After last weeks bruising loss to Anthony Dixon and Mississippi State, Kentucky now must get off the ground and rebound against an Eastern Kentucky team that is playing pretty good football in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Basically, what FCS means is that they get to participate in a tournament at the end of the season. Then they allow that tournament to choose their champion at the end of the season. Makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?

I know this will never happen, but I have been thinking about this for a while because of my mental problems and all, but how great would it be if huge recruits just started going to FCS schools so they could participate in a postseason tournament.

Tim Tebow at Jacksonville State, Colt McCoy at William and Mary, Golden Tate at Appalachian State. Yeah, it’s not gonna happen.

Anyways, back to Eastern Kentucky.

They started the season in Bloomington and gave the Hoosiers all they could handle. The Colonels shut them out in the second half and twice had opportunities to take the lead. Quarterback Cody Watts fumbled at the Indiana 5 with 11:49 left in the game and then quarterback T.J. Pryor’s desperation heave from the 40-yard line fell incomplete, as Indiana secured a 19-13 victory.

Since that loss, they have won five of seven in OVC play, including handing Eastern Illinois their lone league loss on October 3.

The Colonels struggle in the rushing department. Through eight games, they are averaging 3.3 yards-per-carry and 129.4 yards-per-game.  However, last week against Southeast Missouri they got off the snide a bit with 183 yards on the ground, including 81 from senior C.J. Walker.

Walker has rushed for 516 yards on the season and has scored seven times.

Both quarterbacks I mentioned earlier take snaps for EKU, but Pryor, a redshirt freshman, has really taken over as the starter. He is completing nearly 64-percent of his passes and has thrown for 1,590 yards. He has, however, thrown four touchdowns to five interceptions.

Pryor is a threat on the ground, as well. He is second on the team in rushing with 193 yards and has scored four times.

Garnett Phelphs, a senior wide out from Ballard High School, is Pryor’s main receiving threat. He has caught 48 balls on the season for 610 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, their front seven has the ability to get in the backfield and make plays. They have three players that have 7.5 tackles for loss or more. Their secondary is led by sophomore Jeremy Caldwell, who has an incredible seven interceptions on the season.

Caldwell is also their main return man.

UK is gunning for it’s school-record 18th consecutive victory over non-conference opponents on Saturday. Their current streak is the second longest active streak in the country.

The ‘Cats will be without Derrick Locke but Trevard Lindley will return to action after missing the last four games.

Despite Eastern Kentucky’s success in the OVC, this is a game that Kentucky should win handily. With Locke out, look for Rich Brooks and the coaching staff to give Morgan Newton a little more freedom in an attempt to instill some confidence.

Take care of business, or TCB as the pinkie squad calls it, and you are one win away from a fourth strait bowl game. I know everyone is down a bit after last week’s loss, but the team and the fans have to put it behind them.

Win this one and you are 5-4, with two winnable games on the road (at Vandy, at Georgia) and then the Vols at home to close out the season.

What a hilarious picture!