NCAA 2006: Turning the Corner? - Kentucky Wildcats
 

The first two seasons as head coach of the Wildcats were pretty disastrous. We went 4-7 in 2005 and an even more dismal 3-8 in 2006. Entering the last year of my three year contract I had fulfilled none of the goals set forth by the Athletic Director. With my job on the line as coach of the Wildcats my boys pulled out an impressive third season that saw the team go 7-5 with huge wins over rival Louisville and a Houston Bowl win over 17th ranked Texas. Leading the charge was 5th year quarterback Andre Woodson who leaves as the third highest career passer in Kentucky history behind Jared Lorenzen and Tim Couch.

Kentucky’s Athletic Director, feeling cautiously optimistic following the team’s bowl season, decided to renew my contract for two years. Always a straight shooter he leveled with me about my job.

“The alumni were calling for your head. Yes, the win over Louisville was great, but all they saw was your 1-16 record versus Top 25 ranked teams. That just isn’t going to cut it in the SEC. It was the bowl game in which you led the team to a victory against Texas that got them off of your back. But let’s be very clear about this business – it is a fickle beast and average is never good enough. In return for our investment in you we expect a Top 3 finish in the SEC in the next two seasons.”

Phew. Even when you have the talent level of a Georgia or a Florida a Top 3 finish in the SEC is no easy thing. This is going to require some long nights at the drawing board.

2007 Season at a Glance
Week 02: Louisville – W (30-37)
Week 03: at Temple – W (56-24)
Week 04: at Vanderbilt – W (21-17)
Week 05: at Georgia – L (14-45)
Week 06: Florida – L (41-14)
Week 08: LSU – L (49-38)
Week 09: Mississippi State – W (23-71)
Week 11: at South Carolina – L (13-48)
Week 12: at Arkansas – W (41-21)
Week 13: Tennessee – L (35-30)
Week 14: Duke – W (24-42)
Houston Bowl: Texas – W (45-35)

Offensive Leaders:
QB Andre Woodson – 211 of 335 (62%) – 3257 Yards – 29 TDs – 13 Ints – 2 Rushing TDs - Sacked 32 times
HB Rafael Little – 173 carries for 815 yards – 8 Rushing TDs – 6 Receiving TDs
WR John Brooks – 67 Receptions for 877 yards – 10 TDs

Defensive Leaders:
ILB Jacob Blanco – 89 tackles (19 for loss) – 4 Sacks – 3 forced fumbles
CB Jarrell Williams – 41 tackles – 5 Ints

End of Season Top 25 Coaches’ Poll
01. USC (61)
02. Miami
03. Oklahoma
04. Florida
05. Michigan
06. Wake Forest
07. Tennessee
08. Florida State
09. Georgia
10. Wisconsin
11. South Carolina
12. Nebraska
13. Alabama
14. Virginia Tech
15. Auburn
16. Ohio State
17. Kansas State
18. Texas Tech
19. Maryland
20. Iowa
21. Arizona
22. LSU
23. Texas
24. Colorado State
25. Penn State
(Also Receiving Votes: Kentucky 146, Minnesota 134, Colorado 98, Oregon State 59, Oklahoma State 8)



2008 Outlook
So where does the team stand for the upcoming season. Well…things aren’t look so warm and fuzzy compared to last season’s 7-5 campaign that saved my job. On offense we only have 3 returning starters with all others graduating. This includes losing our starting quarterback, halfback and 4 of our 5 offensive linemen. The story on defense looks much better with 8 starters returning, but both starting safeties graduated and there is no one in the wings to step up into a starting role.

This year will mark a big change in offensive philosophies. With Andre Woodson at quarterback and his gun for an arm the team ran a wide open spread offense. His replacement this season, Curtis Pulley, is much more of a runner than a passer and if the offense is going to move the ball we need to play to his strengths. The option attack should be prevalent this season as well as more general focus on power running.


If a Top 3 finish in the SEC is going to be possible we will need to have a HELL of a recruiting season this year and hope that by next season every single on of them will be able to contribute in a big way. That is a tall order, but I have no other choice.

Luckily we got a little charity in the form of two transfer students that should be able to help next season. One was even from rival Tennessee so that makes it all the better.



Up next I will detail the endeavors to bring in a successful 2008 recruiting class. My previous classes have been pretty dismal – one was ranked 110th and the other 105th. Even the Idaho Vandals had a better recruiting class than me last year.

2008 Offseason Recruiting Recap

This is going to be the most important recruiting class yet. With most of
my offense graduating I do not see any way that I can finish in the Top 3
of the SEC this season so I need to gear up to make a run for it next year.
Since I probably only going to be able to manage about 3 or 4 wins this
year I need to get my recruits NOW since they won't be itching to come in
next season.

Positions of Need:
Tight End - We currently only have one tight end on the roster and he is
not starting material. With our emphasis on running this season it will be
important to have at least two big blocking tight ends on the team. It
wouldn't hurt to pick up one that has a little speed so he can line up as a
blocker in the backfield on jumbo running plays.
Offensive Tackle - We lost both of our starters here. I am more concerned
about replacing the left tackle because if need be I have someone that
could stand in at right tackle.
Defensive End - Both of my starting defensive ends are going to be
graduating this season and I also need depth at the position for this year.
This will be a key position to fill.
Safety - Both of the starting safety spots are wide open and there is no one currently at those positions that could step into a starting role.
Worse case scenario is if I only pick up one safety then I can shift one of
my corners into the free safety position. [Players name] got experience at
both safety positions last season and has the required size and strength to
play safety. I would rather him start at corner though.

New Faces (12 Recruits Committed)

Recruits We Almost Nabbed

Notes
* Only 12 commits...well, I can't say I wasn't hoping for a lot more.
* At least we actually got more than 2 star prospects this time.
* Despite only picking up 12 recruits we still registered the 39th class in the nation (Louisville was 38th :mad: )
* Neither of the free safety prospects that were interested committed. Rudy Anderson, the Athelte commit, looks like he will probably man one of the two safety positions and I will be rotating the corner to safety.
* We are now loaded at the tight end position. Four star recruit Will Davis looks like he will be a wicked weapon in the passing game.
* We picked up the top ranked QB from Kentucky. It was a damned good thing I decided to spend a little extra time scouting him because we learned he was MUCH more accurate than reported.
* Damned near every third down run is going to be going in the direction of that 6'8", 342 pound monster of a tackle that signed.
* We couldn't even get any 1 star strong safeties interested in us.

Impressive class, Williams looks to be a good QB :)

2008 Roster

2008 Schedule
Strength of Schedule: A+

Week 01: -
Week 02: at Louisville [Rivalry Game]
Week 03: Clemson
Week 04: at Alabama (#18)
Week 05: Connecticut
Week 06: at Florida (#6)
Week 07: -
Week 08: South Carolina (#8)
Week 09: -
Week 10: at Mississippi State
Week 11: Arkansas
Week 12: at Tennessee (#4) [Rivalry Game]
Week 13: Vanderbilt
Week 14: Georgia (#11)
Week 15: -

Top 3 my ass. :rolleyes:


Preseason Top 25
01. Miami
02. Oklahoma
03. USC
04. Tennessee
05. Florida State
06. Florida
07. Michigan
08. South Carolina
09. Ohio State
10. Auburn
11. Georgia
12. Iowa
13. Nebraska
14. Virginia Tech
15. Wisconsin
16. Maryland
17. Texas
18. Alabama
19. LSU
20. Wake Forest
21. Texas Tech
22. Penn State
23. Kansas State
24. Texas A&M
25. Colorado

In-Season Recruiting

Positional Needs for 2009
Fullback: Jarrod Lawson will be graduating after this season and we will need another big blocking back. We will likely still be in a running offense next season so we will still be more of a running team than the traditional Kentucky passing teams.
Defensive End: We picked up one started this offseason but will need another starting defensive end to replace outgoing Nii Adjei Oninku. I would love to nab one of these 290-300 pound ends. I would love to move to a 3-4 defense at some point but you need the exact personnel to do it right.
Outside Linebacker: Talent is already a little thin here and it is going to be even thinner with the graduation of both starting outside linebackers.
Cornerback: You can never have enough good cornerbacks.
Safety: Let's try this one again....

Pipeline States: Kentucky, Georgia & Ohio

I have built up a very strong pipeline in Ohio and decide to concentrate all of my resources during the season towards recruiting in only Kentucky & Ohio.

Targets
**** Prospects:
ILB Mike Brown - 5'10" 237 Lbs - Valley Station, KY
HB Quincy Wright - 5'11" 215 Lbs - Sandusky, OH
SS Brandon Dingle - 6'0" 205 Lbs - Lawrenceburg, KY
OLB David Matthews - 6'5" 234 Lbs - Fort Mitchell, KY
FS Justin Jensen - 6'2" 210 Lbs - Fern Creek, KY
CB Tim Hayes - 6'1" 185 Lbs - Hamilton, OH
DT Lamar Smith - 6'3" 310 Lbs - North Madison, OH

*** Prospects:
DE Jason Hudson - 6'4" 252 Lbs - Tiffin, OH
WR Mike Foster - 6'2" 215 Lbs - Marysville, OH
OLB Gary Merrick - 6'4" 226 Lbs - Troy, OH
OLB Marshall Hicks - 6'4" 225 Lbs - Berea, OH
G Darren Taylor - 6'4" 321 Lbs - Georgetown, KY

Kentucky stuns Louisville by scoring 15 points in last 30 seconds

With the score tied 28-28 and only 10 seconds remaining in regulation Kentucky cornerback David Jones intercepted a rushed pass and returned it 36 yards for the game winning touchdown. It capped off what will probably go down as one of the greatest finishes in Kentucky football history.

(I have video of the game and the interception but I still haven't found webspace for the videos)

Scoring Recap

• 1st (UK) - 19 yard pass from Pulley to Davis - 3:11
• 2nd (UK) - 29 yard field goal by Housley - 7:32
• 2nd (LOU) - 21 yard pass from Manning to Lewis - 4:58
• 3rd (LOU) - 21 yard pass from Manning to Williams - 6:52
• 3rd (UK) - 13 yard run by Pulley - 4:10
• 3rd (UK) - 34 yard field goal by Housley - 1:33
• 4th (LOU) - 3 yard fumble return by Ross - 5:08
• 4th (LOU) - 29 yard pass from Manning to Williams - 3:55
• 4th (UK) - 4 yard run by Pulley (2 Pt Conv. Good) - 0:30
• 4th (UK) - 36 yard interception return by Jones - 0:02

Game Balls

• CB David Jones - Long after he has left Kentucky his interception return will still be remembered by fans
• QB Curtis Pulley - Damned if he isn't a bad quarterback but boy is he a hell of a runner. 11 of 25 for 222 Yards, 1 TD - 2 INTs. 12 carries for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns.
• DE Nii Adjei Oninku - Going up against one of the best left tackles in the nation he simply found ways to make huge momentum swinging plays. 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble.

Quick Recap
I did everything humanly possible to keep Louisville's offense off of the field. We held the ball for almost 20 minutes compared to Louisville's 12. Whenever Louisville QB Davis Manning was getting protection he was fairly solid, completing 7 or 8 passes in a row at one point. He finished the game 20-40 for 296 yards and 3 TD - 2 INT. Our defensive line was outstanding this game though. They kept constant pressure on the QB and anytime Louisville tried to establish the run they were stuffing it.

On a bit of a high right now following this game but we will see how we far against Clemson this week.

Around the Top 25 - Week 3

Nice job with the win over Louisville!

Week 3: Clemson Tigers at Kentucky Wildcats

Very hard fought game - probably the most defensive game I have played yet in over three seasons.

It didn't look that way early as Clemson was gashing my rushing defense wide open on the first drive and capped it off with a 40+ yard touchdown run on 3rd and long. Our first drive ended rather quickly as Pulley fumbled as he got sacked and the Tigers recovered the ball. Their offense went back to work and got the ball into the redzone. My cornerback bailed me out as he made a nice play in one on one coverage to make a pick in the endzone. This seemed to really swing the momentum back in our favor early early in the game.

My next drive I got the play action pass working and capped off a long drive with a play action pass to the tight end in the corner of the endzone to tie the game up 7-7. We would each add another touchdown in a quiet second quarter to go into halftime even.

Halftime: Clemson 14 - Kentucky 14

Neither offense could accomplish much in the third quarter. We tacked on a 39 yard field goal to take a 17-14 lead but we couldn't move the ball. Quarterback Curtis Pulley just doesn't have the arm strength or accuracy to zip balls inbetween zone coverage.

Score stayed the same into the middle of the fourth quarter with the Wildcat defense clamping down on that 3 point lead. An excellent punt return set the offense up with good field position and backup running back Brian Robinson burst through the middle of the line to take it in from 11 yards out. Kentucky leads 14-24. Clemson could not respond on their following drive, and would later throw an interception that was returned for the defense's second touchdown of the season.

Final Score: Clemson 14 - Kentucky 31

For the first time in over 30 games the defense actually manages to shut down a Division 1A offense for an entire half.

Up Next: #22 Alabama in Tuscaloosa

What kind of TV do you have? Wow!!

[Mizzou: I have my Xbox hooked up through my computer]




For the second time in three weeks the Kentucky Wildcats have shocked a Top 25 team in the closing seconds of a game. With only 20 seconds remaining in the game Brian Robinson returned a punt 90 yards to silence the rowdy Tuscaloosa crowd and give the Wildcats a 31-28 victory.

The game marked the first time in Coach Stangreciak's four years at Kentucky that the Wildcats have beaten a ranked SEC team.

Halftime Score: Kentucky 14 - Alabama 14
Final Score: Kentucky 31 - Alabama 28

(My video file for this game got corrupted so I can't really provide many details about it other than the memorable ending. :( Sorry about the short recaps so far, still getting the hang of tracking this thing.)

In-Season Recruiting Update
No doubt our very exciting season so far has helped us out in the recruiting area. Still, I had an arrogant little kid that actually had the nerve to insult me :mad: : To say the least we dropped all contact with him afterwards. On to recruits that matter, I would love to nab halfback Quincy Wright:





Week 5 Preview:
Connecticut (1-1) vs #24 Kentucky (3-0) - 6:00 PM Start

Cannot be too careful about letting Connecticut sneak up on us. We could very easily be 1-2 at this point and we aren't exactly world beaters. Connecticut has had a couple of solid seasons and their program is on par with ours. Almost every single starter on their offense is a 4th or 5th year senior so I am not expecting many butterflies concerning them coming to Lexington.

How the heck do you do that?

Go Cats!

Yeah, this is a great dynasty!!

The 'Cats defensive front seven terrorized Connecticut's offense all game long while the offense protected the ball en route to a "grind it out" 7-27 win. The score remained relatively close until the middle of the fourth quarter but it was clear throughout that Kentucky was in control.

Game Balls:

• DT Shannon Henderson - 6 tackles (3 for loss), 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
• OLB Mikhail Mabry - 4 tackles (2 for loss), 1 sack, 1 forced fumble
• LT Bryan Ross - The 342 pound giant paved the way on the ground with 5 pancake blocks

Needs Improvement:

• QB Curtis Pulley - Yeah, okay, so he is fast. But the damned guy is completing under 50% of his passes. He just doesn't have the arm strength we need for our passing attack to be dangerous. If we fall down big against Florida expect to see the backups get some valuable big game experience.

Coach's Insight:
We are getting damned lucky, that's what I think. We have played relatively weak defenses so far and have had trouble moving the ball. We have been scoring because our defense has been playing amazing and giving the offense short fields to work with. The first team that has both a solid offense and a good defensive line will give us big problems. Speaking of which....





(About the Xbox: I have it hooked up through a video card that is intended to allow you to watch cable TV on your computer. It is called Marvel Matrox G400-TV. Thanks for reading so far! Go Wildcats! If we keep this up it can't be long before we can convince Ashley Judd to help us out in the recruiting area. ;) )

In a tale of two halves Florida came out on top as they scored 22 unanswered points in the 3rd and 4th quarter to beat the upstart Wildcats 22-19. Fiery Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey registered four sacks and led the second half charge that shut out the Kentucky offense. Florida's front seven combined for seven sacks on the day.

With one minute remaining Florida QB Cornelius Ingram got excellent protection in the pocket and found his receiver in a 1 on 1 foot race to the endzone for the final score of the game.

Game Balls

• Florida DE Derrick Harvey - Have to hand it to the kid. Four sacks is always an impressive feat.
• Florida WR David Nelson - The Junior caught both of Florida's touchdown passes including the game winner
• QB Curtis Pulley - Jury is still out on this kid. Despite poor pass protection he looked solid passing and running the ball in by far his toughest game in one of the toughest stadium's to play in. 17 of 28 for 189 yards and 1 TD, no picks.
• WR John Brooks - Finally played like the impact player he was expected to be on offense with a 6 catch, 110 yard, 1 TD performance.
• LT Bryan Ross - The only Kentucky lineman to register more than 1 pancake block, he picked up 6 of them and did not allow any of the 7 sacks.

No game this week for Kentucky but there are some big matchups that are going to really shake up the Top 25.

In-Season Recruiting Update

We are focusing on five players that we feel could be a positive impact on our program:
**** HB Quincy Wright - 5'11" 215 Pounds - Power Runner - In a three way battle with Michigan and South Carolina

**** SS Brandon Dingle - 6'0" 205 Lbs - Balanced - In a four way battle with Auburn, Ohio State and Tennessee

**** DT Lamar Smith - 6'3" 310 Lbs - Balanced - He is favoring Michigan right now but we are in the mix along with Iowa and Ohio State

*** DE Jason Hudson - 6'4" 252 Lbs - Pass Rusher - He is favoring Maryland but has been keeping a very close on eye on us. We are a little behind Maryland but a good bit ahead of Michigan, Ohio State and Tennessee

*** OLB Marshall Hicks - 6'4" 225 Lbs - Run Stopper - We are the favorite on his list and look to be comfortably ahead of Tennessee, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State





South Carolina already has tough wins over Nebraska and Tennessee this season, with their only loss coming to the Dawgs. They look to have a very dangerous backfield and a very good group of guys up front to open up some gaping holes in the line.

Their defense is very good but we might be able to abuse the middle of the defensive line. Their best defensive tackle is injured for 7 weeks and the two replacements are not only the weakest links as far as talent wise, but they are also very light to be playing in the middle of the line (both are about 270 pounds). We will definately be running behind right guard Shannon Sanders in this game. He weighs 326 pounds and is strong as an ox in the running game.

I think we will keep it close by running the ball but I think South Carolina will just keep finding ways to score on us.

Prediction: South Carolina 38 - Kentucky 21

I have an ATI All-in-Wonder video card that lets you watch TV and hook up video games through the computer. Not sure if it's the same thing for Ironhead, but guessing he's got something like that.

For the second game in a row Kentucky jumped out to an early lead against a tough SEC opponent but couldn't sustain it as South Carolina proved to be too much in a 31-49 loss. Kentucky QB Curtis Pulley struggled heavily as he only completed 9 of 30 pass attempts and threw 3 interceptions.

South Carolina was in love with the play action pass this game even though they weren't trying to run the ball. Their QB Antonio Hefner only completed 20 of 42 passes, but I would say that after a rocky first quarter he completed over 60% for the rest of the game.

Game Balls

• South Carolina WR O.J. Murdock - Killed us with two tough touchdown catches and one of the most impressive punt return TDs I have seen
• South Carolina DE Josh Johnson - For the second straight week a quick defensive end has torched us for four sacks
• HB Mike Morgan - As expected we had a very fine day on the ground as we gashed the middle of South Carolina's line. Morgan ended up with 21 carries for 130 yards and 2 TDs. He had 88 yards after contact.
• WR Dick Lyons - Hauled in two touchdown passes early in the game when the offense was actually working

Kentucky has a bye this week before traveling to play a Mississippi State that is close to breaking into the Top 25 rankings.

simply amazing, keep it up.

Next Game:
#20 Kentucky (4-2) at Mississippi State (4-2)

This on isn't going to be a cakewalk. Mississippi State is having their best season is years and even picked up a 39-31 upset win over Notre Dame in Week 3.

How well they do on offense depends on which offensive line shows up. They have lost two starting offensive linemen to injury on a line that wasn't very deep to being with. They are a run first team and if the line struggles to open up holes for backs Demarcus Johnson (5'10" 202 Lbs) and Brandon Thornton (5'10" 199 Lbs) then it could be a long day. They do have a weapon in the passing game in the form of wideout Keon Humphries (5'10" 177 Lbs) who is one of the fastest kids in the SEC. Problem is that starting quarterback Michael Henig does not have the strongest arm in the world and the two have had trouble getting the vertical passing game going on a consistent basis.

On defense Mississippi State looks to be stout against the run. They have a big, strong defensive line that has been together as a group for 2 seasons. The outside running lanes are well taken care of by speedy fifth year senior outside linebackers Anthony Littlejohn and Fred Akines. The team does a weak secondary for a major conference team. Their starting strong safety is very slow and smallish for the position. Kentucky quarterback Curtis Pulley will be looking to pick on him all game long.

Prediction: Kentucky 28 - Mississippi State 21

Just ... wow!!! Amazing dynasty!!!

Junior wideout John Brooks had a monster day against the Bulldogs defense to get the Wildcats back in the win column with a 41-21 victory. Aiding in the effort were the Bulldogs themselves as they were sloppy with their ball protection and turned the ball over 5 times. They looked a little drained following their near upset of #4 ranked Auburn just 7 days prior.

Game Balls:

• WR John Brooks - 8 receptions, 155 yards, 2 receiving touchdowns, 2 rushing touchdowns (1 from a reverse and the other on a screen pass behind the line). 'Nuff said.
• LT Bryan Ross - The "Big Man on Campus" registered another 5 pancakes and didn't allow his defender anywhere near the quarterback all game long
• ILB Jacob Blanco - The defensive captain looked solid in a 5 tackle (3 for loss), 1 sack, 1 INT performance

(Notice the guy on the front cover? It is the wideout that destroyed us in the South Carolina game. Oh yeah, he is up for the Heisman)

BCS Bowl Game Controversy
There could be a riot come bowl time if things stay their current course in the Big East. Rutgers (1-Star Program) currently stands at 5-0 in conference play and 0-3 out of conference with losses to North Carolina, Oklahoma State and the UAB Blazers. They have two games remaining on their conference schedule against Louisville and Cincinnati. If they win one of those 2 games they have a very good shot at representing the Big East in the BCS Bowl game.

Recruiting Update
We have made the top three list for two recruits and will be immediately inviting them for their official visit this week. One of them is the power running back I would love to have.



Arkansas may only have 1 win on the season and while Kentucky should definately win this game the Razorbacks will not be complete pushovers. They have suffered several subpar seasons and are in a serious rebuilding process right now. They only have 4 seniors on the roster and a whopping 49 1st or 2nd year players.

Still, they have a few very talented players starting with the most important one, HB Felix Jones. Jones has just about everything you want in a starting running back: fast, agile, strong, compact and he can catch the football. He was a preseason favorite to win the Heisman Trophy last season and despite a fabulous 1700 yard, 16 TD season he didn't even get a sniff at 1st or 2nd team All-American honors. He should be the workhorse in this game, but the talent level on offense does drop off once you get past him. Kentucky will be loading the box with 8 or maybe even 9 guys so the Razorbacks will have to do something through the air if they expect an upset.

Defensively the Razorbacks have a solid pair of starting safeties but the same cannot be said of their cornerbacks nor the defensive line. Kentucky should have their pick of what they went to do with the ball on offense.

Prediction: Arkansas 20 - Kentucky 38

This was probably the ugliest game I have participated in over over 40 games as head coach of Kentucky. Both offenses were sloppy with the ball and had absolutely no passing attack. The Razorbacks failed to convert a single third down all game long.

Game Balls:

• ILB Jacob Blanco - Was very solid in run defense as the Wildcats kept 8 men in the box almost the entire game. Ended with 9 tackles (4 for loss), 1 Interception and 1 fumble recovery
• Arkansas OLB Titus Brown - Was a bonafide man on defense and ended up with 10 tackles (5 for loss), 1 sack and interception.
• QB Curtis Pulley - This is given begrudgingly and only because he scored both of our touchdowns on the ground. The man pass his way out of a paper bag though as he ended up completing only 6 of 21 passes for less than 100 yards. Word in that four star prospect Nigel Williams who is redshirting this season has a wide open shot to claim the starting quarterback position next season.

(Oklahoma is dropped in College Station by a very, very good Texas A&M squad who's only loses were to Miami and Kansas State.)

Recruiting Update
Well, no surprise that we didn't get a solid commit from either of the two recruits that watched the Arkansas game. They both gave us a soft commit but will be taking their official visits to more prestigious programs.

Big East Controversy Update
Louisville beat Rutgers by a score of 23-27 to temporarily gain control of the Big East. If Rutgers wins their game against Cincinnati they will finish with a conference record of 6-1. Louisville still has conference games against Connecticut and Syracuse and needs to win both to win the division and the BCS Bowl.


This one doesn't look to play out in Kentucky's favor. Tennessee is one of the best teams in the nation and after rolling of 12 straight suffered three heartbreaking losses in a row to Auburn, South Carolina and Georgia by a combined 10 points.

They are led on offense by one of the finest quarterbacks in the NCAA in Jonathan Crompton. The kid has it all - brains and talent and has constantly drawn comparisons to another somewhat well known Tennessee quarterback. You know that guy named Manning? It doesn't get any easier in the running department as Lamarcus Coker is probably the quickest, shiftiest running back in the entire SEC. Then on top of that you have an offensive line where every single starter weighs in at over 320 pounds and it sounds like a recipe for disaster for the Kentucky defense.

It doesn't get any easier on defense as the Vols are matched only by Miami in terms of speed on defense. From the defensive line to the secondary there are no holes or weaknesses in this bunch. The frightening thing? There is only one senior on the defense, so depending on who leaves early for the pros they will just get better next season. At least that game will be played in Lexington.

Predition: Kentucky 13 - Tennessee 45

Every college football team should look like Tennessee. There, I said it. That is high praise coming a division rival. They did everything right and everything when the wanted too. If they wanted to run outside they picked up 5 yards on a sweep. Need a long pass? No problem. Need a big third down stop? Just dial up a linebacker's number. And so on and so forth. We will see how things fare out next season at Commonwealth Stadium.

Game Balls:

• Tennessee HB Lamarcus Coker - Quick and elusive Coker was one of the toughest running backs one of my defenses has ever tried to stop. Ended up with 22 carries for 121 yards and a TD.
• Tennessee QB Jonathan Crompton - Kid is the real deal. He was poised in the pocked and made all of the right throws. Ended up 10 of 17, 223 yards, 3 TDs and no picks.
• Tennessee WR Josh Briscoe - Lanky 6'3" wideout toasted the cornerbacks for 5 catches, 178 yards and 2 TDs.
• Tennessee OLB Ross Smith - Freaking. Beast. 9 tackles (SIX FOR LOSS!!!) and 1 sack. This man alone kept me from running on the outside the entire game.
• Tennessee SS Adam Myers-White - Picked off two misguided Kentucky passes.

Recruiting Update
SS Brandon Dingle and HB Quincy Wright are still listed as Soft Commits to our program. Maybe a win this week over powerhouse Vanderbilt will secure them. :rolleyes: We have two more players taking official visits this week during the Vandy game:


Big East Controversy Update
Louisville beat Connecticut to bring their conference record up to 5-1. Louisville and Rutgers now both stand at 5-1 with their final conference game this week. Louisville plays the Orangemen in Syracuse this week while Rutgers travels to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats. Louisville controls their own destiny here since they won the head to head matchup over Rutgers. If they win they will represent the Big East in the BCS Bowl.


It may be 2008 but nothing has changed in regards to the Commodores football program. Kentucky should be able to control Vanderbilt's running attack while establishing their own against Vandy's less than stellar linebacking corps. Should be a game full of ball control with maybe one or two explosive plays.

Predition: Vanderbilt 17 - Kentucky 31

I don't know if I have ever watched a team self destruct like Vanderbilt did in this game. It is bad enough to turn the ball over 5 times. It is even worse for four of those turnovers to happen within your own redzone and within two quarters. Lets just say Kentucky pulled their starters out of the game pretty early in this one.

I can't really give out any awards on this one. No one on my team played long enough before getting pulled, and definately no one on Vandy garners any kind of recognition from this game.

Game Ball:

• HB Mike Morgan - Ran the ball with authority after getting stomped by Tennessee last week. Ended with 10 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown before being pulled for the second stringers.

Recruiting Update
We had our first in-season commit in over two years! The running back we have been gunning for all season will be wearing the blue and white next season:

SS Brandon Dingle decided to commit to Ohio State this week. We got soft commits from both of the recruits who watched the Vandy game but they are determined to take the rest of their official visits. My scouts told me that we all but have the defensive end locked up for sure.

Big East Controversy Update
There is no joy in Mudville because mighty Louisville has beaten Syracuse to win the Big East. Rutgers won their game over Cincinnati but since Louisville won the head to head matchup between the teams they get the tie breaker and the BCS Bowl. Still, a nice season for Rutgers as they almost pulled off the shocker and still finished second in the Big East. :cool:


Can Kentucky play spoiler in this game? Despite this week's round of upsets history doesn't look so good for the Wildcats. Despite two winning seasons in a row they still only have one win against an elite SEC team (this season's punt return win against Alabama) in over 16 games.

Georgia enters this game looking to prove to everyone that they deserve to play in the National Championship game. I would have to say that they control their own destiny here because if they win against us and then beat Georgia Tech on the road it would be hard for even the BCS to put them down.

Georgia is led on offense by their two stellar and speedy wideout Demiko Goodman and Mohamed Massaquoi. Goodman is still in the hunt for the Heisman Trophy as he has put up a fabulous 65 cath, 1108 yard, 14 TD season. Not to be outdone Massaquoi has added 39 catches of his own, a whopping 10 of which have been touchdowns. Fifth year senior QB Blake Barnes is nothing to sneeze at either and consistently makes the correct decision on where to go with ball. Georgia's backfield is young but shows flashes of great talent. Sophomore Brandon Davis looks to get most of the carries come game day. And all of this happens between a bookend of All-SEC tackles.

Georgia's defense is built around getting tremendous amounts of upfield pressure from their quick and very talented defensive line. If quarterback Curtis Pulley can actually manage to get the play off before getting sacked he will need to worry about a very tall and quick ball-hawking secondary. I do not forsee the running game taking hold as the defensive line is just too quick to the point of attack.

Prediction: Georgia 35 - Kentucky 13

Holy crap. The dynasty I've always dreamed of writing. I think pictures make a dynasty like this. That's what I've tried to do with my PES4 dynasty which I've kind of left behind for awhile now.

But come on, can't you at least make the Razorbacks show up? :D

This was a hard fought defensive battle thoughout. As expect Georgia's front 4 were just too much for my offensive line to handle. To make things worse our mammoth left tackle Bryan Ross broke his elbow and will not be able to play in our bowl game.

Our defensive front seven played great and even knocked out Georgia's starting quarterback halfway through the game. Georgia's long touchdown passes saved them. Georgia was having a lot of trouble protecting their quarterback so we dialed up a blitz with Georgia on their own 20. Their tight end got matched up one on one with my safety, broke a tackle and just had a mad dash for the endzone.

Game Balls:

• Georgia TE Donald Kucera - Saved Georgia's season with his game winning touchdown catch and run
• Georgia WR Kenneth Harris - Dat other, OTHER Georgia wideout run so good. 6 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD.
• Georgia DE Jeremy Lomax - Dominated his side of the line with a 6 tackles and 3 sacks
• Georgia DT Christian Wynn - 6 tackles, 2 sacks. Dominated the middle. No wonder we couldn't run the ball.
• WR John Brooks - Finished up his junior season strong with a 5 catch, 143 yard, 1 TD performance
• DE Roland Mitchell - Showed flashes of what is to come by snagging 2 sacks against an All-SEC offensive tackle
• ILB Jacob Blanco - Defensive captain picked up 2 sacks

Recruiting Update
We snagged our second in-season recruit by picking up another pass rushing end.

We lost OLB Marshall Hicks to Ohio State (damn, that's two we lost to those bastards). We have one more possible recruit, DT Lamar Smith. He gave us a soft verbal but will be visiting Michigan this week. Uh oh.

Recruiting Update
Our last possible in-season recruit jumped ship and decided to play for the Wolverines. Still, I feel good about the two recruits we picked up this season.

Bowl Update
We are still slated to square off a against K-State in the Independence Bowl.

2008 Kentucky Player Awards
LT Bryan Ross - Freshman All-American
C Joe Smith - 2nd Team All-SEC
K J.J. Housley - 2nd Team All-SEC


This looks to be a solid bowl matchup. Wisconsin was ranked as high as #9 in the polls at one point in the season before losses to conference opponents Ohio State, Purdue and Iowa sunk their season.

Wisconsin has a very young offense that looked spectacular at times this season and lost at others. They are led by true freshman quarterback Lance Muse (6'1" 211 Lbs). Muse is a very athletic and physically gifted quarterback but the knock on him, as is with many quarterbacks of his type, is that he just lacks accuracy and touch on his passes. He doesn't have many weapons in the passing game, but he does have a solid runner to hand the ball of to in Dion Foster (5'9" 191 Lbs). Foster is quick and surprisingly strong for his size. If the team can effectively get the running game going and throw in the option they could put up some points in this one.

Wisconsin has a solid defense that finished the regular season ranked 18th in the nation. They have a deep talent level at linebacker and all but one of their starters in the secondary are fifth year seniors. Kentucky's key on offense is going to have to be to bust some holes in the middle of Wisconsin's defensive line and get a block on the linebackers. If Wisconsin has to worry about stopping the run the Wildcats should be able to utilize the play action pass which could result in some big plays against a secondary that, while talented, lacks catchup speed on defense.

Prediction: Kentucky 24 - Wisconsin 21

Yeah! A Wildcats Dynasty!

I must confess, when I began to read the first post in this dynasty, I was pretty tired. When I saw your W-L records, I thought, "what kind of idiot sim is this? There are more than 11 games in a basketball season." :redface:

Great pics, btw. They really make this thing come alive (even though I don't really care for the all blue look the Cats have adopted in recent years).

The graphics really do make this dynasty and it's arguably the most well-formatted and eye-pleasing presentation I've seen yet on these boards.

Beautiful job. :)

Nice to see Wisconsin still continuing their tradition of great runners, sucky QBs (though I really did like Sorgi), and solid D's.

I echo everyone else's praise. Keep it up, this is a great read.

Going into halftime of this game I was pretty sure I was going to end up just getting blown out in the second half. Wisconsin dominated our rush defense in the first two quarters as they pilled up 24 points and 188 yards rushing. It didn't seem to matter whether I was stacking 8 men in the box, having three players spy the quarterback...they could move the ball on the ground as they pleased.

This game turned around in the third quarter not because of anything the Wildcats did but because Wisconsin just self destructed.

Wisconsin got the ball to start the second half and their first drive went like this:

• 1st & 10 from the 19: False Start
• 1st & 15 from the 14: Toss play - pulling guard missed his block and Foster got nailed for a 5 yard loss.
• 2nd & 20 from the 9: Quarterback scrambles out of the pocket for a 24 yard gain. Called back for Holding.
• 2nd & 25 from the 4: 5 yard run up the middle
• 3rd & 20 from the 9: Incomplete pass almost picked off
• 4th & 20 from the 9: Low line drive punt returned all the way up to the 30 yard line

Throw in a punt return touchdown and a beautiful 90 yard interception return and the Wildcats improbably found themselves in front. Following the quick turnaround Wisconsin just wasn't moving the ball as well on the ground anymore, and they had a very poor passing game and it spelled the end of the game for the Badgers.

Game Balls:

• Wisconsin HB Dion Foster - Tough. Little. Mofo. One of the best I have had to defend against. 32 carries for 167 yards and 2 TDs.
• FS Garrett Pettit - His 90 yard interception return put Kentucky on top for the first time in the game and we never looked back
• KR/PR Brian Robinson - Was a serious threat as a return man with a 63 yard punt return for a touchdown and almost returned another but was pushed out before he could gain the sideline
• WR John Brooks - Okay, this is sad but he was the only Wildcat player to catch a pass all day. Ended up with 4 catches for 70 yards and an excellent catch and run off the playaction pass that resulted in a touchdown.
• OLB Mikhail Mabry - In his final game as a Wildcat he led the second half defensive effort and ended the game with 7 tackles (3 for loss).
• DT Shannon Henderson - 4 tackles and 2 big sacks.
• Wisconsin QB Lance Muse - When he had the ball in his hands on the option he was amazing. When he had the ball and was passing, well, not so great. Still a gutsy performance by this kid. 7 of 19 for 139, 1 TD 1 Int. 12 carries for 78 yards on the ground. Could be scary in a few years since he is only a freshman.

Season In Review
Week 01: -
Week 02: at Louisville - W 35-28
Week 03: Clemson - W 31-14
Week 04: at Alabama - W 31-28
Week 05: Connecticut - W 27-7
Week 06: at Florida - L 19-22
Week 07: -
Week 08: South Carolina - L 31-49
Week 09: -
Week 10: at Mississippi State - W 41-21
Week 11: Arkansas - W 17-3
Week 12: at Tennessee - L 38-6
Week 13: Vanderbilt - W 47-7
Week 14: Georgia - L 17-21
Week 15: -
Music City Bowl: vs Wisconsin - W 35-24

Final Record: 8-4, Ranked #21 in the Coaches' Poll
2007 Record: 7-5
2006 Record: 3-8
2005 Record: 4-7

While I am extremely proud of the season my boys put together I have to keep in mind that we had two miracle wins and we very easily could have ended the season with a 5-6 record and missed a bowl bid. We still lost all four of our games versus the Big 4 in the SEC East. I will see what I can do about that in the 2009 season but this ship seems to be going in the right direction.

Kentucky Players Declaring Early for the Draft
None

Graduating Players

• - FB Jarrod Lawson (94 Ovr - Starter)
• - WR Dicky Lyons (80 Ovr - Starter)
• - DE Nii Adjei Oninku (82 Ovr - Starter)
• - OLB Mikhail Mabry (82 Ovr - Starter - Impact Player)
• - OLB Johnny Williams (74 Ovr - Starter)
• - CB Jarrell Williams (80 Ovr - Starter)
• - CB Trevard Lindley (80 Ovr - Starter)
• - P Tommy Brummett (74 Ovr - Starter)
• - QB Jo Jo Brown (78 Ovr)
• - OT Stanley Jackson (74 Ovr)
• - DE Tedd Bullock (74 Ovr)
• - OLB Wesley Woodard (76 Ovr)
• - OLB Ben McGrath (62 Ovr)
• - ILB Matt Bell (68 Ovr)
• - ILB Drew Roberts (62 Ovr)
• - S Kendall O'Donnell (68 Ovr)

Transfers
Another player is looking to transfer to Kentucky. Who am I to tell them no? :D
I am not in love with his size. Not only is he a little tall at 6'1" but he isn't even cracking 200 pounds. He will redshirt this season and we will see if we can't put a little more weight on him. Still, starting HB Mike Morgan is graduating this season so this guy should be able to step right into the starters role next season.

Recruiting
Pipelines: Kentucky, Ohio and Canada (No, Seriously)

• WR - John Brooks will be graduating this season and it will leave a big talent gap at wideout. Need to bring in someone this season to groom and possibly start next season. Also, with the team looking to move back to a wide open passing attack the more quality wideouts you have the better.
• OG - Would like to improve our talent depth here. Our two starters are entering their Junior and Senior season and the backups are not starting material
• DE - Would like to get a little more depth at the position. Still looking for those 280+ pounders so we could eventually move to a 3-4. I think I will get the Holy Grail before I land one of these guys.
• DT - Same as defensive end I would like to add more depth. Our starters are entering their Junior year and we need to start prepping some guys to take their place.
• ILB/OLB - Big talent need here. By the time recruiting is over we will likely be sliding some players around but we lost a lot of linebackers to graduation this season.
• CB - Lost both of our starting cornerbacks to graduation. We would like to get much quicker at this position.
• FS - Garrett Pettit filled in well as he moved from cornerback to occupy the free safety position last season. He will be graduating this year so we need to keep an eye on next season.
• P - There is currently no punter on our roster.

Notes:
* The Wildcats pulled in the 13th best class in the nation
* Thanks to two good seasons in a row it was much easier to recruit outside of our pipeline states
* There were absolutely *zero* offensive linemen interested in us this go around
* I had two really nice defensive line recruits lined up but Ohio State snatched them both away from us. :mad:
* It looks like our defense is going to be much, much quicker following this recruiting period
* This was, in general, a very defense oriented recruiting period.
* Louisville pulled in the 31st ranked class. :D

13th best class... Interesting... I predict a shot at a National Championship game the next 4 years. Go Cats!!!

BTW, it's cool to see transfer players coming to your school. Make me wanna start a dynasty with a "smaller" school (I'm Miami in my dynasty) and build from the ground like you. Anyway, keep going man, this is great.

2009 Roster

Bold = Starter
Red = Redshirting

2009 Starting Defense

2009 Starting Offense

Preseason Recognition
There are actually several Wildcats on the preseason watch lists. We have had a few before but it was always 2nd team All-SEC - definately nothing like this.

* Kicker J.J. Housley - 1st Team All-American
* LT Bryan Ross - 2nd Team All-American

* QB Curtis Pulley - 1st Team All-SEC :rolleyes:
* PR/KR Brian Robinson - 1st Team All-SEC
* C Joe Smith - 1st Team All-SEC
* FS Garrett Pettit - 1st Team All-SEC
* WR John Brooks - 2nd Team All-SEC


2009 Schedule
Strength of Schedule: A+

Week 01: -
Week 02: Louisville
Week 03: Indiana (owe them BIG for a 67-14 beating we took in 2005
Week 04: at Bowling Green
Week 05: Florida (#8)
Week 06: -
Week 07: Alabama
Week 08: at South Carolina (#20)
Week 09: at Auburn (#10)
Week 10: Mississippi State
Week 11: at Georgia (#14)
Week 12: at Vanderbilt
Week 13: -
Week 14: Tennessee (#4)
Week 15: -

Well, our conference schedule rotated and we dropped the now lowly Razorbacks for Auburn. Ugh.

Preseason Top 25
01. Florida State
02. Ohio State
03. Oklahoma
04. Tennessee
05. USC
06. Texas A&M
07. Cal
08. Florida
09. Texas
10. Auburn
11. Miami
12. Iowa
13. Maryland
14. Georgia
15. LSU
16. Nebraska
17. Virginia Tech
18. Michigan
19. Virginia
20. South Carolina
21. Notre Dame
22. Purdue
23. Georgia Tech
24. Oklahoma State
25. Kentucky

2009 Preseason Athlon

I completely forgot to mention that the team decided to extend my contract by 4 years! While I won't have to worry about getting canned for a while their expectations of me have risen considerably.

In-Season Recruiting
Our staff is going to changing our approach to recruiting this season. It seems that we have been spreading our resources too thin, and often on players that we really did not need. We will only be focusing on 9 recruits during the 2009 season.

*****
WR Jared Small - 6'0" 203 Lbs - Russellville, KY

****
OT Trey Manning - 6'7" 350 Lbs - Independence, KY
WR Chris Gaddis - 5'10" 170 Lbs - Harrodsburg, KY
WR Nathan Bates - 6'3" 190 Lbs - Lancaster, OH
WR Jermaine Bell - 6'1" 190 Lbs - Wilmington, OH
OG Mario Holmes - 6'2" 340 Lbs - Clinton, IA
DT Carlos Rogers - 6'0" 324 Lbs - Hayward, CA

***
DE Alvin Green - 6'4" 290 Lbs - Jackson, TN
DE J.D. Smith - 6'5" 270 Lbs - Bexley, OH



Ah, the hated rivalry game continues. The all time record between the two teams still stands in Kentucky's favor as they have won 12 of the 21 matchups between the two teams.

Last Five Games Versus Louisville
2004: at Louisville - L 0-28
2005: Louisville - L 10-27
2006: at Louisville - L 28-68
2007: Louisville - W 37-30
2008: at Louisville - W 35-28

Despite winning the Big East last season Louisville will probably be fielding their weakest team in over five years. They still have an excellent offensive line which includes the best starting bookend tackles in the NCAA. Once you get past the line though, well, they aren't guarding a whole lot. Fifth year senior Lee Sweeney leads the team at quarterback, but coming into the season he has only thrown 38 passes as a college quarterback. He does have a strong arm but struggles to find the correct touch and range with his passes. Their running attack lacks explosiveless and speed and looks to plod along. Even if the offensive line opens up some holes I do not see a lot of rushing yards coming from this offense. From top to bottom the wide receiving corps lacks even one single deep threat. This entire offense can be summed up in one word: plodding.

The defense looks to measure up a little better than the offense, especially on the defensive line and linebacking corps. The teams big weakness on defense are their cornerbacks. They lack serious depth at cornerback and once you get past their two decent starters it is all down hill. Look for Kentucky to spread the field and pick on the nickel and dime cornerbacks in this one.

Prediction: Kentucky retains the Governor's Cup for another season with a satisfying 38-17 win

It was clear pretty quickly on Louisville's first drive that our defense was much faster than their offense. Even when they spread the field and tried to run the ball our middle linebacker Jacob Blanco would tack down the running back before he could get going. Since I wasn't worried about their running attack I dropped the linebackers into zones most of the game and that took away a whole lot of Louisville's passing attack. One thing is definately clear after this game: sometime in the next four years I expect weakside linebacker Nick Holmes to be in the running for some kind of award. This kid is possibly the quickest linebacker in the entire NCAA and he is only a freshman.

Game Balls:

• The Entire Defense - The unit played well together and allowed nary a big play. Great way to start the season.
• WR John Brooks - The senior opened up the season with a wonderful 8 catch, 140 yard and 2 touchdown performance.
• QB Curtis Pulley - I have to hand it to him. I was on his case very hard all of last year but he played well in this one. 19 of 38 for 236 yards, 2 TDs and 1 pick. Added 32 yards on the ground on 6 carries.
• HB Mike Morgan - With the running game taking more of a backseat this season he showed very soft hands in the passing game and was solid when called to carry the ball. 12 carries for 52 yards. 5 catches for 41 yards.
• Louisville ILB Maurice Grinter - Played very well and ended the game with 12 tackles (2 for loss) and 1 sack

The last game between these two teams in 2005 was not a pretty one for Kentucky. They turned the ball over a whopping 10 times (4 interceptions from starter Andre Woodson, 2 from backup Jo Jo Brown and 4 fumbles lost). The Hoosiers won the game by a score of 67-14. Things look to play out much differently in this one.

Indiana has been a program on the rise the past couple of years and looks to have a young but talented team. The man running their pass first offense is 2nd year quarterback Stephen McClelland. McClelland has a very strong and accurate arm but hasn't shown the savvy yet to find his second and third options. The wide receiving corps is a strong bunch that relies more on running crisp routes that beating you deep. They do have a very talented running back in Tim Sergi (6'3" 209 Lbs). He is used more as an extension to the passing game as he hauled in 8 touchdowns through the air last season. The front 5 are a beefy bunch with three of the 5 starters weighing in at over 340 pounds. This unit should be able to put up some points in this game.

Indiana has a strong pass rush that starts with RE Matt Lewis. Lewis relies almost entirely on his speed to just beat tackles off of the ball. The matchup between him and LT Bryan Ross should be an interesting one. In his standout freshman season Ross showed the ability to handle speed rushers but you never can tell what will happen on Saturday. The Hoosiers have a tall and very good secondary that matches up well with Kentucky's passing attack. Look for the Wildcats to deviate from their gameplan in this one and run a higher than usual amount of outside runs and counter plays to take advantage of Indiana's slower linebackers that are built more for the bruising running attacks found in the Big Ten.

Predition: Indiana 17 - Kentucky 27

Great dynasty! I'm in the fifth season of my own Kentucky dynasty.

Ugh, here we go again. QB Curtis Pulley just couldn't complete a pass (except to the other team) to save his life in this one. Look for backup Nigel Williams to see some time in next weeks Bowling Green game.

Outside of the turnovers though I have to hand it to the Hoosiers. Their front seven played an outstanding football game and got pressure on the quarterback all game long. Running back Tim Sergi was very tough to bring down and had several huge catches in the passing game, as expected. Our defense played well, they were placed in too many positions where Indiana started on our side of the field from a turnover. I guess I will just have to wait a couple more seasons for my revenge.

Game Balls:

• Indiana HB Tim Sergi - Guy was tough as nails out there. Ended with 22 carries for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns. Caught 3 passes for 81 yards.
• Indiana QB Stephen McClelland - Very solid performance. 13 of 24 for 247 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Added 1 touchdown run on the ground.
• Indiana LT Willie Franklin - Absolutely dominated his side of the line with 12 pancake blocks (this is a rarity with my settings for a lineman to get pancake numbers like this)
• TE Will Davis - Showed why we were so excited to nab him in recruiting last season as he caught 4 passes for 90 yards.
• Indiana OLB Douglas Brown - I could not get away from this guy all game. Ended with 10 tackles (3 for loss).

Bowling Green had an excellent 2005 season behind the play of QB Omar Jacobs. Jacobs walked away with the Heisman and Bowling Green walked away with an undefeated season and a Top 10 ranking. Unfortunately for their program they were never able to parlay that success into keeping the ball rolling and they remain nothing more than a good Mid-Atlantic Conference team.

Their offense revolves around quarterback Jake Harris who reminds me a lot of Curtis Pulley. Judging from Pulley's play this should be a positive for us. :mad: They have a decent running back and solid offensive line for a MAC team, but their wideouts are nothing to write home about.

The Falcons probably have the absolute weakest secondary I have ever faced on a Division 1A squad. Backup quarterback Nigel Williams will definately see playing time in this game and try to get his confidence up going against a subpar passing defense. They have a small defensive line that will have trouble dealing with Kentucky's offensive line that comprises of all 300+ pounders. Their starting linebackers are also small with their biggest one standing at 6'1" 227 pounds.

Prediction: Bowling Green puts up some points but their defense gets shredded as Kentucky takes this one by a score of 45-21.

After the first quarter I thought this game was going to be a cakewalk but Bowling Green had me really worried when they pulled within 3 points almost halfway through the 3rd quarter. I think the only thing that saved the game for us was Pulley's touchdown run. If he doesn't get pull off that run we would have completely lost momentum and Bowling Green would have got the ball back in excellent field position.

For the first time I decided to work backup QB Nigel Williams into the game. Each quarterback played one series and then rotated out. The numbers:

Pulley - 7 of 18 for 95 yards and 1 Pick. 4 carries for 103 yards and 1 TD.
Williams - 7 of 16 for 57 yards and 1 Pick.

Pulley had that all important run so he wins the overall battle by default. As far as passing goes, I feel it was a push. Williams did very well in the first half (completed something like 5 of 8). He completely fell apart in the second half though. Pulley was just poor the entire game. With Kentucky moving into the teeth of the SEC schedule I am not going to be rotating quarterbacks every other series, but Williams will see the field more, especially if we get a decent lead.

Game Balls:

• Defensive Front Seven - Major recognition to these guys. They held the Falcons under 30 yards rushing and pilled up a whopping 9 sacks.
• DE Kory Coleman - This guy deserves some individual recognition for just a monster game. 6 tackles (5 for loss), 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery for a touchdown.
• HB Mike Morgan - Had a nice little game in limited use with 17 carries for 93 yards and 2 scores.
• QB Curtis Pulley - The touchdown run lands him here.

With non-conference games over we jump right into the teeth of our SEC schedule by opening up against the Gators. This was a very close game last season that saw a 19 point lead slip away from the Wildcats in the second half. The Gators are a much better team this season and are sporting what will probably be a top 10 offense all season long.

You would be hard pressed to find a weakness on this Florida offense. The passing game goes through Heisman candidate receiver Nyan Boateng. Boateng is in his fifth season with the Gators and stands at 6'2" 195 lbs. He is the complete package and will pose a matchup problem all game long for the Wildcats. Inbetween passes Florida mixes in a nice 1-2 punch with running back Willie Underwood and speedy quarterback Josh Portis. The Wildcats will have to do an excellent job disguising their blitz packages or else Portis is likely to take off. It should almost go without saying that Florida has an excellent offensive line.

What to do against this defense...the linebackers are too quick and stout to run against and the best free safety in the nation is roaming the middle of the field for the Gators. Don't like our chances with their cornerbacks either. Kentucky could have limited success up the middle due to an injury on the Gators defensive line, but with the talent at linebacker it wouldn't be much. This is just going to turn out to be what is working best on gameday.

Predition: Florida 34 - Kentucky 10