", 220 lb senior linebacker: McCoy leads the Vols with 99 tackles (59 solo). He's also posted 2.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, four forced fumbles.

In 2006 versus UK, McCoy forced the first fumble of his career.

Dan Williams -- 6'3", 327 lb senior defensive tackle: Williams has recorded 56 tackles (28 solo), and he's tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with 8.5. He's also has 2.0 sacks, and a team-leading nine quarterback hurries.

In UT's four overtime victory over UK in 2007, Williams had a game-changing field goal block. Well, it wasn't so much as a block, as the ball being kicked directly into his face mask. There is no doubt that Williams is a defensive force that must be dealt with by the UK offensive line. They must keep him away from Morgan Newton, and run away from him in the ground game.

Chris Walker -- 6'3", 232 lb junior defensive end: Walker has made 34 tackles (16 solo), and he's tied for the team lead with 8.5 tackles for loss. He leads UT with 6.0 sacks, and he's also recorded two interceptions and one pass breakup.

Dennis Rogan -- 5'10", 178 lb defensive back: Rogan is third on the team with 56 tackles (35 solo). He's executed 4.0 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and five pass breakups. He's also recovered two fumbles. Rogan will also return punts. This season he's returned six punts for 46 yards (7.7 yards per return), and two kick-offs for 52 yards (26.0 ypr).

In 2007 versus UK, Rogan returned three punts for 24 yards (8.0 ypr), and two kick-offs for 48 yards (24 ypr). He had three tackles, including his first tackle for loss.

Chad Cunningham -- Cunningham serves as UT's punter and kick-off artist -- He's punted 44 times for a 41.5 average. He's kicked-off 64 times, and has only four touch-backs.

Daniel Lincoln, Cunningham, and Devin Mathis have all kicked field goals for the Vols this season -- Lincoln is 10-16 (62.5%), Cunningham is 1-2 (50.0%), and Mathis is 1-1 (100%). Lincoln missed last weeks Vanderbilt game.

The three have combined to miss only one field goal under 40 yards.

Tennessee Wins (Teams in bold represent common opponents)

63-7 over WKU, 34-23 over Ohio U., 45-19 over Georgia, 31-13 over South Carolina, 56-28 over Memphis, and 31-16 over Vanderbilt.

Tennessee Losses

19-15 to UCLA, 23-13 to Florida, 26-22 to Auburn, 12-10 to Alabama, 42-17 to Ole Miss.

CliffsNotes Analysis

Tonight's battle represents two teams vying to succeed in the same areas -- Even though UK's two biggest play-makers are banged up (Cobb's shoulder, and both of Locke's knees), after Ole Miss running back Dexter McCluster gashed the Vols for 282 yards on 25 carries (11.6 ypc) and four touchdowns, the 'Cats will look to gain the bulk of their yardage on the ground.

Although UT quarterback Jonathan Crompton has proved to be much improved over last year, because of UK's weak run defense, look for a steady diet of UT running backs looking for holes. Hardesty, Brown, and Oku will get a healthy dose of carries in an attempt to control the clock, and bury UK with a ground game suited to do just that.

Look for Randall Cobb to have a big day. Although Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin wasn't in place during Cobb's recruitment, I expect Cobb will be highly motivated to display to his hometown team what they are missing.

It's really pretty simple -- UK must run the ball to the tune of at least 4.5-5.0 yards per carry, and Morgan Newton must continue to come through in the clutch with on-target throws if UK hopes to come out victorious. Recently Newton has been excellent at not turning the ball over ... that trend must continue.

Likewise, UK's defense must find it within themselves to stop the run. UT's three primary ball-carriers are legitimate, dangerous weapons. The Vols rushing for 200 + yards will surely spell doom for the 'Cats.

Field position will also play a big role in tonight's outcome. With UK in possession of two of the best return men in the SEC (Cobb and Locke), this category seems to be a plus for the 'Cats.

Last week versus Georgia, UK saw first-hand the advantage gained by creating turnovers (they were +4). The 'Cats must continue to hit hard, hit often, and hit with a purpose. If the UK defense comes to play, I like the 'Cats chances of partying like it's 1984 -- UK's last victory over the Vols.

Fearless Prediction

Kentucky - 27 Tennessee - 24

For Tru's take on the game, and a listen to a podcast interview we did with the guys from Rocky Top Talk, please scroll down.

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

Vanderbilt in the Rear-View Mirror

Truzenzuzex — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:01:55 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

Derrick Locke -- 5'9" of determination, power and speed.

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Kentucky is now assured of its fourth .500 or better regular season in four years, and is bowl eligible for the fourth straight time. That's a good feeling for Wildcat fans who have suffered through the unfortunate loss of Jeremy Jarmon, the mid-season loss of Mike Hartline, the long absence of Trevard Lindley, and various injuries to Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke which cost the Wildcats.

Did I say a good feeling? It's a great feeling.

Looking back at the game, Eric Crawford of the Courier-Journal says the Vandy win was unconvincing.

Unless something surprising happens over the next two games, that's going to be the story of the season: a team that did what it was supposed to do but nothing more.

Given the inordinate and costly injuries, I'd say Kentucky deserves more credit than that, but from a macro standpoint, you have to say that Crawford isn't far off. Chris Low of ESPN, however, has an alternative viewpoint more favorable to the Wildcats:

It's no secret that Rich Brooks has done a terrific job in elevating Kentucky's program to a level of respectability, but this may be one of his better jobs when you consider all the injuries the Wildcats have endured this season.

More after the jump.

John Clay thinks that UK has what it takes to win out:

Second half on this Saturday, the Cats outgained the Commodores 225-31. The visitors had 13 first downs the final two quarters, the home team had one. Vanderbilt did not convert a single third down.

It is remarkable what the defense was able to do in the second half, and it was laudable that Brooks & Co. made the decision to stick with Morgan Newton. It required Cobb and Derrick Locke to sacrifice their bodies with a bunch of carries, but Vandy simply wasn't able to stop the Wildcats' running game, and the coaching staff decided that they were going to run it until Vandy stopped them, which did eventually happen. Then Newton was able to find some open receivers and put the game out of reach.

Finally, it seems that Mike Hartline is done for the season, which is probably good for him and the team, under the difficult circumstances:

Brooks says the speed of the game injured the knee enough to warrant surgery. True freshman Morgan Newton will remain the starter, while receiver Randall Cobb will continue to take between 10 and 20 snaps a game in the spread offense formation.

I wish Mike well, and a quick recovery. Now, the quarterback controversy is over and done with. Newton is the man, and we will live or die with him taking the lion's share of the snaps this year. Hartline will have a chance to win the job back as a senior, and if his recovery from surgery is as strong as Derrick Locke's, I think he will.

This was a big win for a banged-up UK team trying not to take a step back, and it is a credit to their determination that they refused to give up in a hostile arena when giving up would have been easy. I credit the leadership of Cobb, Locke and Newton, who played football like full grown men. Congratulations to them.

Now, on to Athens!

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.

The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Told You So Edition

Truzenzuzex — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:51:35 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

I didn't fire anybody.

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Told ya.

Well, just kidding, but I turned out to be correct in a recent back-and-forth with Rush The Court over the question of whether a UK assistant was terminated or left of his own accord.

The word is that Bilal Batley, the recent departure from the UK staff, was punished for his creation of a secondary violation, as was a Gillispie assistant earlier in the year -- with a letter of admonishment. He was not fired, he was not run off, he was not threatened with cement overshoes if he did not leave. That is that.

Moving on, we find that we have some legal trouble on the football team and other stuff in the news, which follows:

UK Basketball News

Bluegrass State Basketball: Ex-Cat Allen Edwards Talks Past, Present and Future
Very good stuff here. Allen Edwards was an important part of Kentucky's most recent championship stretch, and it's great to hear he's doing well.
Gillispie's tale rings familiar tune to recovering Eustachy - NCAA Division I Mens Basketball - CBSSports.com
This is a really good article by Gary Parrish. Alcoholism is a difficult problem to overcome, and Larry Eustachy shows how it can be done. Can Gillispie recover and coach again? Absolutely. But not unless he realizes that he is an alcoholic, and accepts responsibility for his life and actions in the context of that disease.

Via Bluegrass State Basketball.
Top impact freshmen for 2009-10 - CBK News - FOX Sports on MSN
Virtually all of Kentucky's five-stars make this list.

UK Football News

Louisville Tale of the Tape " Over The Pylon
Great stuff from Over the Pylon, as always.
Kentucky vs. Louisville 9-19-09 – What UL fans are saying " Kentucky Wildcard
Lots of love going on in Card Nation for the Wildcats. As usual.
Wildcats, Cardinals well rested | Cincinnati.com
If there's an advantage - or a disadvantage - to having a week off before a rivalry game, good luck getting either coach to say so.

Heh.
Take the Governor's Cup quiz | KentuckySports.com
It's not only the players who need to get into the rivalry frame of mind. Fans have to get there, too.
John Clay: U of L presents some fear factors | KentuckySports.com
A 13-point spread amounts to zilch. Toss out the numbers. That's the rivalry-game creed. That's right. There are lots of things to fear, not the least of which is our kicking game.
Low kickoffs make for high stress for Brooks | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
Asked whether he'll consider trickery — pooch punts, squib kicks, etc. — Brooks chuckled. "The first squib kick we ordered (against Miami of Ohio) ended up a line drive down to the 2-yard line with a 2.2 (second) hang," Brooks said. "God bless our coverage guys, because they did a hell of a job on that one."

Scary.
UK staff challenges defense to step up | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
Last season, UK was able to put pressure on quarterbacks, thanks to a particularly strong defensive line. Two of those linemen — end Jeremy Jarmon and tackle Myron Pryor — now are on NFL rosters. Brown thinks his current line — with Peters and Ricky Lumpkin at tackle and a rotation of DeQuin Evans, Chandler Burden and Collins Uku at the ends — can do similar things in time.
Tom Leach Productions -- DeQuin Evans
Video of DeQuin Evans talking about his game.
Tom Leach Productions -- Rich Brooks
Tom Leach has a video of Rich Brooks discussing the team status.
Alan Cutler " Ridge Wilson Is In Jail…..His Future ?
Pretty good comments from the mustachioed one.
Louisville game can indicate success of season | The Kentucky Kernel

Other UK Sports News

None today

NCAA Sports News

Ranking the SEC after Week 2 | HOG COUNTRY
10. Kentucky … The Wildcats are one gigantic question mark, as are most of Rich Brooks’ teams at this point of the year. Kentucky’s football team has been flying over the radar since John Calipari was hired as the basketball coach and that’s just how Brooks likes it.
LSU v Vandy: Behind the Numbers - And The Valley Shook
Don't Bet On It!: Around the SEC - Dawg Sports
With another big weekend of college football on tap in the SEC, Dawg Sports offers the latest round of league predictions in this week's installment of "Don't Bet On It!"

Other News of Interest

UK's Todd turns down bonus - Local - Kentucky.com
"I appreciate the Board of Trustees' strong expression of support for the progress and accomplishments of the past year, but it has been yet another very challenging year from a budget standpoint, and I am simply not comfortable accepting the performance award at a time when every department on campus is dealing with severe budget reductions," Todd said in a written statement.

Nice gesture by Dr. Todd, but I'm sure the editorial pages will pick on him for hiring Calipari.

The Daily Schadenfreude

Eric Crawford: Governor's Cup starting to lose luster | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
UK not only had its way in the scheduling with this rivalry, but now it is having its way with its rival. The Wildcats have clearly passed the Cardinals. Three years ago they were 13-point underdogs. This season they're 13-point favorites. Think about that turn of events.

Heh. Love it.

Kentucky Football: Defensive Expectations

Truzenzuzex — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:53:42 -0000

by Ed Reinke - AP

Jeremy Jarmon and Myron Pryor's absence is going to be felt in terms of sacks and stopping shorter runs.

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Continuing with yesterday's examination of national and conference rankings from last year compared to what we might expect this year, we are going to perform the same exercise on the defense.

Kentucky's defense loses a good number of players from last year's solid defensive squad -- that's the bad news. The good news is that Trevard Lindley and Micah Johnson, just to name two, are back as seniors to lead the squad. The defense features a mix of experience and youth, and nowhere is that more prevalent than on the defensive line. Jeremy Jarmon's unfortunate loss of his final year of eligibility has put UK in a position where they are very inexperienced at the edges, with a redshirt freshman (Collins Ukwu) at one end and JUCO transfer (DeQuin Evans) at the other. Despite the fact that the defensive tackles are experienced, the depth behind them is not.

The linebacking corps, on the other hand, could actually be better than last year's group, and is deep with experience. The defensive backfield is a bit green, but with Lindley back there and rising stars Randall Burden and Winston Guy, the defensive backfield should be as good, if not better than last year.

With all that in mind, here's how I think the defense shakes out:

Defensive Statistics
	2008 Rank		2009 Outlook
Statistic	National	Conference	National	Conference	Comments
Scoring defense	35	8	45-55	7	This will probably drop off a little due to youth.
Rushing defense	57	9	Mid 60's	7	Same as scoring defense.
Passing defense	40	9	35-40	5	I think we have a better secondary, but may not bring as much QB pressure.
Total defense	40	11	45-55	7	Not much change.
Opponent first downs	13	2	Mid 30's	5	I think we will give up more significantly more first downs due to youth in the line.
Fumbles forced	10	1	15-20	3	We should still do well in this stat.
Fumbles recovered	14	1	15-20	2	Ditto.
Opponent third down conv.	22	6	Mid 30's	8	More first downs allowed = more third down conversions allowed.
Opponent red zone conv.	40	5	Mid 30's	4	I think we might be tougher in the red zone this year.
Sacks	29	3	40-45	5	The loss of Jarmon and Pryor will hurt this stat a lot.
Tackles for loss	25	2	Mid 30's	4	Kind of a trade off here – better Micah, but missing Jeremy.
Interceptions	59	7	Teens	1	I think UK might lead the SEC in picks this year.

In my opinion, the SEC overall will be somewhat weaker than it was last year, primarily due to youth at quarterback. I think that is likely to translate into more picks for UK, especially with Trevard Lindley roaming around in the secondary and the rise of Chandler Burden and Winston Guy. Paul Warford is also extremely capable, and with some of the wounded ducks we are going to see this year, a lot of picks looks very real.

Despite the loss of Pryor and Jarmon, I think the D-line will be solid enough, but we will probably give up more 5-6 yard runs than last year, and therefore more first downs. As the field becomes compressed in the red zone, though, I expect coverage to make it hard to throw, and the linebacking corps' strength to kick in, so I actually look for improvement in that stat. While it may look like we will improve in scoring and rushing D, I don't think that will be so much because UK is better, but more because the conference as a whole is worse.

Hey, Preseason Prognosticators: Am I Missing Something?

Anything but Gatorade — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:49:24 -0000

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So I, like some of you who can manage to distract yourselves from the "Guiding Light" episode that seems to be the everyday lives of Rick Pitino and Billy Gillispie, have been reading quite a few preseason picks for the SEC lately. And I'd say 4 out of 5 of them have Kentucky finishing dead last in the SEC East. In most years, I'd say that's par for the course and work on mending my tent so I could camp out for Midnight Madness tickets. But if the last three years have taught us anything, it's that Kentucky doesn't totally suck at football anymore. You've read what Ken, Tru et al. have had to say about the team. It's probably better (if reports from camp are true) than it was last year, and even though last year was tough to swallow, it still ended in a bowl win. So you'd think that other people might notice, right? Wrong. This one from Team Speed Kills in particular just really grinds my gears, disclaimer by the author notwithstanding:

Kentucky

DATE OPPONENT OUTCOME

5-Sep @ Miami (OH) W

19-Sep Louisville W

26-Sep Florida L

3-Oct Alabama L

10-Oct @ South Carolina L

17-Oct @ Auburn L

24-Oct Louisiana-Monroe W

31-Oct Mississippi State W

7-Nov Eastern Kentucky L

14-Nov @ Vanderbilt L

21-Nov @ Georgia L

28-Nov Tennessee L

Kentucky just wasn't very good last season, and they made it to bowl season largely on the back of a terrible non-conference schedule. The terrible non-conference schedule is back, but I just don't see improvement from the Wildcats that many of the other conference teams will make. Going with Mike Hartline under center over Randall Cobb didn't inspire confidence, and losing Jeremy Jarmon was the last straw.

One SEC win. One. With two All-America candidates in the defensive secondary. With one of the few QBs in the league with actual game experience. With a freaking stable of thoroughbred running backs and receivers that can apparently catch the football now.

Are we still dealing with this? The cupboard behind last year's starters wasn't bare, folks. If Coach Brooks says we're better than we were last year, I believe him. Some might chalk that up to coach-speak, but if there's one currency we know Papa Rich doesn't trade in, it's BS. So am I right to get my shorts in a wad every time I read something like this, or should I just suck it up and let the Cats prove it on the field? I'm inclined to do both, but let me know if you see it differently.

UPDATE: Here's a link to the story.

Year2 Brand SEC Picks: 2009 Edition

Year2 — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:45:08 -0000

At the beginning of April, I moved from a one bedroom apartment to a two bedroom apartment in anticipation of my then-fiancée Danielle finishing grad school in Ohio and moving down to Charlotte (which would happen in June). She said the place had to have some things, such as "a feel of something other than a bachelor pad" and "a dining room table."

The weekend of the move, I used the truck to pick up a table that I then spent a bit of the afternoon putting together. I had been up early in the morning and I was tired from lugging stuff around much of the day, and the end result was this:

Yes, I put the legs on the inside of the table structure instead of the outside where they belong. I was wondering why it was so difficult to attach the legs, but I soldiered on and ended up having to redo the entire thing.

Why do I bring this up at the beginning of a picks piece? Because I’m going to say or pick something at some point that will probably upset you. Before you get on my case about it, just know I am fully capable of idiocy. The table is offered as proof of that. Also know, though, that I am capable of putting out a better preseason top 25 than all the experts did, as in 2007.

With that out of the way, on to the picks.

SEC EAST

Team	SEC	Overall
Florida	9-0	13-0
Georgia	5-3	8-4
South Carolina	4-4	7-5
Tennessee	3-5	7-5
Vanderbilt	2-6	5-7
Kentucky	1-7	5-7

I see the East Division being the Gators' domain without another real serious contender. For much of the off season, I was thinking Georgia and South Carolina would end up tied at 5-3, but I changed that pick recently. I'm torn on Georgia; I don't think they'll go 7-5 as some said in January, but I don't see a regular season record improvement either as some say now.

As for the Gamecocks, it just feels like it's time for Steve Spurrier to make another run at something (in this case, second place in the division). That's about as flimsy as analysis comes, but sometimes you just have to go with your gut. Tennessee will be improved but not greatly so, Vandy will just miss out on another bowl, and I have a hard time seeing Kentucky do a whole lot.

Florida

DATE	OPPONENT	OUTCOME
5-Sep	Charleston Southern	W
12-Sep	Troy	W
19-Sep	Tennessee	W
26-Sep	@ Kentucky	W
10-Oct	@ LSU	W
17-Oct	Arkansas	W
24-Oct	@ Mississippi State	W
31-Oct	vs. Georgia	W
7-Nov	Vanderbilt	W
14-Nov	@ South Carolina	W
21-Nov	Florida International	W
28-Nov	Florida State	W
5-Dec	Alabama	W

I realize I'm risking a jinx, but I'm picking the Gators to run the regular season table. That's happened before at UF, unlike a full perfect season, and relatively recently at that (1995). Urban Meyer has done it before himself, in 2004 with Utah, and just about everything has broken the Gators' way this off season.

Georgia

DATE	OPPONENT	OUTCOME
5-Sep	@ Oklahoma State	L
12-Sep	South Carolina	L
19-Sep	@ Arkansas	W
26-Sep	Arizona State	W
3-Oct	LSU	L
10-Oct	@ Tennessee	W
17-Oct	@ Vanderbilt	W
31-Oct	vs. Florida	L
7-Nov	Tennessee Tech	W
14-Nov	Auburn	W
21-Nov	Kentucky	W
28-Nov	@ Georgia Tech	W

I feel almost charitable to UGA for picking a near-repeat of last year's 9-3 (6-2) mark. What the team has lost outweighs what it gains in my opinion, and I very nearly had them losing to both LSU before relenting. The schedule is as rough as anyone's, and worse than 8-4 could easily happen (see current win prediction against Georgia Tech). I'm only going with this record out of respect for Mark Richt. In doing so, I'm almost going against a warning sign from Pythagorean wins.

South Carolina

DATE	OPPONENT	OUTCOME
3-Sep	@ North Carolina State	L
12-Sep	@ Georgia	W
19-Sep	Florida Atlantic	W
24-Sep	Mississippi	L
3-Oct	South Carolina State	W
10-Oct	Kentucky	W
17-Oct	@ Alabama	L
24-Oct	Vanderbilt	W
31-Oct	@ Tennessee	W
7-Nov	@ Arkansas	L
14-Nov	Florida	L
28-Nov	Clemson	W

The margin for error is very slim with this team. If Stephen Garcia goes down, the season is basically shot. It's a risky proposition going with the Gamecocks at third in the East, but you generally have to break with the consensus somewhere if you're going to be right. If I'm going down, I'm going down with Spurrier. Let's just move on.

Tennessee

DATE	OPPONENT	OUTCOME
5-Sep	Western Kentucky	W
12-Sep	UCLA	W
19-Sep	@ Florida	L
26-Sep	Ohio	W
3-Oct	Auburn	W
10-Oct	Georgia	L
24-Oct	@ Alabama	L
31-Oct	South Carolina	L
7-Nov	Memphis	W
14-Nov	@ Mississippi	L
21-Nov	Vanderbilt	W
28-Nov	@ Kentucky	W

When you think about it, Jonathan Crompton is a bit like Windows Vista. At the launch of both, they were plagued with driver incompatibility and a lack of stability. Think of Lane Kiffin's offense as Service Pack 1, in that it will fix a lot of those launch issues. Even so, the brands of both Vista and Crompton are probably damaged beyond repair, which is why Windows 7 is being launched ahead of schedule and JC will have a very short leash with the fans.

Vanderbilt

DATE	OPPONENT	OUTCOME
5-Sep	Western Carolina	W
12-Sep	@ LSU	L
19-Sep	Mississippi State	W
26-Sep	@ Rice	W
3-Oct	Mississippi	L
10-Oct	@ Army	W
17-Oct	Georgia	L
24-Oct	@ South Carolina	L
31-Oct	Georgia Tech	L
7-Nov	@ Florida	L
14-Nov	Kentucky	W
21-Nov	@ Tennessee	L

Having gone to and won a bowl now, Bobby Johnson is playing with house money in Nashville. I like what Vandy has coming back on defense, but I'm not fully sold on the offense. From a points scored/points allowed standpoint, Vanderbilt was right on target last season with its 7-6 record. It was how the Commodores got there that was fishy, what with terrible offensive production and them being outgained by opponents by a wide margin. Spring one upset, though, without getting upset themselves, and they'll be back bowling.

Kentucky

DATE	OPPONENT	OUTCOME
5-Sep	@ Miami (OH)	W
19-Sep	Louisville	W
26-Sep	Florida	L
3-Oct	Alabama	L
10-Oct	@ South Carolina	L
17-Oct	@ Auburn	L
24-Oct	Louisiana-Monroe	W
31-Oct	Mississippi State	W
7-Nov	Eastern Kentucky	W
14-Nov	@ Vanderbilt	L
21-Nov	@ Georgia	L
28-Nov	Tennessee	L

Kentucky just wasn't very good last season, and they made it to bowl season largely on the back of a terrible non-conference schedule. The terrible non-conference schedule is back, but I just don't see improvement from the Wildcats that many of the other conference teams will make. Going with Mike Hartline under center over Randall Cobb didn't inspire confidence, and losing Jeremy Jarmon was the last straw.

SEC WEST

Team	SEC	Overall
Alabama	7-2	10-3
LSU	6-2	10-2
Ole Miss	6-2	10-2
Arkansas	4-4	8-4
Auburn	2-6	5-7
Mississippi St.	0-8	2-10

I've gone back and forth on this all off season, at some point having each of the three main contenders in first place. Ultimately, I went with what I judge to be the best defense and best coaching staff. You'll note though that I kind of did a cop out by having Ole Miss and LSU tie for second (with the Tigers taking the tiebreaker), but I really think right now that these teams are that close.

Alabama

DATE	OPPONENT	OUTCOME
5-Sep	vs. Virginia Tech	W
12-Sep	Florida International	W
19-Sep	North Texas	W
26-Sep	Arkansas	W
3-Oct	@ Kentucky	W
10-Oct	@ Mississippi	L
17-Oct	South Carolina	W
24-Oct	Tennessee	W
7-Nov	LSU	W
14-Nov	@ Mississippi State	W
21-Nov	Chattanooga	W
28-Nov	@ Auburn	W
5-Dec	Florida	L

As I said, I had 'Bama winning the division for much of the off season. It was based solely on the Tide having the best defense in the division, and ultimately that became the tiebreaker. Defense does win championships after all, so my SEC West predictions are going to sink or swim based on that.

LSU

DATE	OPPONENT	OUTCOME
5-Sep	@ Washington	W
12-Sep	Vanderbilt	W
19-Sep	Louisiana-Lafayette	W
26-Sep	@ Mississippi State	W
3-Oct	@ Georgia	W
10-Oct	Florida	L
24-Oct	Auburn	W
31-Oct	Tulane	W
7-Nov	@ Alabama	L
14-Nov	Louisiana Tech	W
21-Nov	@ Mississippi	W
28-Nov	Arkansas	W

You can point to John Chavis as the reason why I have LSU here. The offense will be good, but it wasn't terrible last year (save all the pick sixes). Should the defense play up to its potential, this will be a very, very good team. The schedule is perhaps the toughest of the top three teams here, though. I don't see the Tigers sweeping its back-to-back series with Georgia and Florida, and I don't see them sweeping road games at Alabama and Ole Miss.

Ole Miss

DATE	OPPONENT	OUTCOME
6-Sep	@ Memphis	W
19-Sep	Southeastern Louisiana	W
24-Sep	@ South Carolina	W
3-Oct	@ Vanderbilt	W
10-Oct	Alabama	W
17-Oct	UAB	W
24-Oct	Arkansas	L
31-Oct	@ Auburn	W
7-Nov	Northern Arizona	W
14-Nov	Tennessee	W
21-Nov	LSU	L
28-Nov	@ Mississippi State	W

A lot of people seem to be doubting the Rebels due to being coached by Houston Nutt. Not only is his underachiever label mathematically dubious, but he's guided teams to the SEC title game before. In one case, 2002, he even went over a Nick Saban-coached LSU team, so the presence of Saban in the division isn't a disqualifier for Nutt either. If Ole Miss fails to win the division, it won't solely be due to the head coach.

Arkansas

DATE	OPPONENT	OUTCOME
5-Sep	Missouri State	W
19-Sep	Georgia	L
26-Sep	@ Alabama	L
3-Oct	vs. Texas A&M	W
10-Oct	Auburn	W
17-Oct	@ Florida	L
24-Oct	@ Mississippi	W
31-Oct	Eastern Michigan	W
7-Nov	South Carolina	W
14-Nov	Troy	W
21-Nov	Mississippi State	W
28-Nov	@ LSU	L

If Bobby Petrino stays in Fayetteville for a while, which I think he will do, he'll go to several SEC title games. I'd say it's a good bet he'll even win Arkansas its first SEC title. Neither of those things will happen this year, but significant progress will be made. The offense will be fine; this team will go as far as its defense will let it.

Auburn

DATE	OPPONENT	OUTCOME
5-Sep	Louisiana Tech	W
12-Sep	Mississippi State	W
19-Sep	West Virginia	L
26-Sep	Ball State	W
3-Oct	@ Tennessee	L
10-Oct	@ Arkansas	L
17-Oct	Kentucky	W
24-Oct	@ LSU	L
31-Oct	Mississippi	L
7-Nov	Furman	W
14-Nov	@ Georgia	L
28-Nov	Alabama	L

Auburn is kind of in the same state as Tennessee is in, with a new coach trying to erase memories of a bad offensive coordinator hire from last year. Each had good defenses last year too, which makes the offensive calamities even more of a shame. I don't think both can make a significant improvement though, and Tennessee has more horses on its roster than Auburn does. I like Gus Malzahn, but I'm not so high on Gene Chizik.

Mississippi St.

DATE	OPPONENT	OUTCOME
5-Sep	Jackson State	W
12-Sep	@ Auburn	L
19-Sep	@ Vanderbilt	L
26-Sep	LSU	L
3-Oct	Georgia Tech	L
10-Oct	Houston	L
17-Oct	@ Middle Tennessee St.	W
24-Oct	Florida	L
31-Oct	@ Kentucky	L
14-Nov	Alabama	L
21-Nov	@ Arkansas	L
28-Nov	Mississippi	L

Bear with my nerdiness for a sec, but consider this bit of music from the band Estradasphere. It took the basic old 8-bit main theme from Super Mario Bros. 2 and made it into a credible sounding jazz band song. Dan Mullen's task in Starkville is basically to do the same thing: take the old, lo-fi Sly Croom offense and modernize it into something worth watching. I like Mullen and think he'll do a good job, but I saw how hard the transition to the spread was for Mullen and Meyer in Gainesville. If it wasn't for good talent, the team would have fallen far short of its eventual nine wins. With no talent to speak of and some serious growing pains ahead, it will be a success if Mullen can win a conference game this year.

Conclusion

The order of the standings is more important to me than the picks of the individual games are. The game predictions are a snapshot of what makes sense to me know, and they don't include many upsets. Upsets, after all, don't make sense by definition. Make no mistake: these won't be 100% right.

It wasn't until after I was done that I realized that I only have seven teams going to bowls. I think eight is probably more likely, and filling out all nine contracted bowl spots isn't out of the realm of possibility. My projections mainly see a top heavy conference, and I feel that's pretty accurate.

We'll see how it goes once the season gets started, but this is what I've got right now.

Kentucky Football: Optimism is Sinking In

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

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

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

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

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

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

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

Continued after the jump ...

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

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

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

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

Kentucky Football: Where Do We Need Improvement?

Truzenzuzex — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:27:59 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

We have a long way to go. Lindley will help get us there.

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You know, the answer to the question in the lede looks so obvious and so straightforward, but is it really what we think it is? We know that last year's UK team was anemic on offense, OK on defense and allegedly really good at special teams (although when we think about the Florida game, it sort of makes that statistic look a lot less meaningful).

So what I decided to do was pull down some key statistics from cfbstats.com, the excellent college football statistics website, and look at them. Now, this is just one cut on these stats, and as with most mathematical things, if you torture the numbers enough, they will confess to anything. What I have tried to do here is not put too much spin on these numbers, but just offer them up for comparison and comment.

When we remember back to 2007, when Kentucky had such a potent offense but also a very impotent defense, and see how the situation was, to some degree anyway, reversed last year, it makes me think of my golf game. When I am hitting the ball well, my short game tends to go south. When I am putting and chipping well, I play poorly tee to green. When I am driving the ball well, my irons are way off. In other words, it seems really difficult to get all aspects of the game going in the right direction at the same time.

This year, you have to wonder if Brooks & Co. will have the same problem. The loss of Jeremy Jarmon is really painful for the defense, and even if we have someone step up and play well in his spot, our depth at DE is really compromised by his loss. The question therefore becomes, can the defense step up and play at least to the level of last year, and the offense show significant improvement over last year. If that does come to pass, I think UK will be fine, but ...

Well, let's look at the numbers and see what they'll confess to.

This chart is as simple as it looks. The "delta" colum is the horizontal difference between the overall and conference numbers, and the spread is the difference between the offensive and defensive numbers.

Statistic	Rank all	Value	Rank Conf	Value	Delta	Spread	National Rnk
Scoring Offense	6	22.6	9	17.9	-4.7	1.1	87
Scoring Defense	8	21.5	10	29.8	8.3	-11.9	35
Rushing Offense	8	127.46	8	109.13	-18.33	-11.77	83
Rushing Defense	9	139.23	11	177	37.77	-67.87	57
Passing Offense	8	171.8	9	162.5	-9.3	-21.4	96
Passing Defense	9	193.2	10	199.9	6.7	-37.4	40
Field Goals	8	0.8	10	0.6	-0.2	0.1	107
Opponent FG	1	0.7	1	0.6	-0.1	0	1
3rd Down Conversions	12	31.44%	12	27.35%	-4.09%	-1.72%	110
Opponent 3rd Down Conversion	6	33.16%	10	39.82%	6.66%	-12.47%	22
Red Zone Conversions	9	74.42%	11	63.64%	-10.78%	-4.37%	102
Opponent Red Zone Conversions	5	78.79%	8	72.41%	-6.38%	-8.77%	40

I've noted in red the items that look particularly problematic to me, and yellow are the items that look pretty bad, but not bad enough to make red. In general, when our rank went at or near 100 on the national scale, I considered that a really bad number. Over 75 I considered yellow, and under that I considered it pretty good.

A couple of things that really stuck out to me:

UK was the best team in the entire nation at preventing opponents field goals. Amazing.
UK was really, really bad at third down conversions. This affects both our offense and defense negatively, and was very likely a huge reason our defensive numbers were not better.
UK was lousy at red zone conversions. Really lousy. Compare this with the 83% conversion rate UK had in 2007.
UK was #35 nationally in scoring defense. I'm pretty proud of that.
UK's rushing defense was better than I thought, but not much.
Field-goal kicking has got to improve.

OK, so what jumps out at you?

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.

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