With the beginning of the season about to get under way Joker Phillip’s is yet to make the biggest decision of the season.  Who will lead the Wildcats in the huddle come the Governor’s Cup on September 4^th?  A game that has no favorite and is up for grabs kind of like the ‘Cats quarterback position.  The ‘Cats quarterbacks is the first position that will be discussed in a series of positional previews leading up to the Wildcats opening kick-off in Louisville.  There is no clear cut favorite as of now but one thing is for certain Joker will have to make a decision sometime soon in order to get a good feel for what his team has to offer in 2010.

The Seasoned Vet: Mike Hartline

Mike Hartline has all the experience but not a ton of talent to help the ‘Cats this season.  Word is out of the practices so far taking place, Hartline has a stronger arm and has been much more accurate with his 15 to 20 yard passes down field.  Hartline if you can recall was tremendously consistent with his 5-yard routes and screen passes but really who isn’t?  If Hartline wants to grab the starting spot he is going to have to prove that he can make the long passes consistently.  The one positive Hartline has going his way is that he has been the starting quarterback coming out of spring practice for the ‘Cats the previous two season’s.

He has plenty of experience but every season that experience proves not to be enough to get the ‘Cats that big win versus top opponents.  Over those past two season’s Hartline’s numbers have been a little rough.  His passing percentage never reaching above 60% and he is only averaging about 6 yards a pass.  In two seasons he has only been able to throw for 15 touchdowns.

A number that most above average quarterbacks reach by week 10-11 in just one season.  The Wildcats have been a run first team since he has taken over but I am pretty sure those stats are the reason why.  Kentucky has been looking for a replacement since standout quarterback Andre Woodson graduated.  Mike Hartline is not the smartest choice for the Wildcats but he is the safest.  Inconsistency will plague Hartline but he could cut down on turnovers, which are always deadly in college football.

The Fan Favorite: Morgan Newton

Morgan Newton won over the hearts of many last season with his stellar performances against Auburn and Georgia.  Both games were on the road.  Not an easy task for a freshman quarterback.  Newton a freshman last season came out of Carmel, Indiana.  He was a High School All-American.  Typically, a recruit Kentucky never gets their hands on.  He was a four-star prospect and will be the next “big thing” for Kentucky Wildcats football.  Joker Phillips just isn’t sure if his time is now.

No matter who is the starting quarterback one thing is for sure, Newton will see the playing field at some point in 2010.  He is too big of a weapon to keep on the sidelines.  Newton has a pretty accurate arm and has a pretty strong one too.  Last season in five games behind center Newton posted a 109.7 passer rating and threw 6 touchdowns in place of the injured Mike Hartline.  He also threw for 706 yards.  Now you may not think this is impressive but when seeing he only played in five games, that many yards is a pretty impressive feat.  Newton still has some growing up to do but there is not a better place for that to happen than behind center.

The more snaps Newton takes the more he will learn and the better he becomes.  He has much more upside than Hartline and the gamble is worth the reward to most in the Bluegrass.  Newton has two big wins under his belt both on the road, which will help with the experience of playing in such a tough conference as the SEC.  When comparing the two quarterbacks it will be hard for Joker Phillips to bench a senior but Newton brings more to the table and will ultimately I believe bring more wins to Kentucky.  Also, Newton provides a little more of a running threat than Hartline which makes options much more dangerous for the ‘Cats.  Morgan Newton is the right choice but it all comes down to how they perform in practice during the fall.

The Sleeper: Ryan Mossakowski

Ryan Mossakowski is exactly what the definition of a sleeper is.  He has the same potential, as Newton but does not posses the experience that Hartline or Newton bring to the table.  He has all the intangibles that a good pocket passer has.  He has a very powerful arm which gives Kentucky a deep threat and he is more accurate then Hartline.  This isn’t saying much though because more than half the NCAA is more accurate then Hartline.  Mossakowski is a work in project but he will be a good one.  He too was a four-star quarterback coming out of Texas and is a tough competitor.  He has a long way to come before he is the ‘Cats field general but he could sneak in to the talks if he has a good fall.  With his arm and accuracy he seems like an attractive pick at quarterback.

I still believe this is Newton’s race to lose but Mossakowski could someday take over.  With two four-star prospects and at the same age Joker Phillips is going to need to make a decision.  Mossakowski red shirted last season but still even if he were to wait until Newton graduates that still only gives him a year at the helm which doesn’t really seem fair to a player of his stature.  Phillips is either going to have to move Newton to maybe a wide receiver position or figure out something to do with Mossakowski.  If not we may end up seeing Mossakowski transfer at some point in his career at Kentucky.

In an ideal world, Brooks would be making this kind of decision next July and August between an incumbent senior coming off of a strong junior year and two sophomores who had made strong cases for themselves in spring practice.

Instead, a quarterback decision must be made by Saturday at 7:30 pm. The decision is between backup junior Will Fidler and star freshman recruit Morgan Newton.

Coach Brooks has said that the two will split reps in practice this week. A focus will be placed on quick decision making, as both have been lacking in that area. A simplified package will be installed for both, to ease the transition to starter for whomever earns the job. Brooks has also made Newton and Fidler off limits to the media all week, a rare secretive move from a normally full disclosure kind of coach.

That means we are all left to our devices to analyze and predict the decision. So that’s what I am going to do here. I’m going to break down the cases for and against Fidler and Newton as starter.

Will Fidler

The Case For

Fidler is a veteran. He has played in Rich Brooks system for three plus years and undoubtedly has a better grasp of what Joker Phillips and Randy Sanders expect from their quarterbacks than his competitor. Fidler does not have much first team experience, but has at least gotten game action.

Fidler, though he did not perform particularly well last weekend, showed an ability and a willingness to push the ball downfield, something that UK fans have long looked for from Mike Hartline.

Fidler, in short, would likely provide a more seamless transition from Mike Hartline. The offense, while simplified, would remain largely the same. Fidler would be the safe choice, more likely to manage the UK team and win games that he should.

The Case Against

Fidler is not the future at quarterback. No matter how well he performs, he would be nothing more than a stop gap. UK is not going to get better long term by playing Fidler because he’s not going to be playing the position a year from now, let along two or three years from now.

With Fidler at QB, UK’s ceiling is finite in my opinion. I don’t really see UK beating a team like Auburn on the road with him at the helm, because I don’t think he’s capable of making enough plays. UK will be limited and conservative on offense.

Morgan Newton

The Case For

Newton, on the other hand, is the future (along with Ryan Mossakowski). Allowing him to play right now would get him valuable experience on the SEC level, experience you can’t get on any practice field or in any film room. Newton is going to have to take his lumps at some point, and it may as well be sooner rather than later.

Newton also gives UK a playmaking threat with both his arm and his legs. Joker Phillips has always wanted a QB with the kind of abilities that Newton has and it could open up the playbook in ways that not even Andre Woodson could. Newton does not grasp the offensive as well as he eventually will, but he will be able to make plays when a play does not seem to be there. With Morgan Newton, the ceiling is much higher.

The Case Against

Playing Newton right now could stunt his development. A poor performance against Auburn on the road before he is ready, could do damage to his psyche that could take a long time to undo. The last thing that Rich Brooks wants to do is throw him to the SEC wolves.

Also, just as Morgan Newton’s ceiling is higher than Fidler’s, his floor is likely much lower. A bad game from an unprepared Newton could be downright awful.

The Conclusion

Let’s be honest here. I tried to be impartial, but I think my opinion is pretty clear based on what I have written. UK should start Morgan Newton if his performance in practice is even comparable to Will Fidler’s. Granted, if Will Fidler turns out to be way ahead of Newton, I can’t question the decision.

However, I would understand if Rich Brooks decides to go with Fidler for this week. UK has three winnable home games after the trip to Auburn that should be much less trying than playing in Jordan-Hare. If Brooks makes the judgment to go that Newton just isn’t ready to play on the road in the SEC, but does want to play him, it would make sense to hold him out for one more week.

For what it’s worth, most of the word coming from football insiders says that the players believe that Newton is going to be the quarterback. I don’t think we will know anything official until Saturday, but we should have some stronger indication as the week goes on.

Hartline will miss at least a month, but could return before season’s end. How quickly the cartilage heals will determine when he can return.

Morgan Newton and Will Fidler are the candidates for the starting job, while Randall Cobb will remain at wide receiver but see more touches in the Wildcat formation.

In other injury news, star cornerback Trevard Lindley is still likely to miss another 3-4 weeks.

There were bright spots in UK’s loss to South Carolina, but none were brighter than the performance of senior defensive tackle Corey Peters.

Peters has dealt with double teams all season playing alongside a inexperienced defensive line that has struggled to get prussure. Peters broke out in a big way against South Carolina, registering 7 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

In other football news this morning, Morgan Newton and Will Fidler were both listed atop the quarterback depth chart entering the week. This suggests to me that we’re going to have an open competition on our hands. We should also find out about the results of Mike Hartline’s MRI in about 20 minutes at the weekly press conference.

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.

Randall Cobb, Gene McCaskill, Chris Matthews, and TC Drake will wondering what might have been if they hadn’t made a few key drops.

Rich Brooks will be wondering what might have been if he had called for a field goal attempt rather than have Randall Cobb attempt an ill-fated fake or if he had put the ball in Cobb’s hands on the 2 point conversion that would have tied it.

Mike Hartline will be wondering what might have been if he had been able to avoid injury.

UK’s kickoff team will wonder what might have been if they hadn’t put South Carolina in multiple short field situations with horrendous coverage.

Martavius Neloms and the rest of the secondary will be wonding what might have been had they been able to defend just one of Alshon Jeffery’s 3 touchdown catches.

Micah Johnson and the UK defense will be wondering what might have been if they had been able to get off their blocks and get to the ball carrier on South Carolina’s two intermediate 3rd down conversions on the game ending drive.

I could go on, but I think you get the point. That was one of the more even matched games you will ever see. The teams went toe to toe for 60 minutes and were separated by few points (28-26) and fewer total yards (362-361).

The way the game started, it looked like the game could be remembered as the one where Mike Hartline redeemed himself. He led UK up and down the field in the first half, tossing the ball all over Williams-Brice, and pretty much the only way he could be stopped was by drops by his own receivers. He converted 6-11 third downs and led UK to a 17-14 lead. UK looked better than South Carolina and held such a slim lead only due to the aforementioned drops and poor kickoff coverage.

UK felt even better about its chances because they would open with the ball to start the second half. However, it was that very thing that led to Hartline’s exit. UK was in a 3rd and long situation after Derrick Locke was stuffed and an incompletion. Hartline dropped back to pass on a play that wouldn’t even end up counting due a delay of game and was taken to the ground by Darian Stewart with a horse collar tackle. Stewart rolled onto Hartline’s knee and Mike stayed down.

I’m not sure if the referees didn’t get the notice the horse collar is now illegal in college, or if they just didn’t call it because it was a no play, but the damage was done. For the record, if Tom Brady had been tackled the way the Hartline was, I think we may have seen the first ever 45 yard penalty in the history of football. A healthy Hartline remains UK’s best option at QB, but Rich Brooks termed his injury “significant”, which doesn’t bode well.

Will Fidler came in as the replacement and very quickly showed why he does not belong on the field. He tossed a near pick attempting to get the ball to Chris Matthews and UK punted the ball away. The UK defense stiffened, handing the ball back to the offense deep in its own territory, but Fidler again struggled.

South Carolina drove 61 yards in only 7 plays after a punt, causing the final lead change of the game. UK was in position to answer on the strength of a 31 yard Derrick Locke burst, but UK would have to settle for an apparent field goal attempt on 4th and 6 from the 14. The attempt never happened. In call that Rich Brooks admitted to be “dumb” after the game, holder Randall Cobb tried to catch the Gamecock D offguard with a run to the left. South Carolina, however, was not fooled.

The play looked like it could be the one that broke UK’s back, but the defense again buckled down. Now famous Taylor Wyndham showed great pursuit on a scramble by Stephen Garcia, stripping him from behind, resulting in a fumble recovery by safety Calvin Harrison.

The UK offense could not cash in, but this time, Brooks opted for a field goal by all time leading scorer Lones Seiber, closing South Carolina’s lead to 21-20.

Then, the UK defense put the offense in excellent position yet again. On 2nd and 10, Stephen Garcia made one of those bone-headed plays that makes Steve Spurrier squirm. Garcia felt pressure from the UK line and decided that the best thing to do was run backwards. Garcia was downed all the way back at his own 4 yard line, a loss of 14. He played a very good game, but this was one of a handful of plays that almost cost his team the game.

After a moderate gain on 3rd and long, Randall Cobb fair caught the ensuing punt at the UK 43. UK went to the ground in an attempt to take the lead, and for a split second, things looked very good. Cobb took an end around from the South Carolina 46 all the way inside the South Carolina 10 yard line, but an unnecessary hold by Jorge Gonzalez nullified it.

UK however, put itself in position to try to convert a 4th and 3 on the same drive. Brooks was aggressive on 4th down all day, but an iffy illegal snap penaly on Jorge Gonzalez forced a UK punt after Derrick Locke looked to have converted the attempt.

Then, one more special teams gaffe killed the ‘Cats. Ryan Tydlacka, well known last year for his phenomenal short field punting, tried to pin the Gamecocks deep in their own territory. It didn’t work out so well. He hit a terrible punt that got a worse hop. The punt was finally downed 5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage at the South Carolina 39.

In a running theme of the day, South Carolina capitalized on good field position very, very quickly, scoring in only 5 plays. South Carolina scored 4 touchdowns today. Those 4 drives spanned a total of 19 plays and 235 yards. UK’s 3 touchdown drives spanned 21 plays and 205 yards. The lesson is clear: don’t give a quality opponent a short field.

Facing an 8 point deficit with just over 8 minutes remaining, UK looked to its best offensive player, Randall Cobb, in the Wildcat formation. Cobb ran for 64 yards on UK’s 70 yard scoring drive, ending it with a 2 yard plunge.

It was clear that Rich Brooks did not want the ball in Will Fidler’s hands on the drive. He attempted no passes and touched the ball only once, handing it off to Derrick Locke.

Why then, if you didn’t trust Fidler to lead UK down the field, would you then all of sudden feel comfortable having Fidler drop back to convert a must have tying 2 point conversion? Unsurprisingly, Fidler tried to fire the ball to Cobb, but was pressured and the pass fell harmlessly to the turf.

With over 4 and half minutes remaining, UK kicked the ball deep and asked its defense to step up one more time. UK forced South Carolina into 2 third downs of 5 yards or longer, but twice the defense was outfoxed.

On the first, UK was wary of the playaction pass, and stayed in close coverage when Garcia faked and rolled right. However, they did not account for the scramble. Garcia dove forward with Winston Guy closing fast, and got enough for the first. On the second, UK again was wary of the pass. Kenny Miles, though, got the ball on a delayed handoff and iced the game with a 14 yard run. UK fans again were left wondering when they would ever beat Steve Spurrier.

As disappointing as this loss was, attention will undoubtedly quickly shift to the quarterback position and next week’s game. Will Fidler has been the backup all season, but he showed next to nothing today, going 2-8 for 16 yards. The two more popular choices among fans will be Randall Cobb and Morgan Newton.

Cobb had a bunch of success today in the Wildcat formation (89 yards rushing), but did not throw the ball. He has not taken QB reps since last fall, so will be rusty in that area. Besides, he does so much for UK as a receiver (62 yards today) and in the return game that I just don’t think Brooks will put him back there full time. Make no mistake though, you will see plenty of Wildcat next week at Auburn (who was dismantled 44-23 by Arkansas today).

Rich Brooks said in his post game press conference that star freshman Morgan Newton will see many more reps this week in practice at QB. Fidler’s performance and Brooks’ lack of faith in Fidler really makes you wonder how Newton has not at least challenged him as the backup. Newton will have the biggest opportunity of his career this week. If he capitalizes, UK fans could well get their wish and have Newton under center.

We will have much more on this as the week goes on, but for now I just wish Mike Hartline the best. He had his best stretch of play of the season and this just has to be awful for him.

As UK fans, prior to the season, were mapping out the path to a 7, 8, or 9 win season, few of those maps included wins over either of those two opponents. UK was awful against Florida, discouragingly awful. UK, however, was not awful against Alabama. Mistake-riddled, yes. Awful, no.

Unfortunately, more than a fair share of those mistakes are attributable to one Mike Hartline…a guy who already could claim the description of “embattled”.

UK fans have more than enough illegitimate reasons to complain about Hartline, namely unrealistically high expectations post-Andre Woodson and unrealistically high expectations for incoming freshman. Hartline does not need to give fans legitimate reasons to complain about him.

What a strange relationship UK fans have with Hartline. Things started roughly. He fell into the starting job last year when Curtis Pulley was booted from the team. Then, he failed to hold back a challenge from the ever popular backup, Randall Cobb. From that point forward, I have never seen a player who can be turned on so quickly by fans. It literally takes one poor pass or decision after a series of 10 good ones for someone to bring up Morgan Newton.

I’m not saying that Hartline is without his faults. His ceiling is limited, at best. But as Rich Brooks has made it abundantly clear, he is the best option to help UK win games right now.

What I am hoping is that the road will offer a reprieve for Hartline. He clearly is affected by the UK home crowd, and for all intents and purposes, UK’s first four games have been home crowds. Hartline’s confidence is very, very shaky, and quarterbacks are going to make bad plays. They touch the ball every play. I think Hartline’s mistakes are exacerbated terribly by his shaky confidence. I am hoping that his confidence will better remain intact playing in front of crowds that boo him all game, not just when he makes bad plays.

Let’s think about the UK offense as a unit right now. Due to Chris Matthews slow development, it appears that UK has two playmakers: Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke. If UK is going to move the ball with any sort of consistency, it’s going to be with heavy doses of that pair.

When UK was holding onto the ball against ‘Bama, they got the ball to those two. The two had a combined 34 touches, resulting in 216 of UK’s 301 yards of total offense. Alabama is an excellent defense, and that is a respectable performace by a team with limited weapons.

Even though UK is an expected 2-2, things have changed with regards to the schedule. UK’s next two games look significantly more difficult than they did 2 months ago. Auburn and South Carolina are a combined 9-1, and both entered the rankings this week. Road SEC games are always tough no matter what. They’re tougher against two teams that have exceeded expectations.

We have said from the day the schedule came out that a win in one of those two games was a must if this UK team wanted to take another step forward in the grand scheme of things. I believe that the way things have played out so far this year has caused them to take on even greater importance.

If UK performs poorly in two road losses, Mike Hartline’s chances of winning over UK fans could quickly go from slim to none. If UK rolls back into Commonwealth on October 24th to play Louisiana-Monroe with a 2-4 overall record and an 0-4 record in the SEC, it’s going to be nearly impossible for this team to build the momentum it needs to make this season a success. Yeah, UK has 3 winnable games at home against Louisiana-Monroe, Mississippi State, and Eastern Kentucky, but I’m still not sure if wins in those 3 games will do the trick.

At this point, I really believe that this road trip could be what the ‘Cats need. Sometimes it takes a road atmosphere to really bring a team together. The effort I saw against Alabama was a step in the right direction in that area, but I’m hoping that the ‘Cats will take the adverse atmosphere of Williams-Brice and the challenge of playing the Ol’ Ball coach and turn them into positives.

The Louisville Cardinals are at a crossroads. I am not going to get into the specifics of the Pitt game because there is a larger issue at hand. Athletic director Tom Jurich now has to seriously and HONESTLY examine whether or not Steve Kragthorpe can get the job done. I know the overwhelming majority of the fan base feels he cannot, but ultimately Jurich makes that call.

Despite what some Louisville fans claim, Tom Jurich wants the football program to be a top 10 program year in and year out and Jurich will not continue with Kragthorpe simply because of their friendship. Tom Jurich is not happy about how things have gone, but I also know he believes, or at least did believe, Kragthorpe can deliver. That being said, it is now time for honest examination of the Louisville football program.

Keep in mind, this is all based on four games, and circumstances can and will change. If Kragthorpe ends up winning seven games this year, then this will all most likely be a moot point. If Kragthorpe fails, as in winning no more than three games, and is retained, then Tom Jurich will need to hold a presser and spell out exactly why Kragthorpe is the man for the job. I like Tom Jurich and think he is the best A.D. in the country, but I think it would serve him well to answer some specific questions that have been on the mind of Louisville fans.

The Cardinals sit at 1-3 on the year and have not beaten a Division I (yeah, I know it’s allegedly FBS, but I DON’T CARE) opponent since last October when they took out 14th ranked South Florida. Quite frankly, Louisville is not getting better. In fact, they appear to be regressing, which is not good considering they have only played four games. Starting quarterback Justin Burke looks like he will be back for that game. But regardless of who is playing at quarterback, the Cards have to win their next two contests, period. 

Kragthorpe pointing out Wanny's stache during the game

Southern Miss is coming in this Saturday for homecoming and will be without their starting quarterback, who is out for the rest of the season. The Eagles are 3-2 on the year, but have not scored fewer than 26 points in a single game. So the Louisville offense better get it together because they will have to score points to win. After Southern Miss, the Cardinals travel to face UCONN in East Hartford. The Huskies are 3-1 on the season have their lone loss came against a decent North Carolina squad.

Bottom line, if the Cards win these next two, then they will be sitting at 3-3 and there will be some momentum going into the very difficult final stretch of games which include at Cincinnati, at West Virginia, and at South Florida. If they don’t, then Louisville will probably be full steam ahead towards hiring a new coach and I will get into that very topic this week. For now, it would be best for all parties for Louisville to simply get their sh*t together and win some games.

In Lexington, the Cats fell to #3 Alabama 38-20 and like last week against Florida, I say so what. Alabama is very good and if these teams play ten times, I think ‘Bama wins at least nine. However, Kentucky could have played much better. The Cats coughed up the football four times, highlighted by quarterback Mike Hartline’s three picks. Hartline is yet again the focus and to me, it is because of his generally awful decision making.

I am not a regular at Kentucky football practices, but I can guarantee you quarterbacks coach Randy Sanders does not teach Mike Hartline to throw the ball to the middle of the field.. off his back foot…across his body…and into double coverage. I am not sure of how Mike Hartline thinks, but apparently he feels he has the arm strength to accomplish that feat.

Having said that, this is not a bash Mike Hartline session, although I’m sure if I held one I could get quite a crowd from UK fans. As I said in last week’s edition, Mike Hartline is who he is, and what he is is marginal. Coach Rich Brooks (top 5 human in my book) said after the game, “Mike Hartline…is our best option and we’ll go forward with that.”

Love. This. Man.

Rich Brooks knows more about football and being hilarious than I ever will. And for the record, I do not believe this is the time to burn the redshirt of the highly touted Morgan Newton. However, the back-up quarterback is Will Fidlerand as far as I’m concerned, why not give him a shot? I don’t see how he could be any worse than Hartline and maybe you get a spark from him. If not, so what, it’s not as if the quarterback play is a strength for the Cats and Hartline isn’t going anywhere.

On the positive side of things, Derrick Locke is a beast. The man has blazing speed and can make a defender whiff almost anytime he wants. He did fumble again, but all in all, the kid just gets it done on the football field. Coach Brooks called Locke a “warrior” after the game and he’s right on the money. Locke finished with 85 yards on 20 carries and 6 catches for 63 yards. But with Locke it was more about the way he competes. The kid just plays hard all the time. Also, congratulations from us here at the Pinkie to kicker Lones Seiber who became the all-time scoring leader for UK football.

The Cats are now 2-2 and have two tough road games ahead. They travel to Columbia to face the ole ball coach, then go to Auburn to face the surprisingly good Tigers. The Cats will most likely be underdogs in both contests and to complicate matters, cornerbacks Trevard Lindley and Paul Warford will probably miss the next game due to injury. In my mind, if I’m Rich Brooks, I don’t even think about playing those guys until the Auburn game and probably not even then.

You need to have those two healthy for as much of the season as possible and it’s not as if UK would be a favorite against Auburn if they were. I say rest Trevard and Warford for two weeks, and have them ready for the stretch of games that include Louisiana-Monroe, Mississippi State (which is no gimme by the way), Eastern Kentucky, and at Vanderbilt. The Cats should win at least three of those four games and, if we assume losses to South Carolina and Auburn, should be sitting at either 5-5 or 6-4 heading into the final two games.

Quick hits time:

-The Bengals won again and now are 3-1. They tried to give Cleveland their first win, but in the end, chose to win the game. A very refreshing mindset change from what we are all accustomed to seeing from the Who Deys. Marvin’s boys now have a showdown with the Ravens for first place in the AFC North.

-This goes out to all teams in the MLB Playoffs: DO NOT LET THE TONY LARUSSA AND THE CARDINALS WIN THE WORLD SERIES.

-Fantasy update: Steven Jackson still has no touchdowns and I’m still furious over it.

-At halftime of the Louisville-Pitt game on Friday, fellow Pinkie squad member Carl H and myself were waiting in line to use the facilities and overheard an unreal exchange between UofL fans. After listening to UofL fan #1 ramble on about Jon Gruden being the next coach because he heard Gruden may have bought a house in Lake Forest (real quote by the way), UofL fan #2 counters with this gem, “He ain’t gonna be the next coach here. In fact, I’ll s*ck your $%#@ if he is our next coach.”

We’ll definitely have some recruiting news and updates this week and I’ll have a post about potential future coaches for Louisville football in the event Kragthorpe is not retained.

On first down from the three, Micah Johnson met Richardson at the inch-line, for what at first appeared to be a safety. The Crimson Tide then proceeded to march down the field, 99.9 yards, and scored on a 3-yard pass from Greg McElroy to Colin Peek, making the score 14-6.

With :35 seconds in the half, Derrick Locke then fumbled the ball away, it was picked up by Alabama’s Courtney Upshaw, who ran it back 45 yards for the score.

Kentucky now entered the half, trailing the #3 team in the country, 21-6.

That was the difference.

Kentucky had a chance in the second quarter to take control of the game. They started two drives at midfield, trailing by only one point, but couldn’t muster a first down.

They had Alabama pinned an inch from their own goal line, and allowed them to march the length of the field to score.

Despite their inability to capitalize on opportunities in the second quarter, it appeared they would entire the break trailing Alabama just 14-6.

Then they gave Alabama free points on the fumble return touchdown, completely altering the game.

They showed signs that they could move the football on offense and that they could stop Alabama on defense. If they would have entered the locker room, trailing by a single score, there was definite reason for optimism.

Instead they trailed by 15, Hartline then threw a pick on the opening drive of the second half, and quickly the game appeared out of reach at 28-6.

This was not Florida, where Kentucky was dominated in every facet of the game.

Statistically, the Wildcats played with the Crimson Tide. They managed 20 first downs to Alabama’s 18 and were only out-gained by 51 yards.

But, they turned the ball over four times and were unable to force Alabama into any mistakes. You can’t do that against the #3 team in the country.

Much of the criticism, following the game involved the play of Mike Hartline. He finished 17-for-31 for 168 yards, just 5.42 yds per attempt, with a touchdown and three interceptions.

His interceptions are a result of his inability to see the field. Two of his three picks were throws over the middle that were delivered directly to the Alabama defender, who was sitting in zone.

There were some positives. Derrick Locke and Randall Cobb were effective. It is clear that these two guys are your most talented weapons and they need to touch the ball.

Locke ran the ball 20 times for 75 yards and was also UK’s leading receiver with six catches for 63 yards. Cobb finished with just 21 yards rushing and caught 3 balls for 57 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline.

Cobb has to touch the ball more. Whether it be as quarterback, in the wildcat formation or by finding a way to make the passing game more effective, he has to get his hands on the pigskin.

I thought the running game showed signs. Sure, Alabama was playing two deep the entire time, daring Kentucky to run the ball, but they were able to do it. They were getting the ball outside of the tackle box and Locke and Alphonso Smith were doing good things.

Than all of a sudden you are down 28-6 and you are forced to abandon the running game a bit.

The defense played well enough to have a chance to win the game, but the coaching staff has to be disappointed that they couldn’t force a turnover.

They were thin at corner, especially after Trevard Lindley went out, but still held their own in the passing game. Darius Hanks did beat true freshman Montavius Neloms to the corner of the endzone to make the score, 38-20.

It is being said that Lindley is doubtful for next week’s game at South Carolina.

Danny Trevathan led the team in tackles, with five, despite a broken wrist.

Lones Seiber, somehow, became Kentucky’s all-time leading scorer in the loss as he connected on two 49-yard field goals, cutting the lead to 7-6, at the time.

If you eliminate the turnovers I think you have an indication that Kentucky would have had a chance in this game. Three of those four turnovers were interceptions by Hartline and I gaurantee fans will be calling for a change at QB on the call-in show tonight.

Despite this cry for a change, Rich Brooks will stick with Hartline at QB. It is obvious that the coaching staff feels that their best chance to win is with Hartline under center and Cobb at wideout.

Hartline is aware of these struggles and knows it is time for him to respond.

However, I would not be surprised to see Kentucky use the wildcat formation more frequently next week if Hartline continues to struggle.

Just like Rich Brooks’ tweet read on Saturday night, “we played hard, but not well enough to beat #3″.

We expected the ‘Cats to be 2-1 at this point when the schedule came out and we knew that the 3 games follow would be major challenges. First of those challenges is the number 3 team in the nation: the Alabama Crimson Tide.

A lot of conversation this week has centered around the possibility that Alabama may even be a stronger team that the Gators. I don’t really buy into that at all, but there’s no debating the fact that Alabama has been very impressive against much better competition than Florida has faced.

Alabama has shown balance in its first 4 games, dismantling Virginia Tech, Florida International, North Texas, and Arkansas. The defense has been stifling, allowing only 202.5 yards and 13 points per game, with their best performance coming last week against an Arkansas offense that had scored over 40 in its first two games. The offense has been just as good, racking up nearly 500 yards per game with over 250 passing yards and over 230 yards on the ground.

Alabama entered this season looking very strong across the board. Nick Saban is always going to field a good defense and a good running game and Julio Jones headlined a very talented group of offensive weapons.

However, the quarterback position was a bit of an unknown. It’s never easy to replace a 9 year starter like John Parker Wilson (OK, that’s an exagerration), even though Wilson was never the kind of QB who was going to win a game for you. His replacement, junior Greg McElroy, has been a revelation.

He started his career as a starter in not exactly the most auspicious way. He was barely able to complete a pass in the first half against Virginia Tech, but regrouped very quickly, leading Alabama to a 34-24 win and finishing with 250 yards passing.

He has followed up that second half performance with a 3 game stretch of passing likely better than any stretch in John Parker Wilson’s career. He has completed 48-63 (76.2%) for 708 yards, 6 touchdowns, and nary an interception (yeah, I said “nary”).

If I were putting together a gameplan for Alabama a month ago, I would stack the box and make McElroy win the game by throwing to someone other than Julio Jones. I’m not sure if that’s an option anymore. McElroy has been excellent and Jones, due to injury and strong play from fellow receivers, is fifth on the team in receiving. Jones is back though. He scored a touchdown last game against Arkansas.

In the long run, Jones lack of early production may turn out to benefit the Tide. 5 players other than Jones have at least 7 receptions and 4 of those guys have at least 126 yards receiving. Marquis Maze has been a big time big play threat, going for 191 yards on only 8 catches.

The running game has been excellent in its own right. Saban has 4 offensive players with over 100 yards on the season, headlined by Mark Ingram (61 carries for 347 yards) and Trent Richardson (38 carries for 280 yards).

Alabama’s offensive line is big and bruising. They can protect the quarterback and they can run the ball down your throat. UK’s defensive line has been lackluster to this point, and this will be a very difficult matchup all around.

Amazingly, UK may have a better chance moving the ball against Alabama than consistently stopping Alabama’s offense and that’s more of a compliment to the offense than a dig at the defense.

However, Bammer will be missing one of their stars. Dont’a Hightower, Alabama’s terror of a pass rushing linebacker, will be absent the rest of the season.

Hightower’s injury does not exactly leave the cupboard bare. Nick Saban boasts a First Team Preseason All-SEC pick on the defensive line, at linebacker, and in the secondary. Terrence “Mount” Cody is the most visible member of the defense, quite literally. At 354 pounds with unnatural athleticism, the defensive tackle is a walking mismatch, demanding a double team pretty much all day. Also, Saban hasn’t ruled out pulling a Ditka and playing him at running back a la Refrigerator Perry.

At linebacker, Rolando McClain is the leader. Le’Ron’s little brother was a third team All American last season, a key part of Nick Saban’s 3-4 defensive scheme. McClain is going to make plays all over the field, the goal has to be to have him make the plays 5-7 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, not at the line or behind it like Florida’s linebackers did last week.

Javier Arenas, even though he’s better known for big plays in the return game, made All SEC First Team as a corner. He obviously has all the athleticism you could ever ask for and his matchup with Randall Cobb could go a long way in determining whether UK can hang around.

Overall, I do believe that the more traditional style of Alabama makes for a better matchup for the ‘Cats. UK is better athletically than in the past, but Urban Meyer’s offense is almost impossible to stop without athletes of the highest caliber at every position. UK won’t have to worry about Greg McElroy running the spread offense, but they will have to defend an excellent running game and a good matching passing game.

UK is going to have to remain disciplined against the play action and at least hold their own against Alabama’s offensive line.

The offense is likely going to play a big role in the defense’s success as well. If UK is as stagnant on offense as last week, unable to hold on to the ball for more than a few plays, the defense has no shot. Even if they aren’t able to throw the ball on Trevard and company, that running game is going to wear down UK eventually if they are on the field nonstop.

On offense, it’s going to be about protecting Hartline, running the ball, and getting ball to Randall Cobb, UK’s best offensive player. UK has looked good on offense against Miami and Louisville when doing that, but downright awful when they don’t. UK clearly made getting the ball downfield to Chris Matthews a priority last week against Florida, but Matthews demotion from the starting lineup signals to me that UK’s offense will be much more about ball control this week.

I look for UK to start better this week and hang around for the first half against ‘Bama, but eventually succumb to superior size and speed.

Alabama 38 Kentucky 14