WHAS: Mike Hartline out for season

We knew that it didn’t look good when it happened, now it appears that the knee injury suffered by Mike Hartline on a play that should have been blown dead will cost him the entire second half of his junior season.

WHAS is reporting that “a source close to the program” is saying that Hartline will be unable to return this year. I would assume that Mike will go under the knife for reconstructive surgery this week if the injury is that serious, in an effort to be ready for spring practice.

A large segment of the UK fan base has adopted the mantra of “anybody but Hartline”. They are going to get their wish. I am afraid it’s not going to be pretty either. The options are an underequipped backup (Will Fidler), UK’s best receiver who hasn’t taken QB reps in a year (Randall Cobb, and two highly touted freshman (Morgan Newton and Ryan Mossakowski).

Before yesterday, there was a strong chance that Newton and Mossakowski would redshirt. In fact, Brooks had already made the decision to sit Moss for the season. Now, the coaching staff will have to evaluate which of the two is more prepared to run the offense NOW. I still believe that Moss will keep his redshirt and that Newton will, at a minimum, serve as the backup.

This is a bad situation for Mike Hartline, but for the others, it is a big opportunity. This will be a storyline that will be a major focus prior to the trip to Auburn next week. I will be taking a look at the options at QB tomorrow and analyzing the decision, so keep an eye out for that. Also, I’m working on a big ole post on Big Blue Madness. I’m having fun writing it, so I think you’ll like it when it’s up tomorrow morning.