Kentucky Takes On Florida at Commonwealth

Football Time in the Bluegrass!

NEWS/NOTES

Kentucky prepares to take on the defending national champions and the current number one team in the land the Florida Gators today. The last time Kentucky faced a number one team was two years ago when the LSU Tigers came to Commonwealth and lost in an overtime thriller. But this is a different day and different time. Kentucky faces a Florida team that they have not beaten in 22 tries, but here is what is in the Cats favor…

--- Sickness is running rampid through the Gator team. Reported late last night was among the 30 players with flu-like symptoms was Florida’s leader Tim Tebow. A less than healthy Tebow only aides in the Wildcats chances for victory.
--Along with sickness, both teams will have to deal with terrible weather. It has rained ALL week in Lexington and according to one player; Commonwealth Stadium has not been tarped in hopes to slow down the Gators when they take the field. A slick field might hurt both teams, but a slick field and wet ball makes this game a crap shoot.
--Earlier this week I was asked, Is Mike Hartline the 2nd best quarterback in the SEC. Right away I thought NO! But as we rattled off the quarterbacks, statistically Hartline is up there. Tebow far and away more superior to everyone in the SEC, but Ole Miss’ Jevan Snead has struggled, Stephen Garcia of South Carolina has looked strong at times but makes mistakes….I see the point, Hartline might be the second best quarterback in the SEC. He will need to progress even more this week and not turn the ball over like he did last week in Kentucky wants to hang in this game.

KEYS TO KENTUCKY VICTORY-

1) Score Touchdowns - Last week Tennessee laid down an outline on how to cause issues for the Gators; hit them hard and play unafraid. But the Vols did not match touchdowns with Florida. Kentucky must match the Gators score for score and NOT settle for field goals. Field goals will not win this game…

2) No TURNOVERS- Last week against Louisville there were an awful lot of mental errors. The special teams unit gave up a touchdown and large gains on kick returns, Mike Hartline fumbled and threw a interception AND Derrick Locke fumbled a kick return. To keep the game close the Cats must play error free.

3) HIT THE GATORS- Tennessee did this well last week and that’s why heading into half, the Vols trailed by just seven at the half. The defense needs to play fearlessly and hit the Gators at every chance…

OVERALL GAME PROJECTION-
Just breaking down this game gets me excited. Commonwealth will be rocking. Earlier this week coach Rich Brooks told the media that his team doesn’t remember the drubbing by the Gators last year. They remember the three straight bowl wins and the LSU overtime win a few years ago. The Cats should go in confident and with a sick Gator squad that is bumped and bruised physically and mentally Florida team headed to the Commonwealth, the game should be closer than Vegas projects but in the end I think Florida has superior talent all over the field and should leave Kentucky unblemished.

FLORIDA- 23 Kentucky 17

College Picks Week 4

SEC Week 4 Projections

OVERALL Record- 23-4
Ole Miss @ South Carolina- Ole Miss has looked the past two games and now they head to Columbia, which is not an easy place to play. But Jevan Snead is head and shoulders better than Joe Cox of Georgia and Cox went crazy on the South Carolina defense. Might be close but Ole Miss should win.
(L) USC 16-10
LSU @ Missippi State- Impressive win for the Bulldogs last week in Nashville against Vandy. Dixon ran well and the defense played strong to win. This week they host the #7 team in the country. The close win at the beginning of the season at Huskie Stadium against Washington looks pretty good now that Washington took down USC. LSU keeps looking better week to week and should continue to improve this week with another win.--- LSU TIGERS
Arkansas @ Alabama- A classic tale of offense versus defense. Last week Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett gained some national exposure for the way he played in a loss to Georgia. This kid has got an arm and Arkansas has the ability to throw the ball all over the field. BUT, Alabama the past three weeks has looked like the best team in the nation; strong on offense and stout on defense. ALABAMA should win this game handily.--- ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
Ball State @ Auburn- Auburn showed some offensive prowess last week matching the West Virginia Mountaineers score for score and won 41-38. This week they play another good offense in Ball State. However there is a drop off in opponent quality and Auburn should be able to dominate.--- AUBURN TIGERS
Arizona State @ Georgia- Georgia squeeked by again last week against Arkansas. This week they host a Pac 10 school who is ranked #1 in total defense…but those numbers are deceiving, the Sun Devils haven’t played anyone of Georgia’s caliber to this point in the season. Georgia should win again and move into the top 15.---GEORGIA BULLDOGS
Ohio @ Tennessee- Tennessee needs a win here after dropping two in a row. They should fair pretty well against the Ohio Bobcats.---TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS
Vanderbilt @ Rice- Rice is an allright team and the Dores need to be wary going into Texas to take them on. Vandy looked bad against Mississippi State last week and I think they are headed back to the back of the bus in the SEC. Rice in the upset..----RICE OWLS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL Projections
ACC- Miami O Virginia Tech
BIG TEN- Michigan o Indiana
BIG 12- Texas o UTEP
BiG EAST- Cincinnati O Fresno State
PAC 10- Cal o Oregon
UPSET- Stanford o Washington