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Previewing Kentucky at South Carolina: Topics for Discussion on the 'Cats Offense

Can we stop Kentucky's running game? The 'Cats run game against Alabama wasn't world beating, but it was decent compared to how other teams have done against the Tide's front line. Meanwhile, our rushing defense has good numbers, but we've shown some chinks in our armor at times and have depleted depth on the defensive line. I'm especially worried about Randall Cobb, who provides Kentucky with a McCluster-like weapon out of the Wildcat. Derrick Locke also looks like a quality player.

Locke also returns kicks! We've been doing better on kickoff coverage, but Locke will test us. He can take one to the house if we don't cover him.

Cobb is also Kentucky's leading receiver and is a big-play threat. Can our secondary contain him? I'm frankly somewhat more afraid of Cobb out of the backfield, but you have to keep an eye on him at receiver, too.

Kentucky's line isn't playing too badly and has done OK protecting Hartline. Can we generate any pressure? Our defense appears to thrive off pressuring the quarterback. When we can't do that, we're pretty average.

Can we take advantage if Mike Hartline plays poorly? Hartline has struggled mightily lately, throwing six interceptions in the last three games. Our defense has shown good coverage ability, but we've often failed to take advantage of turnover opportunities. Is this the game where we pull down multiple interceptions?

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PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...

Almighty Greek God of College Football Injuries….Please Spare Us.

--Robert

by a gamecock fan on Oct 5, 2009 2:37 PM EDT via mobile reply actions   0 recs

It could be worse...

Kentucky will likely be without both corners. But I know what you’re saying. I feel injuries may be this team’s downfall, but I guess we should have counted on that, considering how young our backups are.

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Oct 5, 2009 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Expect a lot of zone with both corners out

WInston Guy may even move over from safety at times to play corner.

First time I shot her, shot her in the side.
Hard to watch her suffer, but with the second shot she died...

by btcoop71 on Oct 5, 2009 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

UK is killing itself with turnovers and penalties

Hartline has the physical ability, just not the mental ability.

First time I shot her, shot her in the side.
Hard to watch her suffer, but with the second shot she died...

by btcoop71 on Oct 5, 2009 3:43 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

We're very familiar with the penalties...

Fortunately, we’ve improved significantly on our TO margin.

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Oct 5, 2009 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I just shudder to think

Of what kind of duck Hartline will throw up the first time Norwood gets in his grill…….

First time I shot her, shot her in the side.
Hard to watch her suffer, but with the second shot she died...

by btcoop71 on Oct 5, 2009 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

bt

I see you came over to continue bashing Hartline. Do you think its true that he showed up on campus and announced he was going to be on the football team? Then when he got there he told them he was going to be the starting quarterback? Pretty guttsy don’t you think? No one recruited him at all. Couldn’t have been the former offense coordinator, now head coach of the offense, and coach in waiting, Joker Phillips do you think? Haw, he wouldn’t do that.
Why bash the kid?
If they got someone better, especially amonst all their recruits they are bragging about why do they insist on playing Hartline?
You can’t be rah, rah and bash the quarterback can you?

by ParisGuy on Oct 7, 2009 9:06 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Lighten up Francis

I don’t bash the kid, I bash his decision making and play.

First time I shot her, shot her in the side.
Hard to watch her suffer, but with the second shot she died...

by btcoop71 on Oct 8, 2009 8:47 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

My thoughts, as a Kentucky fan but a realistic one

I’m a Kentucky fan, not a Kentucky nut. One not exactly satisfied with the direction our program is going. By no one else seems to care.
I’ve seen them play three times and definitely the best game they’ve played has been against Alabama.
 No one has seemed to have a lot of trouble passing against the Cats.
Norwood, in my opinion is head and shoulders above Johnson. We seem to try body blocking runners instead of tackling them. Tebow made Johnson look like he was on a merry go round when he tried to arm tackle him. Norwood plays with more instensity.
I’ve gotten to watch Carolina three times. I believe your passing game is ahead of the Cats’. Good recievers and not a one player recieving corp. Matthews looked good against Miami of Ohio but not much since. Cobb is an athlete. Probably the best quarterback we have but for some reason we’d rather play him at wide reciever and limit his touches.
As far as coaching. I guess you could do what Spurrier said when Florida wanted a resume a few years ago. Go look at the Gators trophy case. But at Kentucky we aren’t as quick to dump assistant coaches as you are. If things aren’t improving in a certain position or over all defense or offense we leave ours around to get ‘on the job training’.
And we have already picked our next coach. He’s undefeated, as in never been a head coach, and the head coach of our offense.You guys apparently don’t have any one of his caliber. Or may be if Spurrier leaves you actually want to see who might be interested.. So we must be satisfied with the direction the program is going.
I think Carolina will win. Your place, improving in all aspects since the season started, and other things.
We didn’t count on winning this game anyway. We have a formula to get to the ‘Sacred Six’, you know to qualify for a bowl. Buy three wins, hope Louisville continues to go down hill and hope two teams, usually Miss State and Vandy have a bad season.
That makes it a good season for us. A trip to balmy Tennessee for the holidays. Athletic director gets a bonus for his scheduling and we continue the talk about building a statue to honor our head coach.
Very simple. Any way we’re only waiting for Cal’s Cats and basketball season.

by ParisGuy on Oct 5, 2009 9:43 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Damn. That was depressing. Amusingly ironic, though.

I would have to agree with you regarding your coaching staff, and especially Joker Phillips. From where I’m sitting, it seems like Brooks and company have gotten a lot of mileage out of the Andre Woodson years and the victories over Georgia and LSU that occurred in that span. I do think Brooks has done an impressive job in Lexington, but so good that he gets to hand pick the next head coach, especially now that he’s hit a wall? Doesn’t seem like a good idea to me, although I’ll grant that I’m sitting pretty far away from the situation.

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Oct 5, 2009 10:41 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Nice conclusion Gamecock

A very good asessment of the situation. We aren’t concerned though, basketball practice starts in a few days and football will be forgottem.

by ParisGuy on Oct 7, 2009 9:08 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I usually don't have to say this to opposing fans,

but step back from the ledge there. I’ve always looked at Kentucky as being a lot like USC in that we’re both fighting for position in the SEC (East). Only, I really don’t have any sympathy for the Wildcats as I do with Vanderbilt since Kentucky can lay claim to a national championship or two during the Bear Bryant era and still can hang their hat on a great basketball tradition.

Still, I don’t see the direction of your program as quite abysmal as you do. Going to, and winning, two straight bowl games against decent competition is nothing to sneeze at. While I agree that your coach-in-waiting decision was a bit odd, I think it’s far too early to put a label on Kentucky’s season this year. I can appreciate your level-headedness, but I fully expect the ’Cats to give us a tough game on Saturday.

Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina

by The Feathered Warrior on Oct 5, 2009 11:25 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

The 2006 and 2007 teams were pretty good...

I think some UK fans reasonably worry that they’ve taken a step back since then, though. Last year’s team really wasn’t very good, even by UK standards. They benefited from an easy schedule.

However, this is UK we’re talking about. It would be hard to be too critical of Brooks, considering what he has to work with in terms of recruiting. If you compare our two-deep to theirs, it’s clear that it’s difficult to get talented players to go there. I’m not sure if it’s because Kentucky doesn’t have much in-state talent or because Tennessee, Ohio State, and other nearby programs take it all, but UK doesn’t have SEC talent across the board.

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Oct 5, 2009 11:36 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I should add that the recruiting woes certainly aren't due to the locale...

Lexington may be colder in the winter than Columbia, but it’s a beautiful city with a beautiful campus. I had a great time when I was there.

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Oct 5, 2009 11:38 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Gamecock

Go to one of the sites that have commitments and check were we stand. We like to wait till the bigger boys get filled up and then we go after whats left.

by ParisGuy on Oct 6, 2009 1:00 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I appricate your response

As far as the bowl wins go, Florida State left 36 players at home and Clemson I beleve was on a five game losing streak.
I know I harsh, but most are complete satisfied with the way things are. We’re 1 and 24 against the Eastern Division if you take out our $-2 record against Vandy.
Thats for being positive about the Cats. We hope to live up to that before I get too old to see and hear the games.

by ParisGuy on Oct 6, 2009 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Go Gamecock!

gamecock,. you considering running for mayor of Lexington? Just joshing you.
I’m very unpleased with the direction our recruiting has gone since Brooks arrived.
Woodson, and the others except Tamme were sighned by Guy Morriss. Since their graduations or last year of eligibity we haven’t done to well.
The product on the field last year and this year is the current staff’s recruits.
We talk a bot at Kentucky getting better but we really are quite satisfied with what we have now. I’m not satisfied but I love football, SEC football and follow all the teams in the league. You all are talking about Spurrier possibly being a failure. That’s foolsh.
I was serious about the statue talk. Some boost Brooks is better than the Bear. He’s gone to three bowls and won all three. Two Music City Bowls and a Liberty Bowl. Bear went to the Sugar, Cotton and Orange and only won two of them so they figure Brooks has bettered his record. They don’t want to hear that when Bryant went to those bowls there were only 7 or 8 in major college football. Now with just 34 and more teams going than staying home, well, I think you see my point.
We aren’t gong to get better. We have the only coach in the SEC, well, maybe other than Johnson at Vandy, who has absolutly no pressure on his at all. Two years ago we got so giddy we named the coach of the 106th rated offense the coach in waiting.
Kentucky football, nothing expected, no disappointments.
Sorry I’m come across as bitter but when your in you sixties, the phase ‘wait till next year’ get a little old after this period of time.

by ParisGuy on Oct 6, 2009 12:54 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I guess your broken record routine is too big for ASOB alone.....

First time I shot her, shot her in the side.
Hard to watch her suffer, but with the second shot she died...

by btcoop71 on Oct 6, 2009 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I don't know. I can see his point...

There is certainly a contingent of Carolina fans that want to give Spurrier a pass as long as he stays above .500 and nabs an upset each year. However, there are other fans, like myself, for whom that isn’t enough. Despite our history, we see a program that could be better given the right leadership. I can it being similar at Kentucky, other than the expectations in Lexington being slightly lower. Some of the fans are happy with .500 seasons against crappy schedules, some want a little more.

All of that said, I can’t presume to comment with authority on Kentucky’s situation, as I’m an outside observer.

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Oct 6, 2009 9:41 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

bt

bt, good to see you do get away from the pep rally at the ASOB. Please correct anything I’ve said here with facts you have.

by ParisGuy on Oct 7, 2009 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

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