Any team trying to get by with a 7 man rotation can expect big time foul trouble with some regularity. With four UK players fouling out at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill, this was obviously one of those times. It was almost a miracle that Kentucky came as close as they did to winning that game. If it had gone into overtime, UK almost surely would have lost another player or two to fouls and been beaten much worse.
Give the Tar Heel players some credit for stepping up big under pressure and making 9 straight free throws in one stretch late in the game. It's worth pointing out that those were not freshmen making all those clutch free throws for North Carolina down the stretch. In fact, with some of the finest freshmen talent in America on display in this one, it was the more experienced players who won it for the home team. Tyler Zeller did a pretty good imitation of Tyler Hansbrough, while UK's best first year player, Terrance Jones, was suffering through a frustrating afternoon. I only remember a couple of times all day when Jones made a good shot fake on the perimeter to bring his defender out on him and then took it strong to the hole. I say be patient with this kid. He's got enough mental toughness and athletic ability to to learn from his mistakes and starting consistently having monster games by tournament time.
Ditto for Brandon Knight, and Doron Lamb now has proven he's not far behind his superstar freshmen brethren.
Every team in the country has to be worried about the eventual outcome of the Enes Kanter case. It's pretty obvious that if the new information UK has asked to present to the NCAA makes that governing body change its ruling and allow Kanter to play, the Cats suddenly have 5 more fouls to give in the low post, a lot more rebounds, and a presence that's going to make every other Wildcat on the floor better.
If Kanter remains ineligible, Big Blue fans can just take a wait till next year attitude or they can sit back and enjoy watching the current group try to overcome their obvious deficiencies and go as far as they can in the Big Dance.
Maybe some day we'll remember them as the Sensational Seven.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Post Maui Musings
Maybe we should have seen this coming. Any time an entire team gets only 7 assists in a game and the point guard doesn't get any (as the Cats and Brandon Knight did in their Maui semi-final win over Washington) it's not a good omen.
Kentucky was in good company in Maui. Nobody had an answer for UConn's Kemba Walker. I don't think I've ever witnessed a more spectacular three day run.
Brandon Knight definitely had a bad tournament in Maui, but he's so athletically gifted and so intelligent that he will make the necessary adjustments to come back and have a great year. It's also worth noting that Kemba Walker didn't play as a freshman the way he's playing right now.
I've always felt that coaches need to be more flexible in their policy that puts any player with two fouls on the bench for the rest of the first half. It was pretty obvious that UK was in deep trouble with Terrence Jones sitting instead of playing, and a 6'9" player with long arms should be able to still be a defensive presence without picking up more fouls if he plays smart. I really think more often than not coaches would be better off going with their regular substitution patters and asking their players to go as hard as they can for as long as they can.
Coach Cal says Josh Harrelson is probably as good a three point shooter as they have on the squad. If that's true, why in the world would you let him go through the first three games of the season without taking a single one. It makes sense to me that having a big man with the ability to take his tall defender away from the basket to defend the three would open up lanes for the dribble drive.
Lack of depth finally reared its ugly head in the Land of Leis. With an 8 man rotation, this Kentucky team ran out of gas on their last day on Maui. 3 games in 3 days was just too much them to maintain their edge. I look for them to bounce back strong when they get their feet back on Kentucky soil again.
Kentucky was in good company in Maui. Nobody had an answer for UConn's Kemba Walker. I don't think I've ever witnessed a more spectacular three day run.
Brandon Knight definitely had a bad tournament in Maui, but he's so athletically gifted and so intelligent that he will make the necessary adjustments to come back and have a great year. It's also worth noting that Kemba Walker didn't play as a freshman the way he's playing right now.
I've always felt that coaches need to be more flexible in their policy that puts any player with two fouls on the bench for the rest of the first half. It was pretty obvious that UK was in deep trouble with Terrence Jones sitting instead of playing, and a 6'9" player with long arms should be able to still be a defensive presence without picking up more fouls if he plays smart. I really think more often than not coaches would be better off going with their regular substitution patters and asking their players to go as hard as they can for as long as they can.
Coach Cal says Josh Harrelson is probably as good a three point shooter as they have on the squad. If that's true, why in the world would you let him go through the first three games of the season without taking a single one. It makes sense to me that having a big man with the ability to take his tall defender away from the basket to defend the three would open up lanes for the dribble drive.
Lack of depth finally reared its ugly head in the Land of Leis. With an 8 man rotation, this Kentucky team ran out of gas on their last day on Maui. 3 games in 3 days was just too much them to maintain their edge. I look for them to bounce back strong when they get their feet back on Kentucky soil again.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Pre Maui Musings
If Patrick Patterson had come back for his senior year instead of winding up in the NBA's Developomental League, UK could have contended for another national championship even without Enes Canter.
If Daniel Orton had come back for his sophomore year instead of taking Orlando's first round money to sit on his fanny, UK could have contended for another national championship even without Enes Kanter.
John Calipari has finally found the combination to the vault and started making withdrawals from the vast potential of Darius Miller, and all it took was the simple strategy of using Miller behind the ball. As a trailer, he is a great third option if Knight or Jones don't get something done early in the possession.
Joe B. Hall used to expertly break players down and then build them back up to play the role he envisioned for them. Cal seems to have done the same thing with Josh Harrellson. Because of an acute lack of depth in the low post, this team will lose several more games in the regular season than last years squad, but could go just as far in the tournament even without Enes Kanter if they can stay out of foul trouble.
Harrellson got 12 rebounds against Portland. If he gets 12 rebounds in an SEC game, Kentucky will win that game.
If you're worried about Brandon Knight only having one assist against Portland, remember this. Last year John Wall got the majority of his assists on lobs to Cousins or Patterson or Orton or Stephenson for dunks. Knight doesn't have that luxury. The only really big and athletic body he can lob it to is Terrence Jones, who spends a lot of time hanging around on the perimenter. It's hard to dunk 20 feet from the basket.
Knight's shooting stroke is a thing of beauty. I could watch it all day long.
I'm beginning to think the only reason Coach Cal recruited Stacey Poole was because he could, which meant that Florida couldn't.
If UK wins its appeal and Enes Kanter is allowed back once the SEC portion of the schedule rolls around, the Cats will have as good a chance as anybody to win the national title.
That's a lot of ifs, isn't it.
If Daniel Orton had come back for his sophomore year instead of taking Orlando's first round money to sit on his fanny, UK could have contended for another national championship even without Enes Kanter.
John Calipari has finally found the combination to the vault and started making withdrawals from the vast potential of Darius Miller, and all it took was the simple strategy of using Miller behind the ball. As a trailer, he is a great third option if Knight or Jones don't get something done early in the possession.
Joe B. Hall used to expertly break players down and then build them back up to play the role he envisioned for them. Cal seems to have done the same thing with Josh Harrellson. Because of an acute lack of depth in the low post, this team will lose several more games in the regular season than last years squad, but could go just as far in the tournament even without Enes Kanter if they can stay out of foul trouble.
Harrellson got 12 rebounds against Portland. If he gets 12 rebounds in an SEC game, Kentucky will win that game.
If you're worried about Brandon Knight only having one assist against Portland, remember this. Last year John Wall got the majority of his assists on lobs to Cousins or Patterson or Orton or Stephenson for dunks. Knight doesn't have that luxury. The only really big and athletic body he can lob it to is Terrence Jones, who spends a lot of time hanging around on the perimenter. It's hard to dunk 20 feet from the basket.
Knight's shooting stroke is a thing of beauty. I could watch it all day long.
I'm beginning to think the only reason Coach Cal recruited Stacey Poole was because he could, which meant that Florida couldn't.
If UK wins its appeal and Enes Kanter is allowed back once the SEC portion of the schedule rolls around, the Cats will have as good a chance as anybody to win the national title.
That's a lot of ifs, isn't it.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Cats New Star
UK's season opener in basketball inspired this limerick.
The Cats have a new player named Jones
With greatness etched in his bones.
His arms are so long
He plays like King Kong
And can also shoot over zones.
The Cats have a new player named Jones
With greatness etched in his bones.
His arms are so long
He plays like King Kong
And can also shoot over zones.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Cats on the Court
Here are my early impressions of this year's UK basketball squad.
1. Terrence Jones can become one of the best forwards ever to play at UK, but
this team is not at its best when Jones is the tallest player in the line-up. He
needs to have either Harrellson, Vargas or ideally Kanter out there with
him if this team is going to be great. That frees Jones up to get away from
the basket some and just roam the court.
2. Josh Harrellson is not the kind of player who can rise up in the paint, catch
a lob pass and dunk it all in one fluid motion, but Mike Phillips wasn't
either, and Phillips helped Kentucky win a national championship.
Harrellson needs to be allowed to contribute by using the skills he does
possess. Let's all just appreciate what he can do and stop harping on what
he can't do.
3. Brandon Knight is a much, much better shooter than John Wall was and
runs an offense every bit as well. He's not as fast as Wall, but nobody is,
and being just a tad slower may help Knight prevent some of the high
turnover totals that Wall had.
4. I'd like to see Doron Lamb become the best sixth man in the SEC, the kind
of microwave player who comes off the bench and instantly heats things
up every time. Deandre Liggins and Darius Miller will be more than
adequate starting on the wings, and on those occasions when Knight gets
in foul trouble and Liggins has to move to the point, I can see Jon Hood
becoming a factor as another wing player as well.
5. My final impression comes in the form of a question. How did Daniel
Orton manage to get drafted in the first round? Who would you rather
have on your team, Orton or Terrence Jones? I'd take Jones every time. I
have no doubt that he'll play big time minutes in the NBA someday. I'm
not so sure than Orton ever will.
1. Terrence Jones can become one of the best forwards ever to play at UK, but
this team is not at its best when Jones is the tallest player in the line-up. He
needs to have either Harrellson, Vargas or ideally Kanter out there with
him if this team is going to be great. That frees Jones up to get away from
the basket some and just roam the court.
2. Josh Harrellson is not the kind of player who can rise up in the paint, catch
a lob pass and dunk it all in one fluid motion, but Mike Phillips wasn't
either, and Phillips helped Kentucky win a national championship.
Harrellson needs to be allowed to contribute by using the skills he does
possess. Let's all just appreciate what he can do and stop harping on what
he can't do.
3. Brandon Knight is a much, much better shooter than John Wall was and
runs an offense every bit as well. He's not as fast as Wall, but nobody is,
and being just a tad slower may help Knight prevent some of the high
turnover totals that Wall had.
4. I'd like to see Doron Lamb become the best sixth man in the SEC, the kind
of microwave player who comes off the bench and instantly heats things
up every time. Deandre Liggins and Darius Miller will be more than
adequate starting on the wings, and on those occasions when Knight gets
in foul trouble and Liggins has to move to the point, I can see Jon Hood
becoming a factor as another wing player as well.
5. My final impression comes in the form of a question. How did Daniel
Orton manage to get drafted in the first round? Who would you rather
have on your team, Orton or Terrence Jones? I'd take Jones every time. I
have no doubt that he'll play big time minutes in the NBA someday. I'm
not so sure than Orton ever will.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Football and the Election
I really enjoy watching University of Kentucky football games and I get a real kick out of observing politics on both the local and national level, but I have to admit that both have just worn me out this year.
Thankfully, a UK team that can't seem to get ahead of anybody has a cupcake on the schedule this week and should lead from start to finish. On the political scene, all the campaign nastiness is finally over following a mid-term election that showed how tired the majority of Americans are of business as usual in Washington.
The campaign here in Kentucky was especially ugly this year with character assassination and outright lies becoming the norm rather than the exception. Both parties resorted to those tactics rather than just tout their own accomplishments, but desperation fueled some incredibly outragious behavior this year. I'm talking specifically about the altercation prior to the final debate between Jack Conway and Rand Paul when a woman rushed at Dr. Paul as he tried to enter the building and was forced to the ground by Paul supporters. I am absolutely convinced that what happened was a premeditated and deliberate act of provocation. That woman wanted to be assaulted and wasn't going to stop provoking until someone forcibly stopped her. Obviously, voters were not fooled by the way the media portrayed the incident.
The UK football team, on the other hand, has done nothing to make loyal Cat fans ashamed of them except lose more games than they've won. But it's a gutsy, gritty group that never gives up and plays with tremendous heart and determination every week. Their lack of success this season seems to be just a matter of bad timing. If the game starts at 7:30, they rarely do anything too well before 8:30.
Thankfully, a UK team that can't seem to get ahead of anybody has a cupcake on the schedule this week and should lead from start to finish. On the political scene, all the campaign nastiness is finally over following a mid-term election that showed how tired the majority of Americans are of business as usual in Washington.
The campaign here in Kentucky was especially ugly this year with character assassination and outright lies becoming the norm rather than the exception. Both parties resorted to those tactics rather than just tout their own accomplishments, but desperation fueled some incredibly outragious behavior this year. I'm talking specifically about the altercation prior to the final debate between Jack Conway and Rand Paul when a woman rushed at Dr. Paul as he tried to enter the building and was forced to the ground by Paul supporters. I am absolutely convinced that what happened was a premeditated and deliberate act of provocation. That woman wanted to be assaulted and wasn't going to stop provoking until someone forcibly stopped her. Obviously, voters were not fooled by the way the media portrayed the incident.
The UK football team, on the other hand, has done nothing to make loyal Cat fans ashamed of them except lose more games than they've won. But it's a gutsy, gritty group that never gives up and plays with tremendous heart and determination every week. Their lack of success this season seems to be just a matter of bad timing. If the game starts at 7:30, they rarely do anything too well before 8:30.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Houston, we have a problem.
Kentucky was flying high after upsetting South Carolina but thudded back down to earth against Georgia and now must abort its plan to win the SEC Eastern Division crown.
Georgia linebacker Justin Houston created all kinds of problems for the Cats. He forced one fumble, recovered another, and spent much of the evening in Mike Hartline's lap. When he wasn't sacking the UK quarterback, he was at least breathing down his neck and making it difficult for Hartline to throw in rythym.
Under the circumstances, it was downright remarkable that Kentucky's gutsy senior signal caller managed to complete 27 passes for more than 350 yards. What wasn't remarkable was that UK dug itself another giant sized hole with poor tackling and turnovers close to their own goal line. The former made Washaun Ealey look like the second coming of Bo Jackson, and the latter made things way too easy for Georgia to pile up points without having to go far to do it.
As well as Hartline and his receiving corps have played this season, UK should be much better than a 4 & 4 team, but the defense never seems to play a full 4 quarters, and the Cats' kick coverage hasn't been nearly as good as their kickers.
I don't have any answers for the inconsistency on defense, but offensively I do have a simple plan that should allow Kentucky to outscore every opponent remaining on the schedule. Just pretended that it's 3rd and long every time they snap the ball, and the longer the better. For some unknown reason, UK is almost unstoppable on 3rd and 14. They tend to go backwards a lot on 1st and 2nd down, but when it's 3rd and an acre, this team is dynamite.
The problem is that no matter what happens from here on out, it looks like the Cats are destined to go to another "lesser" bowl game while looking back at what might have been.
Georgia linebacker Justin Houston created all kinds of problems for the Cats. He forced one fumble, recovered another, and spent much of the evening in Mike Hartline's lap. When he wasn't sacking the UK quarterback, he was at least breathing down his neck and making it difficult for Hartline to throw in rythym.
Under the circumstances, it was downright remarkable that Kentucky's gutsy senior signal caller managed to complete 27 passes for more than 350 yards. What wasn't remarkable was that UK dug itself another giant sized hole with poor tackling and turnovers close to their own goal line. The former made Washaun Ealey look like the second coming of Bo Jackson, and the latter made things way too easy for Georgia to pile up points without having to go far to do it.
As well as Hartline and his receiving corps have played this season, UK should be much better than a 4 & 4 team, but the defense never seems to play a full 4 quarters, and the Cats' kick coverage hasn't been nearly as good as their kickers.
I don't have any answers for the inconsistency on defense, but offensively I do have a simple plan that should allow Kentucky to outscore every opponent remaining on the schedule. Just pretended that it's 3rd and long every time they snap the ball, and the longer the better. For some unknown reason, UK is almost unstoppable on 3rd and 14. They tend to go backwards a lot on 1st and 2nd down, but when it's 3rd and an acre, this team is dynamite.
The problem is that no matter what happens from here on out, it looks like the Cats are destined to go to another "lesser" bowl game while looking back at what might have been.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Comeback Cats
After an earlier loss this season, Kentucky Coach Joker Phillips said, "You just can't turn the ball over 3 or 4 times in one game and still win in this league." I was about to say, "Oh yes you can", when South Carolina committed three turnovers in the first half alone and still led UK 28 to 10.
Let's face it, without those three gifts, the Cats would have trailed by at least a score of 37 to 10 at intermission, and it was hard to find any legitimate reason why that margin wouldn't build in the second half. Kentucky's tackling had beeen absolutely atrocious for the first 30 minutes, but just as they did against Auburn, the UK defense started coming through with big stops, and the complexion of the game changed completely.
The state of Kentucky is known for basketball, not football, but it is on the football field where UK has produced one of the great American success stories of the 21st century. It is the story of a quarterback who refused to listen to all the doubters who told him he simply wasn't good enough. Mike Hartline shrugged off all the criticism, endured all the slings and arrows, and proved himself capable of producing remarkable comebacks.
This latest one shouldn't have surprised us. Hartline completed 13 straight passes against Auburn the week before, and his streak ended only when another perfect pass was dropped. His offensive line had done a great job of protecting him all season until South Carolina sacked him three times and hit him countless more times just as he was releasing the ball. Still he kept moving the chains even on 3rd and long. Trailing 28 - 17 and faced with what looked like and impossible 3rd and 14 situation, Hartline hooked up with Chris Matthews for a 22 yard gain.
The performance by Matthews was a microcosm of the entire game. The big junior college transfer lost his temper and committed a stupid personal foul that moved UK out of field goal range in the first half. But rather than pouting about his mistake, Matthews came back to make one big play after another enroute to the most productive night of his career.
Some nay sayers will still find ways to devalue this win. They can say if South Carolina's great freshman running back, Marcus Lattimore hadn't sprained his ankle after single handedly racking up more offensive yardage than the whole Kentucky team in the first half, even three UK touchdowns wouldn't have been enough of a comeback to win. What you have to remember is that UK's best running back, Derrick Locke, spent the entire game on the sidelines with an injury. So the fact that South Carolina had Lattimore for a half gave them the advantage.
The Gamecocks came into Commonwealth Stadium averaging 374 yards of offense per game. They came within 5 yards of equalling that total in the first half against Kentucky, partly because the Cats defensive scheme on more than one occasion was to have big defensive lineman trying to cover pass receivers downfield.
South Carolina meanwhile keyed their defense to stop Randall Cobb, and they did apply some vicious hits to contain him early in the game. They even threw him for losses on successive plays in the opening quarter, but they couldn't stop him when it counted most.
Cobb isn't the biggest player in college football today, but I'm convinced he is the most determined. When a game is on the line, he is the one player I would most like to see with the ball in his hands. Going for it on 4th and 1 late in the game, UK surprised no one by snapping it directly to Cobb in the Wildcat formation, and he still got more than enough for the crucial first down.
He also caught the touchdown pass that put UK ahead for the first time all night at 29 - 28. Somehow though Randall had still saved his best for last, and it was his 2 point conversion run that ultimately saved the game for the Cats. If he had been stopped short of the end zone, South Carolina would never have tried that pass that was intercepted on the final play of the game. After marching down inside UK's 20 yard line, they would simply have kicked a game winning field goal. But with the Cats' lead at 3 points, Steve Spurrier's arrogance would not allow him to go for a game tying field goal to force overtime. That decision allowed Kentucky to beat the ole ball coach for the first time ever.
Kentucky had plenty of heroes: Cobb, Matthews, Danny Trevathan, Taylor Windham and of course Mike Hartline. Add it all up, and the Cats now look like a good bet to got to a bowl game for a 5th straight year because now they know they're capable of coming from behind to beat even a Top Ten team.
Let's face it, without those three gifts, the Cats would have trailed by at least a score of 37 to 10 at intermission, and it was hard to find any legitimate reason why that margin wouldn't build in the second half. Kentucky's tackling had beeen absolutely atrocious for the first 30 minutes, but just as they did against Auburn, the UK defense started coming through with big stops, and the complexion of the game changed completely.
The state of Kentucky is known for basketball, not football, but it is on the football field where UK has produced one of the great American success stories of the 21st century. It is the story of a quarterback who refused to listen to all the doubters who told him he simply wasn't good enough. Mike Hartline shrugged off all the criticism, endured all the slings and arrows, and proved himself capable of producing remarkable comebacks.
This latest one shouldn't have surprised us. Hartline completed 13 straight passes against Auburn the week before, and his streak ended only when another perfect pass was dropped. His offensive line had done a great job of protecting him all season until South Carolina sacked him three times and hit him countless more times just as he was releasing the ball. Still he kept moving the chains even on 3rd and long. Trailing 28 - 17 and faced with what looked like and impossible 3rd and 14 situation, Hartline hooked up with Chris Matthews for a 22 yard gain.
The performance by Matthews was a microcosm of the entire game. The big junior college transfer lost his temper and committed a stupid personal foul that moved UK out of field goal range in the first half. But rather than pouting about his mistake, Matthews came back to make one big play after another enroute to the most productive night of his career.
Some nay sayers will still find ways to devalue this win. They can say if South Carolina's great freshman running back, Marcus Lattimore hadn't sprained his ankle after single handedly racking up more offensive yardage than the whole Kentucky team in the first half, even three UK touchdowns wouldn't have been enough of a comeback to win. What you have to remember is that UK's best running back, Derrick Locke, spent the entire game on the sidelines with an injury. So the fact that South Carolina had Lattimore for a half gave them the advantage.
The Gamecocks came into Commonwealth Stadium averaging 374 yards of offense per game. They came within 5 yards of equalling that total in the first half against Kentucky, partly because the Cats defensive scheme on more than one occasion was to have big defensive lineman trying to cover pass receivers downfield.
South Carolina meanwhile keyed their defense to stop Randall Cobb, and they did apply some vicious hits to contain him early in the game. They even threw him for losses on successive plays in the opening quarter, but they couldn't stop him when it counted most.
Cobb isn't the biggest player in college football today, but I'm convinced he is the most determined. When a game is on the line, he is the one player I would most like to see with the ball in his hands. Going for it on 4th and 1 late in the game, UK surprised no one by snapping it directly to Cobb in the Wildcat formation, and he still got more than enough for the crucial first down.
He also caught the touchdown pass that put UK ahead for the first time all night at 29 - 28. Somehow though Randall had still saved his best for last, and it was his 2 point conversion run that ultimately saved the game for the Cats. If he had been stopped short of the end zone, South Carolina would never have tried that pass that was intercepted on the final play of the game. After marching down inside UK's 20 yard line, they would simply have kicked a game winning field goal. But with the Cats' lead at 3 points, Steve Spurrier's arrogance would not allow him to go for a game tying field goal to force overtime. That decision allowed Kentucky to beat the ole ball coach for the first time ever.
Kentucky had plenty of heroes: Cobb, Matthews, Danny Trevathan, Taylor Windham and of course Mike Hartline. Add it all up, and the Cats now look like a good bet to got to a bowl game for a 5th straight year because now they know they're capable of coming from behind to beat even a Top Ten team.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Moral Victory?
Who says there's no such thing as a moral victory. UK fans just witnessed one. At halftime of this CamFest at Commonwealth, it appeared The Cats were so overmatched by Auburn that they would surely lose by at least 3 touchdowns. Instead they clearly outplayed the unbeaten visitors in the second half and lost by 3 points.
Now the bad news. It looked like this was Kentucky's game plan in the first half: Try to shut down Auburn's running backs and make Cam Newton beat us. Well, duh. The Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback is tough enough to stop when you're concentrating only on him, and UK defenders seemed to be avoiding him like the plague in the game's first 30 minutes.
When Ronnie Snead did get in position to tackle the enormous QB on one play, Newton stiff armed him out of the way like a charging elephant might dispose of a pesky chihuahua. Newton's four first half touchdowns came with remarkable ease. He never seemed to be running full speed, but the Cats still couldn't catch him.
With Auburn on top 14 to 7 early, it did appear that UK was about to run Newton out of bounds for no gain when he suddenly lauched an off balance passed that sailed perfectly into the hands of Tony Burns at the Cat's 9 yard line.
Super Man Cam then ran through a ridiculously large hole for yet another Auburn score. Not long thereafter, he made a 35 yard trot to the UK 5 yard line, and seconds later there was nobody within 5 yards of Newton when he waltzed into the end zone for his 4th TD of the night. Everybody in Commonwealth stadium had to be pondering the same question I was a that point. How can a quarterback that big be that hard to find? His team scored every time they got the football in the first half.
Mike Hartline meanwhile was completing everything he threw at that juncture. However, after successive completions to Derrick Locke and Randall Cobb, Locke fumbled on a running play, giving UK its 6th turnover in the last 2 and a half games. It's really hard to win when you present that many gifts to the opposition.
With the World Equestrian Games going on nearby, Kentucky kept looking a gift horse in the mouth. Twice the Cats missed golden opportunities to recover Auburn fumbles. If the officials had ruled that Randall Burden had maintained possession as he rolled out of bounds with the last of those fumbles, I'm absolutely convinced Kentucky would have converted the turnover into a game winning touchdown of their own.
Sadly though, the Cats continue to waste great performances from their terrific trio of Cobb, Locke and Hartline. Yes, I just used the word terrific in the same sentence with the name Hartline, and you better believe he earned it. It's time for all of us to give the guy his due. He beat out two very talented young guns for the job as UK"s QB, and now it's pretty clear how he did it.
Locke and Cobb meanwhile are far and away the best kick-return duo in the country, and Cobb now has my vote as the best all purpose player in America.
Offensive co-ordinator Randy Sanders seems to have figured out that Kentucky is far more effective when Cobb gets more touches out the Wildcat formation. The play on which Cobb started running left out of that formation and then threw back across the field to Jordan Aumiller in the end zone was the kind of creative call by Coach Sanders that UK needs more of.
They'll need imagination and execution to beat South Carolina this week.
All the Big Blue Kool-Ade drinkers who predicted 9 or 10 wins for the Cats this season overlooked the fact that Auburn and South Carolina are both much better football teams than they were last year. Both managed to recruit impact players who have made a huge difference.
Randall Cobb though can be the biggest difference maker next Saturday, and I have a hunch that the little man with the big heart is not going to let his team lose another heartbreaker.
Now the bad news. It looked like this was Kentucky's game plan in the first half: Try to shut down Auburn's running backs and make Cam Newton beat us. Well, duh. The Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback is tough enough to stop when you're concentrating only on him, and UK defenders seemed to be avoiding him like the plague in the game's first 30 minutes.
When Ronnie Snead did get in position to tackle the enormous QB on one play, Newton stiff armed him out of the way like a charging elephant might dispose of a pesky chihuahua. Newton's four first half touchdowns came with remarkable ease. He never seemed to be running full speed, but the Cats still couldn't catch him.
With Auburn on top 14 to 7 early, it did appear that UK was about to run Newton out of bounds for no gain when he suddenly lauched an off balance passed that sailed perfectly into the hands of Tony Burns at the Cat's 9 yard line.
Super Man Cam then ran through a ridiculously large hole for yet another Auburn score. Not long thereafter, he made a 35 yard trot to the UK 5 yard line, and seconds later there was nobody within 5 yards of Newton when he waltzed into the end zone for his 4th TD of the night. Everybody in Commonwealth stadium had to be pondering the same question I was a that point. How can a quarterback that big be that hard to find? His team scored every time they got the football in the first half.
Mike Hartline meanwhile was completing everything he threw at that juncture. However, after successive completions to Derrick Locke and Randall Cobb, Locke fumbled on a running play, giving UK its 6th turnover in the last 2 and a half games. It's really hard to win when you present that many gifts to the opposition.
With the World Equestrian Games going on nearby, Kentucky kept looking a gift horse in the mouth. Twice the Cats missed golden opportunities to recover Auburn fumbles. If the officials had ruled that Randall Burden had maintained possession as he rolled out of bounds with the last of those fumbles, I'm absolutely convinced Kentucky would have converted the turnover into a game winning touchdown of their own.
Sadly though, the Cats continue to waste great performances from their terrific trio of Cobb, Locke and Hartline. Yes, I just used the word terrific in the same sentence with the name Hartline, and you better believe he earned it. It's time for all of us to give the guy his due. He beat out two very talented young guns for the job as UK"s QB, and now it's pretty clear how he did it.
Locke and Cobb meanwhile are far and away the best kick-return duo in the country, and Cobb now has my vote as the best all purpose player in America.
Offensive co-ordinator Randy Sanders seems to have figured out that Kentucky is far more effective when Cobb gets more touches out the Wildcat formation. The play on which Cobb started running left out of that formation and then threw back across the field to Jordan Aumiller in the end zone was the kind of creative call by Coach Sanders that UK needs more of.
They'll need imagination and execution to beat South Carolina this week.
All the Big Blue Kool-Ade drinkers who predicted 9 or 10 wins for the Cats this season overlooked the fact that Auburn and South Carolina are both much better football teams than they were last year. Both managed to recruit impact players who have made a huge difference.
Randall Cobb though can be the biggest difference maker next Saturday, and I have a hunch that the little man with the big heart is not going to let his team lose another heartbreaker.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Let's Get Physical
My body is racked with pain after just watching that slugfest in Oxford. Ole Miss tacklers repeatedly made the kind of hard hits that my high school school coach used to call "slobber knockers."
Joker Phillips obviously told his Kentucky team at halftime, "Let's get physical. Let's put some licks on them that they'll remember all week." And UK's defenders did respond with some hard hits, but unfortunately too many of them came after the whistle blew.
On the first Ole Miss possession of the second half, the Cats handed them 35 yards as a result of penalties, Two of those were for late hits after the whistle. After falling 22 points behind in that second half, you have to admire the way UK hung in there and made a game of it, but after losing what everybody agreed was a "must win" game, these Cats could be in big trouble.
We're going to hear more than once in the coming week how hard it is to win on the road in the SEC. but remember this was an Ole Miss team that had already lost home games this season to Jacksonville State and Vanderbilt.
After Derrick Locke accounted for all 60 yards of UK's first touchdown drive, it looked like Kentucky would hang another embarrassing "L" on Houston Nutt's squad. But even with Locke's track star status, it became obvious as the game progressed that Ole Miss had an edge in overall team speed as well as toughness.
The losers did gain more yards than the winners in this game, but that was due in large part to the fact that Ole Miss didn't have to put long scoring drives together thanks to UK turnovers and the fact that two kick-offs by freshman Joe Manseur sailed out of bounds allowing the Rebels to start drives at the 40 yard line.
Offensively, Mike Hartline missed a couple of short passes early when his timing seemed to be slightly off, but he still wound up throwing for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns. What's frustrating is that with a dynamic duo like Derrick Locke and Randall Cobb, this UK offense should not go 3 and out as often as they did at Oxford, and they sure as heck shouldn't come up empty on 10 of 16 third down situations.
Cobb was simply magnificent catching passes and returning kicks, and when he made a rare miscue with his fumble deep in Kentucky territory, he came right back to make one great play after another enabling the Cats to get the lead back. How he hung on to the TD pass on which he was hit hard enough by two defenders simultaneoulsy to knock his helmet off I'll never know. When you lose your lid and still hang on to the ball, you've got some kind of concentration and a whole lot of courage.
Meanwhile Hartline has gone from being a "game manager" last year to a riverboat gambler this season. He's got a lot of confidence now that he can complete even the toughest throws, and sometimes that's going to result in an interception. Just ask Brett Favre.
Hartline's counterpart at quarterback, Jeremiah Masoli, figured to cause the Cats lots of problems, and he did. The really disturbing part is how easily his receivers seemed to get open. When his tight end caught a touchdown pass on the first play of the 4th quarter to put the Rebels up 42 to 20, the guy could have ordered a hot dog in the time it took for any UK defender to even get near him. You may recall that play came after Jesse Grandy of Ole Miss sprinted 73 yards with a punt return to the UK 2 yard line. That's when the thought crossed my mind that the Rebels have a lot more speedsters than UK does.
The fact that Kentucky still had a chance to win or tie this game in the closing minute is a tribute to the attitude that Joker has instilled in his team.
When another super catch by Cobb for a two point conversion still left UK down by 2 touchdowns late in the game, you could tell by their body language that most of the Cats felt they could still find a way to win.
They almost did when Harline hooked up with the tall and every improving Chris Matthews on another scoring pass, and the Cats followed it up with an absolutely perfect on-side kick. UK did everything right on that kick except come up with the football in the midst of a traffic jam.
Apart from the standout play of Locke and Cobb, there were some other positives in this loss including the 2 long field goals by Craig McIntosh and the 73 yard punt by Ryan Tydlacka. Danny Trevathan could be one of the SEC's best linebackers, and Mark Crawford is becoming a force in the middle of the defensive line, but I'm still haunted by the image of the pile moving almost every time an Ole Miss runner was met near the line of scrimmage, and that pile always seemed to be moving toward the UK goal line.
Joker Phillips obviously told his Kentucky team at halftime, "Let's get physical. Let's put some licks on them that they'll remember all week." And UK's defenders did respond with some hard hits, but unfortunately too many of them came after the whistle blew.
On the first Ole Miss possession of the second half, the Cats handed them 35 yards as a result of penalties, Two of those were for late hits after the whistle. After falling 22 points behind in that second half, you have to admire the way UK hung in there and made a game of it, but after losing what everybody agreed was a "must win" game, these Cats could be in big trouble.
We're going to hear more than once in the coming week how hard it is to win on the road in the SEC. but remember this was an Ole Miss team that had already lost home games this season to Jacksonville State and Vanderbilt.
After Derrick Locke accounted for all 60 yards of UK's first touchdown drive, it looked like Kentucky would hang another embarrassing "L" on Houston Nutt's squad. But even with Locke's track star status, it became obvious as the game progressed that Ole Miss had an edge in overall team speed as well as toughness.
The losers did gain more yards than the winners in this game, but that was due in large part to the fact that Ole Miss didn't have to put long scoring drives together thanks to UK turnovers and the fact that two kick-offs by freshman Joe Manseur sailed out of bounds allowing the Rebels to start drives at the 40 yard line.
Offensively, Mike Hartline missed a couple of short passes early when his timing seemed to be slightly off, but he still wound up throwing for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns. What's frustrating is that with a dynamic duo like Derrick Locke and Randall Cobb, this UK offense should not go 3 and out as often as they did at Oxford, and they sure as heck shouldn't come up empty on 10 of 16 third down situations.
Cobb was simply magnificent catching passes and returning kicks, and when he made a rare miscue with his fumble deep in Kentucky territory, he came right back to make one great play after another enabling the Cats to get the lead back. How he hung on to the TD pass on which he was hit hard enough by two defenders simultaneoulsy to knock his helmet off I'll never know. When you lose your lid and still hang on to the ball, you've got some kind of concentration and a whole lot of courage.
Meanwhile Hartline has gone from being a "game manager" last year to a riverboat gambler this season. He's got a lot of confidence now that he can complete even the toughest throws, and sometimes that's going to result in an interception. Just ask Brett Favre.
Hartline's counterpart at quarterback, Jeremiah Masoli, figured to cause the Cats lots of problems, and he did. The really disturbing part is how easily his receivers seemed to get open. When his tight end caught a touchdown pass on the first play of the 4th quarter to put the Rebels up 42 to 20, the guy could have ordered a hot dog in the time it took for any UK defender to even get near him. You may recall that play came after Jesse Grandy of Ole Miss sprinted 73 yards with a punt return to the UK 2 yard line. That's when the thought crossed my mind that the Rebels have a lot more speedsters than UK does.
The fact that Kentucky still had a chance to win or tie this game in the closing minute is a tribute to the attitude that Joker has instilled in his team.
When another super catch by Cobb for a two point conversion still left UK down by 2 touchdowns late in the game, you could tell by their body language that most of the Cats felt they could still find a way to win.
They almost did when Harline hooked up with the tall and every improving Chris Matthews on another scoring pass, and the Cats followed it up with an absolutely perfect on-side kick. UK did everything right on that kick except come up with the football in the midst of a traffic jam.
Apart from the standout play of Locke and Cobb, there were some other positives in this loss including the 2 long field goals by Craig McIntosh and the 73 yard punt by Ryan Tydlacka. Danny Trevathan could be one of the SEC's best linebackers, and Mark Crawford is becoming a force in the middle of the defensive line, but I'm still haunted by the image of the pile moving almost every time an Ole Miss runner was met near the line of scrimmage, and that pile always seemed to be moving toward the UK goal line.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Swamped Again
Take heart, Cat fans. Kentucky is just like the majority of teams in the SEC this year. They've got some really good players, but not enough to go on the road and beat one the league's elite teams, especially when that road leads to the swamp.
UK's defense was suspect heading into this season, and it still is. Florida hadn't scored an offensive touchdown in the first quarter of any of their first three games, and their quarterback, John Brantley, had struggled in the early stages of those games. He completed 9 of his first 12 passes against UK, one of them for a touchdown as the Gators jumped out to a quick 14 - 0 lead.
Even when UK got great field position after a Florida miscue, the Cats meekly went 3 and out. Then an understandably frustrated Mike Hartline tried to force a pass that wasn't there, and the result was yet another Gator touchdown.
The Cats only TD of the first half was the result of some Derek Jeter like "trickeration" when Chris Matthews pretended to run off the field and instead hung around near the sidelines long enough to catch a pass in the end zone on a fake field goal. Urban Meyer seemed downright embarrassed that he and his assistant coaches didn't notice what was going on soon enough to get a defender out there on Matthews. Personally, I think UK should have opened up its bag of tricks a little earlier. What have you got to lose when you're clearly outmanned.
At any rate, trailing 21 to 7, Kentucky's only hope was to stop the Gators on their first possession of the second half and then mount a scoring drive of their own. Instead Florida marched right down the field to increase their lead to 20 points. Anyone who thought the Cats were going to come roaring back to win at that point had been drinking way too much of the blue Kool-Aid.
The ease with which Florida scored in the second half exposed the fact that UK's linebackers collectively lack the speed to compete against the SEC's best.
Ronnie Sneed is a gutsy kid who gets all he can out of the talent he possesses, but against Florida, he was a step and a half late getting everywhere he needed to be. I can't help but wonder if he was late for the pre-game meal.
The best chance Kentucky had to make a game of it in Gainesville was to put a lot of pressure on Brantley and force him into making bad throws. That didn't happen. He had time to throw all night, and it was obvious that the Gators could have beaten UK without Brantley the way Trey Burton operated out of the Wildcat formation. Every time Florida got deep into Kentucky territory and lined up in the Wildcat in the second half, everybody in the stadium knew what they were going to do, and yet UK still couldn't keep Burton out of the end zone.
The only way the Cats were going to score enough points to wipe that smug smile off the face of Urban Meyer was for Randall Cobb and Derek Locke both to have big games, and of course, that didn't happen either. Other SEC opponents know now that if they can somehow neutralize both of those guys,
Kentucky probably can't win.
Still there were some positive signs in this shellacking. Chris Matthews has clearly evolved into a game changing receiver. The Cats completed almost as many passes as the Gators and had almost as many first downs, and it wouldn't have been fair to expect UK to get through a fourth straight game without a turnover.
So now here we are at the proverbial fork in the road. Veer off one way and lose at Ole Miss next week and this season could get away from the Cats. Take the high road and pull of an impressive win in Oxford and suddenly we remember all the things we like about this UK team and its coaching staff.
UK's defense was suspect heading into this season, and it still is. Florida hadn't scored an offensive touchdown in the first quarter of any of their first three games, and their quarterback, John Brantley, had struggled in the early stages of those games. He completed 9 of his first 12 passes against UK, one of them for a touchdown as the Gators jumped out to a quick 14 - 0 lead.
Even when UK got great field position after a Florida miscue, the Cats meekly went 3 and out. Then an understandably frustrated Mike Hartline tried to force a pass that wasn't there, and the result was yet another Gator touchdown.
The Cats only TD of the first half was the result of some Derek Jeter like "trickeration" when Chris Matthews pretended to run off the field and instead hung around near the sidelines long enough to catch a pass in the end zone on a fake field goal. Urban Meyer seemed downright embarrassed that he and his assistant coaches didn't notice what was going on soon enough to get a defender out there on Matthews. Personally, I think UK should have opened up its bag of tricks a little earlier. What have you got to lose when you're clearly outmanned.
At any rate, trailing 21 to 7, Kentucky's only hope was to stop the Gators on their first possession of the second half and then mount a scoring drive of their own. Instead Florida marched right down the field to increase their lead to 20 points. Anyone who thought the Cats were going to come roaring back to win at that point had been drinking way too much of the blue Kool-Aid.
The ease with which Florida scored in the second half exposed the fact that UK's linebackers collectively lack the speed to compete against the SEC's best.
Ronnie Sneed is a gutsy kid who gets all he can out of the talent he possesses, but against Florida, he was a step and a half late getting everywhere he needed to be. I can't help but wonder if he was late for the pre-game meal.
The best chance Kentucky had to make a game of it in Gainesville was to put a lot of pressure on Brantley and force him into making bad throws. That didn't happen. He had time to throw all night, and it was obvious that the Gators could have beaten UK without Brantley the way Trey Burton operated out of the Wildcat formation. Every time Florida got deep into Kentucky territory and lined up in the Wildcat in the second half, everybody in the stadium knew what they were going to do, and yet UK still couldn't keep Burton out of the end zone.
The only way the Cats were going to score enough points to wipe that smug smile off the face of Urban Meyer was for Randall Cobb and Derek Locke both to have big games, and of course, that didn't happen either. Other SEC opponents know now that if they can somehow neutralize both of those guys,
Kentucky probably can't win.
Still there were some positive signs in this shellacking. Chris Matthews has clearly evolved into a game changing receiver. The Cats completed almost as many passes as the Gators and had almost as many first downs, and it wouldn't have been fair to expect UK to get through a fourth straight game without a turnover.
So now here we are at the proverbial fork in the road. Veer off one way and lose at Ole Miss next week and this season could get away from the Cats. Take the high road and pull of an impressive win in Oxford and suddenly we remember all the things we like about this UK team and its coaching staff.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
How Good Are The Cats?
I'm really glad all the prelims are over, and now we can get to the main event. Being 3 & 0 beats the heck out of any alternative, but ask yourself how good these Cats really are.
How impressive was this latest win over a bad Akron team that lost to Gardner Webb last week? Well, let's take a close look at it.
Leading 3 - 0 with 9 and a half minutes left in the first quarter, the Cats couldn't gain 10 yards in four downs after taking possession with great field position at the fifty yard line. Akron took over, and their best receiver, Jeremy LaFrance, dropped a sure touchdown pass in the open field that would have given this motley crew from Ohio a 7 to 3 lead.
When Kentucky got the ball back, how did they respond to their good fortune. Chris Matthews dropped a pass, a holding penalty wiped out a long pass play from Hartline to Cobb, and that was followed by a false start and an incomplete pass.
At that point, another Akron receiver got past his UK defender in the open field and would have had another sure touchdown if his quarterback hadn't overthrown him badly. Let's be realistic. At that very momemt, Kentucky should have been losing to a bad Akron team 14 to 3.
On the Cats' next possession, they went for it on 4th and 1 from the Akron 29 yard line, but another of the dreaded false starts forced a field goal attempt.
Coach Joker went ballistic and called time-out to read his players the riot act,
but the immediate result was a missed field goal.
A pass interference call against Randall Burden gave Akron a 1st and 10 at the Kentucky 18 yard line, and when the visiting Zips had to settle for a game tying field goal, instead of 3 - 3, the score should have been Akron 17, Kentucky 3 if Akron hadn't botched those two sure touchdown passes.
Uk faced a 3rd and 12 situation on their next possession and promptly got a holding penalty, making them 0 for 5 on third down conversions midway through the second quarter.
A McIntosh field goal finally gave UK its first lead at 6 to 3, but remember, Kentucky should have been losing at that juncture 17 to 6, not to Florida or South Carolina or any number of other good SEC teams but to a bad Akron team.
Mike Hartline continued to throw the ball well, but even when his 13 yard TD pass to Randall Cobb gave the Cats a 13 to 3 lead with just over four minutes left in the half, UK should still have been losing to a bad Akron team 17 - 13.
Kentucky's terrific turtle, Moncell Allen, limped off the field with an injured hamstring after the ensuing kick-off, but when UK got the ball again, Hartline managed the clock beautifully and kept the Cats on the march toward another score. But again, be realistic. We should all take note that after 29 minutes of football against a bad Akron team, UK should have still been losing by 4 points.
From that point on, Kentucky got one great run after another from Derrick Locke and outscored the Zips 34 to 7. They'll take what looks like momentum into next week's game with the Gators, but is it false momentum.
And how concerned should we be that the Cats might be going to Gainesville without their best blocker?
With DeQuin Evans and Collins Ukwu both playing better at defensive end and Danny Trevathan developing into a standout linebacker, Florida shouldn't find it easy to score on Saturday. As long as UK has two offensive stars as good as Cobb and Locke, and as long as Hartline continues to play almost flawless football, the Cats have a chance to beat just about anybody.
Still, it's hard to get too confident after those 29 minutes of struggle against a bad Akron team.
How impressive was this latest win over a bad Akron team that lost to Gardner Webb last week? Well, let's take a close look at it.
Leading 3 - 0 with 9 and a half minutes left in the first quarter, the Cats couldn't gain 10 yards in four downs after taking possession with great field position at the fifty yard line. Akron took over, and their best receiver, Jeremy LaFrance, dropped a sure touchdown pass in the open field that would have given this motley crew from Ohio a 7 to 3 lead.
When Kentucky got the ball back, how did they respond to their good fortune. Chris Matthews dropped a pass, a holding penalty wiped out a long pass play from Hartline to Cobb, and that was followed by a false start and an incomplete pass.
At that point, another Akron receiver got past his UK defender in the open field and would have had another sure touchdown if his quarterback hadn't overthrown him badly. Let's be realistic. At that very momemt, Kentucky should have been losing to a bad Akron team 14 to 3.
On the Cats' next possession, they went for it on 4th and 1 from the Akron 29 yard line, but another of the dreaded false starts forced a field goal attempt.
Coach Joker went ballistic and called time-out to read his players the riot act,
but the immediate result was a missed field goal.
A pass interference call against Randall Burden gave Akron a 1st and 10 at the Kentucky 18 yard line, and when the visiting Zips had to settle for a game tying field goal, instead of 3 - 3, the score should have been Akron 17, Kentucky 3 if Akron hadn't botched those two sure touchdown passes.
Uk faced a 3rd and 12 situation on their next possession and promptly got a holding penalty, making them 0 for 5 on third down conversions midway through the second quarter.
A McIntosh field goal finally gave UK its first lead at 6 to 3, but remember, Kentucky should have been losing at that juncture 17 to 6, not to Florida or South Carolina or any number of other good SEC teams but to a bad Akron team.
Mike Hartline continued to throw the ball well, but even when his 13 yard TD pass to Randall Cobb gave the Cats a 13 to 3 lead with just over four minutes left in the half, UK should still have been losing to a bad Akron team 17 - 13.
Kentucky's terrific turtle, Moncell Allen, limped off the field with an injured hamstring after the ensuing kick-off, but when UK got the ball again, Hartline managed the clock beautifully and kept the Cats on the march toward another score. But again, be realistic. We should all take note that after 29 minutes of football against a bad Akron team, UK should have still been losing by 4 points.
From that point on, Kentucky got one great run after another from Derrick Locke and outscored the Zips 34 to 7. They'll take what looks like momentum into next week's game with the Gators, but is it false momentum.
And how concerned should we be that the Cats might be going to Gainesville without their best blocker?
With DeQuin Evans and Collins Ukwu both playing better at defensive end and Danny Trevathan developing into a standout linebacker, Florida shouldn't find it easy to score on Saturday. As long as UK has two offensive stars as good as Cobb and Locke, and as long as Hartline continues to play almost flawless football, the Cats have a chance to beat just about anybody.
Still, it's hard to get too confident after those 29 minutes of struggle against a bad Akron team.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Question Marks Remain
In a season in which we've already seen Ole Miss lose to Jacksonville State and Virginia Tech lose to James Madison, we should have known UK couldn't just mail in a win over Western Kentucky.
Instead the Cats kicked off to Western, and the Hilltoppers promptly marched right down the field and scored. It looked like the Cats were trying to get by with only 7 defenders instead of 11. They made WKU tailback Bobby Rainey look like Walter Payton. Rainey ran 59 yards for a touchdown on only the third play of the game enroute to a career high 182 yard game.
Rainey is not a big guy at all, but twice in the second half he managed to drag 6 or 7 UK tacklers for several more yards after the initial contact. It dawned on me after that happened the second time that Kentucky's linebacking corps is less than awesome and maybe less than adequate. It really makes you wonder what some of the best tailbacks in the SEC are going to do against Kentucky.
After a game in which UK scored 63 points and won by 35, I'm a lot more worried about this season than I was after the season opening win over Louisville. Their kick-off coverage was a little shakey against the Cards, and it sure didn't get any better against Western who got a 90 yard return for a touchdown by freshman Willie McNeal.
UK freshman Joe Manseur has a strong leg, but he kicks off the way I hit my driver on the golf course. Neither one of us have any idea where the ball is going. And when he kicks it someplace other than where his coverage team is expecting it to go, bad things happen.
Fortunately, the Cats have a great kick return game of their own. Randall Cobb's 50 yard punt return for a score was a thing of beauty, and I'm beginning to think this guy may just be one of the two or three best players in all of college football this season. Cobb also threw a touchdown pass and caught one as well.
Mike Hartline meanwhile continues to look downright solid at quarterback.
He made a lot of good throws against Western as he spread the ball around to his stable of capable receivers, and when offensive coordinator Randy Sanders called a designed run for Hartline, he showed enough athletic ability to get all the way to the end zone.
When Joker broke out the second and third teamers, several of them really caught my eye. True freshman running back Raymond Sanders showed a great burst on two straight runs that netted him his first collegiate touchdown, and Morgan Newton showed that if Hartline goes down with an injury, UK still will be well represented at quarterback. I wish Ryan Mossakowski had gotten a chance to show off his passing ability, but I realize by the time he got in the game, it wouldn't have been very sportsmanlike for UK to still be tossing the ball around.
Unfortunately, next weeks game against Akron isn't going to tell us much that we don't already know, and I'm still afraid that unless the UK defense improves tremendously over the next two weeks, it's going to be even more vulnerable against SEC competition.
UK fans better enjoy this unbeaten status while we can.
Instead the Cats kicked off to Western, and the Hilltoppers promptly marched right down the field and scored. It looked like the Cats were trying to get by with only 7 defenders instead of 11. They made WKU tailback Bobby Rainey look like Walter Payton. Rainey ran 59 yards for a touchdown on only the third play of the game enroute to a career high 182 yard game.
Rainey is not a big guy at all, but twice in the second half he managed to drag 6 or 7 UK tacklers for several more yards after the initial contact. It dawned on me after that happened the second time that Kentucky's linebacking corps is less than awesome and maybe less than adequate. It really makes you wonder what some of the best tailbacks in the SEC are going to do against Kentucky.
After a game in which UK scored 63 points and won by 35, I'm a lot more worried about this season than I was after the season opening win over Louisville. Their kick-off coverage was a little shakey against the Cards, and it sure didn't get any better against Western who got a 90 yard return for a touchdown by freshman Willie McNeal.
UK freshman Joe Manseur has a strong leg, but he kicks off the way I hit my driver on the golf course. Neither one of us have any idea where the ball is going. And when he kicks it someplace other than where his coverage team is expecting it to go, bad things happen.
Fortunately, the Cats have a great kick return game of their own. Randall Cobb's 50 yard punt return for a score was a thing of beauty, and I'm beginning to think this guy may just be one of the two or three best players in all of college football this season. Cobb also threw a touchdown pass and caught one as well.
Mike Hartline meanwhile continues to look downright solid at quarterback.
He made a lot of good throws against Western as he spread the ball around to his stable of capable receivers, and when offensive coordinator Randy Sanders called a designed run for Hartline, he showed enough athletic ability to get all the way to the end zone.
When Joker broke out the second and third teamers, several of them really caught my eye. True freshman running back Raymond Sanders showed a great burst on two straight runs that netted him his first collegiate touchdown, and Morgan Newton showed that if Hartline goes down with an injury, UK still will be well represented at quarterback. I wish Ryan Mossakowski had gotten a chance to show off his passing ability, but I realize by the time he got in the game, it wouldn't have been very sportsmanlike for UK to still be tossing the ball around.
Unfortunately, next weeks game against Akron isn't going to tell us much that we don't already know, and I'm still afraid that unless the UK defense improves tremendously over the next two weeks, it's going to be even more vulnerable against SEC competition.
UK fans better enjoy this unbeaten status while we can.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Not Bad For Openers
The Cats complete a four year term with the Governor's Cup despite some serious brain cramps. A 7 point win over a mediocre Louisville team makes you wonder how messy things could get when UK opens SEC play, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. That is, unless somebody commits another silly false start before we get to the bridge.
One of my big questions heading into this season opener was would Joker throw the ball downfield more often than Rich Brooks did. Well, make that a big affirmative, good buddy. On the very first play, Hartline winds up and fires a perfect strike to a wide open LaRod King for a 38 yard gain. Hartline then handed the ball to Derrick Locke who ran all the way to the end zone to complete a 2 play, 70 yard touchdown drive that took all of 35 seconds. It takes Papa John longer than that to get all the ingredients on his pizza.
Joker meanwhile showed everybody who's the boss now by electing not to start perhaps his two most talented defensive players, DeQuin Evans and Winston Guy. The leftovers did just fine until Evans and Guy made their better late than never appearances.
On the offensive side, I thought Randy Sanders called a brilliant game from upstairs. He started the Cats second drive of the day with a reverse to Randall Cobb that netted a first down, but Sanders didn't overuse Cobb or anybody else for that matter. The first 6 times he called Derrick Locke's number, Locke rolled up 63 yards. Better than 10 yards a carry will get folks talking Heisman Trophy in a big hurry.
When the aforementioned DeQuin Evans got to Louisville QB Adam Froman in time to hit his throwing arm as it was coming forward, resulting in a two yard wounded duck incomplete pass, you could see all kinds of smiles on the faces of UK players. Joker said going into his debut that he wanted them to have fun today, and at that point, the Cats looked like kids in a toy store.
Froman foolishly predicted to the announcers from ABC that his team might just torch Kentucky for 600 total yards, 300 passing and 300 more rushing. Well, at halftime Mr. Froman had a grand total of 47 yards through the air. John Calipari threw for more yards than that while showing off his arm before the game.
Actually, the opposing quarterbacks both played well in this game. Hartline just had a lot better stable of pass catchers to throw to than Froman did. In fact, the key moment in the game might have come on a first half 67 yard kick-off return by Louisville's VictorAnderson. The Cards' Juco Transfer, Josh Bellamy was involved in a vicious collision with UK's Matt Roark on the play and never returned. Bellamy had been U of L's most impressive pass receiver in Fall Camp, and his replacement, Troy Pascley dropped three passes that should have been caught including one long second half bomb that would have turned all the momentum in Louisville's favor.
UK meanwhile got meaningful catches from a whole flock of receivers including Matt Roark and former Boyle County star Jordan Aumiller. Chris Matthews showed great concentration on one remarkable catch, and although Randall Cobb was mostly a decoy in this game, he showed what a super receiver he is by hauling in one high Hartline pass with one hand.
Things really got interesting though when UK went to its WildCobb
formation, and the little guy from Tennesee romped 51 yards for a touchdown that put the Cats on top 20 - 3. U of L had to settle for another field goal after DeQuin Evans threw Bilal Powell for a big loss, and Kentucky's lead was 20 to 6 at halftime.
Powell got some revenge in the third quarter when he broke loose and outran every UK defender on an 80 yard sprint to paydirt and Louisville coach Charlie Strong showed why he's considered a defensive genius. He made all the necessary adjustments and held Kentucky to only three more points after the break.
But some of that may have been more a result of UK's insanity than Strong's genius. Billy Joe Murphy had a false start that turned a makeable 3rd and 3 situation into a problematic 3rd and 8, and on that same drive, Murphy's man ran right over him and pressured Hartline into a bad pass. Chandler Burden ruined another drive with a costly false start of his own. The Cats were whistled for 11 costly penalties totalling 90 yards.
The UK defense got an interception from ultra athletic newcomer Mychal Bailey and a fumble recovery by Ridge Wilson after Taylor Wyndham ripped the ball from Bilal Powell's grasp.
The first 4th and 1 gamble of the Joker Phillips era resulted in Locke rumbling for a first down enroute to a 104 yard day by the former track star.
But Tydlacka, who earlier missed a PAT, misfired on a very makeable field goal.
Still, U of L seemed to be getting desperate when Strong went for it on 4th and 5 at the Cards' own 39 yard line, and Doug Beaumont made a diving catch for a first down. On that same drive, Louisville faced an almost impossible 4th and 17 situation, but UK linebacker Ridge Wilson inexplicably roughed
up Adam Froman long after he had launched a desperation pass, and the penalty gave U of L an automatic first down.
A field goal got them within a touchdown, but UK's offense proved itself more than capable of holding a lead in the closing moments. Randy Sanders was smart enough at that point to go to the WildCobb formation and Randall promptly passed for one first down and ran for another. With Cobb and Locke and Donald Russell all running well and Moncell Allen clearing the way for them, this Kentucky team is going to be good at milking the clock, especially on days that Hartline handles the passing game as well as he did in this game.
The Hartline haters are really gonna have to get picky to find fault with his opening day performance. Now the Cats should take a 3 & 0 record into their annual thrashing at the hands of Florida.
One of my big questions heading into this season opener was would Joker throw the ball downfield more often than Rich Brooks did. Well, make that a big affirmative, good buddy. On the very first play, Hartline winds up and fires a perfect strike to a wide open LaRod King for a 38 yard gain. Hartline then handed the ball to Derrick Locke who ran all the way to the end zone to complete a 2 play, 70 yard touchdown drive that took all of 35 seconds. It takes Papa John longer than that to get all the ingredients on his pizza.
Joker meanwhile showed everybody who's the boss now by electing not to start perhaps his two most talented defensive players, DeQuin Evans and Winston Guy. The leftovers did just fine until Evans and Guy made their better late than never appearances.
On the offensive side, I thought Randy Sanders called a brilliant game from upstairs. He started the Cats second drive of the day with a reverse to Randall Cobb that netted a first down, but Sanders didn't overuse Cobb or anybody else for that matter. The first 6 times he called Derrick Locke's number, Locke rolled up 63 yards. Better than 10 yards a carry will get folks talking Heisman Trophy in a big hurry.
When the aforementioned DeQuin Evans got to Louisville QB Adam Froman in time to hit his throwing arm as it was coming forward, resulting in a two yard wounded duck incomplete pass, you could see all kinds of smiles on the faces of UK players. Joker said going into his debut that he wanted them to have fun today, and at that point, the Cats looked like kids in a toy store.
Froman foolishly predicted to the announcers from ABC that his team might just torch Kentucky for 600 total yards, 300 passing and 300 more rushing. Well, at halftime Mr. Froman had a grand total of 47 yards through the air. John Calipari threw for more yards than that while showing off his arm before the game.
Actually, the opposing quarterbacks both played well in this game. Hartline just had a lot better stable of pass catchers to throw to than Froman did. In fact, the key moment in the game might have come on a first half 67 yard kick-off return by Louisville's VictorAnderson. The Cards' Juco Transfer, Josh Bellamy was involved in a vicious collision with UK's Matt Roark on the play and never returned. Bellamy had been U of L's most impressive pass receiver in Fall Camp, and his replacement, Troy Pascley dropped three passes that should have been caught including one long second half bomb that would have turned all the momentum in Louisville's favor.
UK meanwhile got meaningful catches from a whole flock of receivers including Matt Roark and former Boyle County star Jordan Aumiller. Chris Matthews showed great concentration on one remarkable catch, and although Randall Cobb was mostly a decoy in this game, he showed what a super receiver he is by hauling in one high Hartline pass with one hand.
Things really got interesting though when UK went to its WildCobb
formation, and the little guy from Tennesee romped 51 yards for a touchdown that put the Cats on top 20 - 3. U of L had to settle for another field goal after DeQuin Evans threw Bilal Powell for a big loss, and Kentucky's lead was 20 to 6 at halftime.
Powell got some revenge in the third quarter when he broke loose and outran every UK defender on an 80 yard sprint to paydirt and Louisville coach Charlie Strong showed why he's considered a defensive genius. He made all the necessary adjustments and held Kentucky to only three more points after the break.
But some of that may have been more a result of UK's insanity than Strong's genius. Billy Joe Murphy had a false start that turned a makeable 3rd and 3 situation into a problematic 3rd and 8, and on that same drive, Murphy's man ran right over him and pressured Hartline into a bad pass. Chandler Burden ruined another drive with a costly false start of his own. The Cats were whistled for 11 costly penalties totalling 90 yards.
The UK defense got an interception from ultra athletic newcomer Mychal Bailey and a fumble recovery by Ridge Wilson after Taylor Wyndham ripped the ball from Bilal Powell's grasp.
The first 4th and 1 gamble of the Joker Phillips era resulted in Locke rumbling for a first down enroute to a 104 yard day by the former track star.
But Tydlacka, who earlier missed a PAT, misfired on a very makeable field goal.
Still, U of L seemed to be getting desperate when Strong went for it on 4th and 5 at the Cards' own 39 yard line, and Doug Beaumont made a diving catch for a first down. On that same drive, Louisville faced an almost impossible 4th and 17 situation, but UK linebacker Ridge Wilson inexplicably roughed
up Adam Froman long after he had launched a desperation pass, and the penalty gave U of L an automatic first down.
A field goal got them within a touchdown, but UK's offense proved itself more than capable of holding a lead in the closing moments. Randy Sanders was smart enough at that point to go to the WildCobb formation and Randall promptly passed for one first down and ran for another. With Cobb and Locke and Donald Russell all running well and Moncell Allen clearing the way for them, this Kentucky team is going to be good at milking the clock, especially on days that Hartline handles the passing game as well as he did in this game.
The Hartline haters are really gonna have to get picky to find fault with his opening day performance. Now the Cats should take a 3 & 0 record into their annual thrashing at the hands of Florida.
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