Up front, I wish to make some things clear. I have been a supporter of Coach Joker Phillips since his head-coach-in-waiting days. Similarly, I have backed Mike Hartline as the starting quarterback in all but the incident where he bad-mouthed teammates a couple of years ago. I have even - dare I say? - supported Steve Brown as UK Defensive Coordinator. And while 32 years as a hard core Wildcats football fan probably makes me but a novice in the "Fellowship of the Miserable", I have experienced a lot of heartbreak in those 32 years.

All of this I point out to preface this remark. The Wildcats football team has proven nothing yet.

Correct that. The coaches and team have proved plenty. They have proved that they have heart and determination. A lesser group would have rolled over and given up after playing its fourth successive bad first half. A lesser group would especially have said, "here we go again," after two weeks in a row of "close but no cigar" results. Instead, they got seriously down to business in the second half against South Carolina. And for those who have said, 'yeah, but SC lost Lattimore," I would reply that UK had already started the game with a hand tied behind its back. Derrick Locke was out. So was DeQuin Evans. The Cats won anyway.

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Don't tell anyone, but the University of Kentucky appears to have a pretty good basketball team. Well, yes, there is the one with John Wall, Patrick Patterson, and company, but there is also one led by a young woman named Victoria Dunlap. This team of Wildcats has matched its male counterparts 8-0 start but unlike the men, the women are hardly in sight at all.

Yes, the Lexington Herald-Leader does post the game scores, but if anyone cares to check the newspaper's online site, he or she will find a schedule that displays ZERO results. It is filled, as of December 7, 2009, with "TBA" - to be announced. And unlike for the mens' team, readers will find no box scores for any of the games so far. And this is local media coverage?!

Is it any wonder then that so far as national sports reports go, Yahoo for example, a check of the womens team reports "no news", day in, day out, week by week? Is it any wonder then that these Wildcats have so far received not even ONE vote in the national polls?

"Yeah, but they haven't played anybody important yet." That could be valid. Who knows? What is known is that this team played and won three games in five days. It traveled to California to play and win a game and it traveled to Cincinnati to play a game where it trailed by eight points only to come back and win comfortably by ten. And it is doing this without a lot of height - only four players 6'1" or taller, with one of its newest weapons not eligible until after the fall semester (point guard Crystal Riley).

All of that said, one more win will match the best start in team history. Two more wins sets a new record and, assuming it happens, could just earn these Wildcats some attention. That tenth game will be against Louisville which only went to the womens' final last season and is highly regarded this year. Assuming these Wildcats take care of business against Florida A&M this Sunday, then UK fans can look forward to another intra-state battle worthy of some recognition. It might even prompt the LHL to update the schedule results AND post a box score.

We can but hope.

Rivals.com college football writer Tom Dienhart has labeled Auburn's loss to Kentucky this past weekend "appalling".

Note not only the adjective used but the emphasis. According to Dienhart and his ilk, Kentucky did not win the game. Rather, Auburn lost it. "Appalling."

Given the state of Wildcats football through the years, Dienhart's statement and emphasis is understandable. However, were I Rich Brooks and were I looking for a way to further motivate my charges - and guard against any let down - I would post that statement on a bulletin board. Then I would say,

"this, lads, is what we're up against, this perception that we don't beat other teams. Instead, they lose to us And I am frankly sick of it. Yes, we stunk up the place that first quarter against Florida and yes, we shot ourselves in both feet against Alabama, and yes, yours truly here made a couple of boneheaded calls against South Carolina, but I'm here to tell you, I am PROUD of you and I am proud to wear Wildcat blue. More to the point, I am seeing progress. We lose Mike, Trevard, Paul, Justin, Jake, and you guys don't give up. You man up. And the Tom Dienharts of this world are missing something. They overlook the fact that you guys are the first and so far only team to hang over 100 rushing yards on Alabama. They overlook the fact that you put up over 200 yards rushing against a solid South Carolina defense and then tacked on 282 against Auburn AT Auburn. They overlook the low number of sacks you guys have allowed and the fact that you're cutting down on mistakes. They're also ignoring the fact that our defense is getting better and better with each week that passes. For God's sake, West Virginia is a ranked team and they couldn't shut down Auburn's offense. You lads did.

"So yeah, I am sick to death of this notion that the Auburns of this world should beat us on the field. Instead, I want to see us feared and respected by the teams we play. I want them to know that when they see the University of Kentucky Wildcats pouring onto the field, they're gonna know they're in for one heck of a battle. Doesn't matter who they are or what colors they wear; they're in for it.

That's what we're aiming for and I'm here to tell you, we can do it. And when the season's done, maybe the Tom Dienharts will look around and say, "ah, now we understand why Kentucky BEAT Auburn.

"Now let's get back to work."

It is a fragile thing,optimism with regards to University of Kentucky football. Yet I remain cautiously optimistic as the Wildcats head into the next two of a brutal stretch of games against ranked opponents. This is especially true when considering that UK visits South Carolina minus Trevard Lindley and Paul Warford, its starting cornerbacks and offensive tackle, Justin Jeffries.

That said, if the Wildcats must endure injuries, those are two positions at which they can take the hits without suffering a huge drop off. Yes, you read that rightly. And you rightly ask: how can there NOT be a huge drop off with Trevard Lindley sitting out? The answer is: Martavious Neloms. He is a true freshman, granted, but so was Lindley when he started. And I believe that with a bit of time, Neloms will prove to be the equal of his predecessor. Granted, it is no more than gut feeling or instinct that leads me to expect great things of this young man, but I expect that in and around an occasional freshman mistake, he will produce an equal number of plays in the category of: did you see THAT???

Meanwhile I have found other positive signs upon which the Wildcats can and should build. I found two such in their most recent game. A gentleman by the name of Nick Saban observed that UK ran the ball against the Crimson Tide better than had any of their previous opponents. Better still, despite suffering a number of self-inflicted wounds along the way, those old bugaboos of turnovers and penalties, the Wildcats held Alabama's offense well below its average.

So what must UK do to end its streak of futility against South Carolina's Gamecocks and the Ol' Ball Coach, Steve Spurrier? Number One is clearly to reduce or eliminate mistakes, especially penalties. In the past three games, I cannot count the number of decent gains that have been lost due to penalties. In the same vein, I would hope the coaches have stressed ball security. Hang onto the ball, establish the running game, and get the ball to Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke as much as possible. Keep faith in Chris Matthews. Maybe bring in Larod King (remember him?) Bring heat up front on defense.

No grand solutions there, just common sense. And I believe Rich Brooks and company possess an abundance of that. I believe they can and will fix the problems revealed thus far even as they seek to exploit the strengths shown.

It would be easy to join the naysayers and fair weather fans who are already saying, "same old Kentucky." Instead, I submit that the 'Cats are  closer to breaking out than to falling back. And my hope is that this time next week, the coaches will have faced the task of getting their players focused on Auburn after a resounding triumph on the road over a ranked opponent.