Kentucky Heads to Athens to take on the Dawgs

Last year was quite a scene. A tornado rolled through the Atlanta area to post pone the Cats opening round match up against the Georgia Bulldogs…the rest was history.

The game was moved to Georgia Tech’s basketball arena, fans were restricted to attend, and the winner would be forced to play two games in one day. Kentucky entered the tournament on a roll, winning 12 of their last 16 and looking to make a mark in the SEC to make the NCAA major tournament.

The Dawgs on the other hand, had finished the regular season with a less than impressive mark 4-12 in the SEC and 17-17 overall. But somehow, in all lthe turmoil and uncertainties surrounding the teams, the Dawgs were able to knock off the Wildcats and make an improbable run through the SEC tournament to eventually win and gain the conference’s automatic bid.

“It was something I dream for,” said Zac Swansey after the game. Swansey, the freshman, had hit a 3-point shot in overtime to seal the Wildcats fate and give new life into his Georgia Bulldogs.

That, however, was last year. This new Wildcat team has been on a roll winning their first two games in the SEC, one of the wins coming against the preseason selection to win the conference, Tennessee in their own building.

With all the attention the Wildcats have received in recent weeks it comes from Jay Bilas of ESPN where he thinks the Wildcats should and could land.

“I think they are right there to be and wind up as the best team, in what I consider in SEC standards a down league.”

Dealing with the title of ‘frontrunner’ is new for the Wildcats and playing with this new title begins Saturday as the Wildcats head to Athens to take on a struggling Bulldog team that has lost their last four games.

Game begins at 12 pm EST.

Kentucky Wins in Knoxville 90-72

Meeks Shines as Cats Knock off the Vols

North Carolina, #1. Kentucky losses big. Miami Hurricanes, #20. Kentucky losses but gives hope. Louiville Cardinals, #18. Kentucky loses in the last seconds, but gives hope. Yesterday, Knoxville, Tennessee- Tennessee #24. Kentucky wins, dominantly.

In a down SEC, which no team other than Tennessee was ranked, the Wildcats had to win in Knoxville to gain RPI for selection day in March. Needing a win and wanting to make a statement, the Wildcats did in a big way by taking down the Volunteers in the Smokey Mountains 90-72.

A huge statement game and a huge statement made by junior guard Jodie Meeks. Meeks entered the game the 4th leading scorer in the nation and left Thompson-Boiling Arena a Kentucky legend by scoring 54 points in route to the victory.

“I was just going out there to win”, said Meeks.

Win he did, but also he dominated. The junior guard went 15 for 22 from the field and 10 for 15 from the three point line.

Other than the scoring, Meeks limited his turnovers; something he has struggled with all season averaging nearly 4 turnovers a game. Today though, was Jodie’s day as he only gave the ball up once, grabbed 8 rebounds and added four assists.

Kentucky’s win puts the Wildcats RPI rankings higher and more importantly, places them as a new front runner in the SEC.

Momentum must maintain however, as the Cats will now travel to Athens to take on a Georgia team which knocked Kentucky out of the SEC tournament last year. If the Wildcats are to win again, Monday the Big Blue Nation might just wake up to find their Cats in the top-25 for the first time since preseason of 2007.

Kentucky heads to Tennessee in hopes of an upset

Showdown in Knoxville-
Early in conference play, the second game in fact, Kentucky travels to Knoxville to take on a bumped and bruised Tennessee Volunteer team that have dropped out of the USA Today Top 25 for the first time all year.

Adding to the hurt ego of being dropped out of the rankings, star player and preseason ALL SEC Player of the Year, Tyler Smith is nursing a bruised knee and will be playing at less than 100%.
Tennessee has seen a lot of struggles of late dropping two of their last three games and nearly faltering to Georgia in the conference opener. The Vols trailed by more than 10 points mid way through the second half, but were able to eek out a victory 86-77.

Radio voice Bob Kessling sees a lot of turmoil in this Volunteer team.

“ The freshmen, for whatever reason, have had a hard time in buying into the defensive philosophy”, as he continued to say “Sometimes they have got into the position where they have four guys playing great defense and one freshman that is lost out there and that has hurt them in several occasions.”

With a weaker than past years Volunteer team the Kentucky Wildcats look to win in Tennessee for the first time since March 1, 2006. Since that loss, Tennessee has not lost a home SEC game since and is riding a 16 game win streak into this colossal match up.

Kentucky and Tennessee should be exciting as the match-up pairs the top two scoring offenses in the SEC. Tennessee is 6th in the nation in scoring with nearly 85 points a game, while Kentucky is 25th respectively, averaging 80 points a game.

With scoring to be at a maximum, the game will be based on limiting errors, something Kentucky knows all to well.

In the four losses Kentucky has suffered this season, the Wildcats average 21.75 turnovers per game. In order to have a chance in Knoxville, this stat must get better.

Yesterday Jodie Meeks said, “ We need to cut down turnovers in conference play if we want to do much of anything this year.”

And this year, needs to start tonight with Tennessee. A win would give the Wildcats an early edge in the wide open SEC and maybe a slot in the top-25.

Game starts at 9 pm EST.

Kentucky Takes Down Vanderbilt in SEC Opener 70-60

Pretty? No. Dominant? No. Efficent? EH…. That is the the best way to sum up the Kentucky Wildcats SEC opening victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores.

In front of the largest crowd of the season, over 24,000 rabid blue grass faithful, the Wildcats went into half time on a 7-0 run and a 31-27 lead. Kentucky then came out and stretched that lead to 55-35 with only ten minutes left in regulation. The route appeared to be on, as the Wildcats looked to pour it on their East division foe and send a statement to the rest of the SEC, but Kentucky began to relax and pull back.

Vanderbilt began to pull closer and with less than two minutes left, it appeared that the ‘Dores were primed to pull out an upset and make a game against the Wildcats.

“I think we got comfortable. Then all of a sudden it got closer than it should have even been,” said point guard Michael Porter following the game.

Within six and momentum swung to the Commodores, the Kentucky Wildcats were able to regroup quickly and keep their lead, squeaking out a 10 point victory 70-60.

“Any win is good in this conference. I am proud of the way we played today, but need to get better,” Head Coach Billy Gillespie said after the game.

With the win the Kentucky Wildcats stretch their win streaks at home in SEC play to 9-0 in the Billy Gillespie era.

“We knew this would be a battle and we are just happy to come out with a win. Every win is important to get to where we want to be,” said Billy Gillespie.

And where they want to be is SEC champions. Kentucky did not dominate the entire game but did show signs of brilliance. The Cats limited their turnovers to only 13 and made plays often enough to pull in front by 20, and scored 32 of their 70 points in the paint.

With the win Kentucky has some momentum heading into a HUGE WEEK in conference. The Cats will head to Knoxville and take on the defending East season champion and preseason choice Tennessee Volunteers.

“I am excited to hear the Rocky Top chant and play there,” said freshman Darius Miller. And he will get his chance Tuesday in a showdown for a early SEC East division lead.

Keys To Kentucky Victory

KEYS TO a KENTUCKY VICTORY
1) NO HANGOVER- A week off a heart breaking loss to Louisville, the Wildcats must bounce back against the Vanderbilt Commodores. The SEC appears to be up for the taking and with a road trip to Tennessee looming in the week; Kentucky must get off to the right start against Vanderbilt.

2) LIMIT TURNOVERS- The Wildcats Achilles heal has been turnovers. The Cats are last in the SEC in turnover differential with -2.47 per game. Kentucky must be smarter with the ball with conference play starting up against a stingy and aggressive Vanderbilt defense.

3) Make it a high scoring game- Kentucky is 15th in the nation is scoring, while Vanderbilt tends to be successful in low scoring affairs. Vanderbilt is 11th of 12 in the SEC in scoring averaging only 71.1 points a game. If Kentucky can score and score often, the should control the tempo and come out with a victory.

Kentucky/Vanderbilt Key Game Notes

SERIES NOTES-
· Kentucky v Vanderbilt at Rupp Arena has been dominated by the Wildcats by the record of 72-14

· Kentucky is 15th in the nation is scoring with 80.5 points per game

· Vanderbilt is near the bottom in nearly all offensive categories compared to the rest of the SEC, but is riding a 6 game win streak.

Kentucky Opponent- Vanderbilt Commodores 11-3/0-0

LOWDOWN on the Commodores-
Similar to their football team, this Vanderbilt team is not flashy and doesn’t jump off the stat sheet. They are 11-3 overall and have such a record with stellar defense, good rebounding and team chemistry.

Center A.J. Ogilvy is the team’s captain and leader. He leads the team with 16.5 points per game and averages 1.5 blocked shots a game.

When at their best, the Commodore defense commands the game. They are currently holding opponents to a dismal 36.5 field goal percentage.

SEC Play Begins today!

Today is a BIG day. Not only for the Blue Grass faithful, but the SEC in general. Saturday begins SEC basketball play, and with the conference not having one team in the nation’s top 25, someone is sure to emerge in the coming weeks as the conferences cream of the crop.

To start off play, the Kentucky Wildcats host a Vanderbilt team that has been on the rise. Two years ago the Commodores reached the sweet 16 and last year they went undefeated through their non-conference sleight to reach the national ranking of #13. Then, however, conference play started in Rupp Arena.

The ‘Dores lost to Kentucky in a double overtime thriller and never regained its dominant play which they displayed the first month of the season.

After the game last year, Vanderbilt center and captain A.J Ogilvy was quoted to saying, “The 23,965 capacity stadium at Rupp was quite intimidating for him and his Commadores.”

Wildcats nation can hope to be intimidating once again in a wide open conference. Various coaches, players, and athletic administration have all echoed the same setiment about playing in Rupp Arena. It’s intimidating. So, the Wildcats must use the intimidation factor in order to rack up wins in such a wide open conference.

Bowl Reflections...Teams on the Rise in '09

Bowl Season in Review-
Well, just like the economy, my bowl picks went south quickly. I began the bowl season with in a hole losing three of the first four and never was able to win my way out…I did choose the correct national champion in Florida, however my bowl season record was a less-than-impressive 19-15.
The bowl games did show a lot and give hope to some programs for the coming year…
And here are the top 10 teams of the bowl season-

10) Vanderbilt- I know, I know SEC homer. But look at what they have done. They defeated an ACC Runner-up Boston College soundly with a freshman quarterback and stingy defense. The Commodores will lose star receiver George Smith, BUT this win builds the program and puts them on the RISE in the SEC. Next year head coach Bobby Johnson will hope to improve on a 7-6 season, and with a young quarterback and some confidence it might happen.

9)Northwestern- Another smart school really impressed me. Although they lost to Missouri in the Alamo Bowl they battled the Tigers to the end, led the entire game but couldn’t defeat the more experienced Tigers in overtime. Northwestern finished the season with a 9-4 record and has a good majority of players coming back. Couple experience with a schedule that lacks Ohio State and Michigan and put the Wildcats on the rise in a less than stellar Big 10.

8)Oregon- The Ducks have won four straight heading into the offseason and had a GREAT performace in the Holiday Bowl taking down the Oklahoma State Cowboys 42-31. This offense looks good and a lot of them come back. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli is only a sophomore and with a year of experience under his belt and a lot of players coming back the Ducks might be able to contend with the USC Trojans for Pac 10 supremacy.

7) Virginia Tech- To be honest, I gave a young Virginia Tech offense NO CHANCE in the Orange Bowl against the Big East’s Cincinnati Bearcats, but the Hookies overpowered the Bearcats just like they overpowered the ACC this season winning their last four games. Like Oregon, the Hookies return a fast quarterback in Tyrod Taylor and of their team only 15 players are seniors. Virginia Tech is on the rise and should compete once again in the ACC and maybe even for a national title.

6) LSU- Les Miles is now 4-0 in bowl games. The Tigers had a less than stellar year giving up points and yardage at a maximum and were unable to score or throw the ball down field with a young offense and two quarterback system. In the Chic FIl A Bowl, however, the Tigers were able to stop the option offense of Georgia Tech which stumped the Georgia Bulldogs in the final week of the season. The rebuilding seems to be over now, and look for the Tigers to be a more competitive team in a rising SEC West next year.

5) Arizona- Coach Stoops was finally able to make a bowl game for the first time in his tenure as head coach and the first time in school history since 1998. The Wildcats were excited to make a bowl game and outplayed and took down a more experienced BYU team. Arizona took USC to the wire and were competitive in all their games this season. Next year, the Wildcats will have to replace a lot of players but, the bowl victory should be a turning point for this program.

4) Utah- I couldn’t put a top 10 in bowl surprises with out the Utes. They came out and took down an SEC power in Alabama in the Sugar Bowl to finish as the only undefeated team in the FBS. Although i certainly would NOT put them at #1 in my final top 25, undefeated is undefeated and when you play in a conference that allows you to play schools like San Diego State and Wyoming on a yearly basis, its hard to respect an undefeated mark. But Utah now has 2 BCS trophies and enough talent to compete once or twice a year against power teams in BCS-sleighted conferences. The Utes have only 19 seniors this year, but in those seniors is stand out quarterback Brian Johnson. If the Utes can reload at quarterback, Utah should stay the cream of the crop in the Mountain West next year.

3) Florida State- Progress, progress, progress. That’s what it is all about in college sports and with a dominating win in the Champs Sports Bowl, I put the Seminoles as the ACC favorite next year. Bobby Bowden’s Seminoles destroyed Wisconsin 42-13 and has a quality team returning next year. Quarterback Christian Ponder, second leading rusher Jermaine Thomas, and four of their top five receivers are set to come back next year. Florida State should make a Penn State-like run next year and could possibly give Head Coach Bobby Bowden a BCS send off…

2) Ole Miss- Houston Nutt can flat out coach. Last year he led the Arkansas Razorbacks to the Cotton Bowl, but was unable to coach in the game due to him jumping ship to Oxford and the Rebels. In just one year he was able to turn a 3-9 team to a 9-4 Cotton Bowl champion team. The Rebels played their best football at the end of the season with big SEC victories in Arkansas, Auburn, and a beat down in Baton Rouge over the LSU Tigers. This impressive season for the Rebels is most highlighted by the victory in Gainesville over the National Champion Florida Gators. Next year the Rebels return quarterback Jevan Snead, running back Enrique Davis, and a solid experienced receiving core. But, Houston must retool the defense and line if he wants to contend more seriously in a rising SEC West division in 2009.

1) Florida Gators- Urban Meyer should have a National Champion favorite coming into the 2009 season. If quarterback Tim Tebow stays, the Gators will once again be a scary team to face. The defense is young and with a year of experience should be better. Look for the Gators to be the pre-season #1 pick by most national pundits.

College Football Programs in Trouble for 2009-2010

With the Bowl season over, here are the top 5 schools that will be faced to retool, reload, and struggle in the 2009 season---
5) West Virginia- Pat White leaves. Head Coach Bill Stewart is not Rich Rodriguez. The Mountaineers will struggle in 2009 and not make a bowl for the first time since the 2001 season.
4) BIG 10 Conference- Penn State in the Rose Bowl got blown out and is forced to retool, Ohio State loses a lot of star power on defense, Iowa might lose their head coach and star running back, and Michigan will once again struggle. Overall the BIG 10 went 1-5 in bowl games and seems to not be up to snuff against the rest of college football. The BIG 10 needs to update and get into this century in order to compete. The power play which works in the mid-west doesn’t fly or compete against speed. The Buckeyes are the one team that is taking a step toward a quick play with running quarterback Terrell Pryor. The Wolverines will also contend eventually, once Rodriguez can get the right type of players for his offense. Until then, next year will be a DOWN year In the BIG 10. The Buckeyes should be okay, but look for a surprise non-traditional school to emerge in the BIG 10…Northwestern—the Big 10 is yours.
3) Missouri- In the Big 12, the Tigers will be forced to retool and reload a ton of talent. The 2008 year was Mizzou’s best shot to reach a BCS game and they squandered their chances by losing to the big time contenders—Texas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State. The Big 12 North division has rising talent around them and with the Tigers losing a lot of playmakers, Missouri will struggle in 2009.
2) USC- Mark Sanchez had a strong showing in the Rose Bowl, looked at his NFL chances and all remarks came back good. If Sanchez bolts for the NFL, Pete Carrol will be forced to rebuild for the first time in his tenure with the Trojans. The defense is mostly all gone and no Mark Sanchez will put the Trojans in a compromising position. They will make a bowl no matter what…BUT maybe not win the Pac 10 and NOT reach the Rose Bowl. 2009 could possibly be a struggle in Trojan Land.
1) Georgia Bulldogs- WELCOME to ANOTHER rebuilding year Mark Richt. Rebuilding occurred in Athens 2 years ago after losing quarterback David Green, a solid line, and majority of their defense. In that rebuilding year the Bulldogs finished the season unranked but beat Virginia Tech in the Chic Fil A Bowl in overtime. Mark Richt will be faced with a similar situation in 2009. He loses his stud quarterback Mathew Stafford, running back Knowshon Moreno, and leading receiver Mohammed Massaquoi. Georgia entered the season ranked #1, but a porous defense led the Dogs to a unimpressive 10-3 season. The Dawgs WILL struggle in 2009 and with the rest of the SEC East on the rise, this might be a bowl-less season and maybe a so-long to Mark Richt year. **Insider Information**(YES, his relaxed attitude this season put him in hot water and the Dawg faithful. People were calling for his head after the losses against Florida and Georgia Tech this season…No bowl next year= NO MORE MARK RICHT in Athens)

Top 25 College Football Final

With all the bowls over its time for one final Top 25 Rankings until April when I will release my Pre-Pre Season College football rankings. But for now, here is where the teams landed in the 2008-2009 football season.
1) Florida- There really shouldn’t be a discussion. The Gators beat teams by 34.6 points per game on average and took down 9 teams which also reached a bowl in the regular season. Urban Meyer has done a terrific job with this team and if Tim Tebow comes back next year, Florida should be the early favorite in 2009-2010.
2) USC- That’s right, the Trojans dominated another Big 10 team to capture yet another Rose Bowl. By season’s end, this team was playing some of the best football in the country.
3) Texas- Would of, could of, should of…I still think that the Longhorns should have been the Big 12 representative in the Championship game, but Colt Mccoy and the Horns are young and return a lot of players next year. A bowl win and pride for Texas.
4) Utah- The only undefeated team in FBS. However, until college football changes the system, this will be the highest any non-BCS team should land. Utah has now 2 BCS trophies and that is saying something...
5) Oklahoma- Bob Stoops “Bowl Flop”. The Sooners lost yet another BCS game, making that 5 of 6 bowl losses. One impressive thing about the Sooners- Sam Bradford. This kid can throw the ball really well. With the loss it might be possible to see him come back, but with the quarterbacks lacking in this year’s draft he will likely bolt.
6) Ole Mississippi- This might be high for a lot of on-lookers, but look at their resume. They have played their best football at the end of their season. Being the only team to beat Florida, taking down LSU, and dominating a Cotton Bowl against Texas Tech lands the Rebels at this spot.
7) TCU- The Hornfrogs are a complete program and proved it against an undefeated Boise State team in the Poinsettia Bowl. A good finish and strong defense, TCU should be proud of their program which is continually competitive.
8) Oregon- The Ducks have a young team and should be better next year. They finished the season 2nd in the Pac 10 and had a quality bowl beat down over a once top 10 Oklahoma State team.
9) Penn State- Take away the first half of the Rose Bowl and you actually have a close game and maybe even a victory.
10) Georgia- It wasn’t pretty, maybe a little laughable, but the Bulldogs won the Capital One Bowl and finished the season with a win.
11) Ohio State- The Buckeyes lost the Fiesta Bowl, BUT they took the Longhorns down to the wire and maybe even should have one.
12) Boise State- Boise went undefeated through the season, BUT lost in their bowl game which lands them in this spot.
13) Alabama- From #1 since October all the way through the season to losing 2 straight. The Tide were exposed and outplayed by Utah and so they drop HUGELY.
14) Texas Tech- Outplayed in the bowl game, a huge loss to the Sooners, and a scare against Baylor lands the Red Raiders here. They tricked a lot of people this season, but ended the season in typical fashion, if you aren’t Texas or Oklahoma you can NOT contend in the Big 12…
15) Virginia Tech- Hookies win the ACC and dominate the Orange Bowl. Don’t look now, but this young team is on the rise!
16) LSU- Les Miles can flat out coach. Georgia Tech was rolling into the bowl game, while the Tigers were reeling and still LSU dominated the Yellow Jackets and put fear into the rest of the nation for next year’s REBUILT squad.
17) Florida State- Seminoles had an impressive bowl win and were in the ACC title chase all the way to end of the season. Bobby Bowden is a great bowl coach and has appearingly rebuilt the ‘Noles for a run next year.
18) Oklahoma State- Good season for the Cowboys and had star receiver Dez Bryant not gotten injured they could be ranked higher than where they finished here.
19) Cincinnati- The Bearcats had a great season, but inexperience in the spotlight cost them in the Orange Bowl.
20) Missouri- Chase Daniels last year didn’t end the way he would have liked and it could have ended worse in the Alamo Bowl…Luckily the Tigers senior laiden team pulled through to send Chase Daniels out with a win.
21) Northwestern- These Cats are FOR REAL. Northwestern battled all season and finished their year with a 9-4 record, pretty impressive for a “Smart” school.
22) Oregon State- The UGLIEST bowl game I have ever seen, but it was still a win. Coach Mike Riley and his Beavers had a strong season.
23) West Virginia- Pat White is the ONLY quarterback EVER to win 4 bowl games in a collegiate career. Just that statistic lands the Mountaineers here.
24) Rutgers- From dead to the hottest team in football, the Scarlet Knights made this a great season by winning 7 in a row.
25) Iowa-In a terrible Big 10 bowl season, the Hawkeyes were able to put a little pride in the conference with a dominating win over a SEC school. Good season for Iowa, beating the once undefeated Penn State Nittany Lions and 9 wins total.

SEC Basketball Up for Grabs in 2009

There is no way around it. The South Eastern Conference appears down this 2008-2009 basketball season. And as Kentucky heads into their conference opener against the Vanderbilt Commodores, it is easy to see that the east division and conference as a whole is up for grabs.

The pre-season media choice to win the conference, the Tennessee Volunteers have struggled and opponents have found weaknesses in their game.

The choice for second in the East, the Gators have again shown their youth, as it appears Billy Donavan still has a long way to go before they can be true contenders once again.

So with the main competition seemingly struggling and lacking dominance, this might be Kentucky’s year to win the Eastern division and regain national status as a basketball power.

After losing to VMI at home and the North Carolina Tarheels a little less than a week later, the Kentucky Wildcats went to the Las Vegas Hoops Invitational and took down a Kansas State and a strong Big East West Virginia squad.

Following the tournament the Cats stumbled against a then ranked #20 Miami Hurricanes. But again Kentucky rebounded, going on a seven game winning streak, a streak never reached in the Billy Gillespie era.

Finally, Sunday Kentucky battled the cross-town rival #18 ranked Louisville Cardinals to the wire only to lose by a 3 point shot with .02 seconds remaining to lose 74-71.

Kentucky’s heartbreaker still might give the Cats hope. In the game, the Wildcats turned the ball over 21 times and still had enough talent to take Louisville down to the wire. If Kentucky can lessen the turnovers, the SEC can be their conference to win.

Photos From The Liberty Bowl

Liberty Bowl Champions

Momentum. That was the something the Wildcats were lacking heading into the Autozone Liberty Bowl Friday afternoon in Memphis. But somehow, and someway the Wildcats overcame losing 6 of 8 games heading into the bowl game and a 16-3 halftime deficit to take down the East Carolina Pirates and win thier third consecutive bowl game for the first time in school history.

" It's a tremendous accomplishment for us as a team, school, and program", said Memphis native and starting defensive tackle Jeremy Jarmon.

And what an accomplishment and turnaround the Kentucky Wildcats made.

Heading into halftime, hopes were bleak as the Cats trailed 16-3 and could only muster 142 yards of total offense.

"I really ripped into them at halftime," said Coach Brooks. "But then I took a step back and reminded them what was at stake and what they had the oppurtunity to do."

Coming out of halftime the Wildcats struck immeadeatley with a 99 yard kick off return by senior David Jones. Jones' return seemed to spark the Wildcats as the offense was able to score another touchdown through the air to tie the game at 16.

The tie did not last long as East Carolina stormed back to put up a field goal near the end of the quarter to swing momentum once again and take a 19-16 lead in the fourth quarter.

Back and forth the game went as the Pirates stopped the Cats on offense. While the Kentucky defense did the same to East Carolina. It was not until less than five minutes left in the game in a 19-19 game when East Carolina quarterback Patrick Pinkney dropped the ball to the turf and senior defensive end Ventrell Jenkins was able to scoop up the loose ball and rumble 56 yards for the score.

His score was all that was needed as the Kentucky defense was able to hold off the East Carolina offense thier final drive and get the ball back with 2:22 to play in regulation.

All 56,125 people in attendance knew what Kentucky planned to do: run the ball and run off the clock. All knowing, East Carolina was unable to stop senior Tony Dixon pick up two first downs and sew the game up for the Kentucky Wildcats.

"It is really a tremendous job by our seniors today, they have seen this program turnaround and can leave this program winnners," said Rich Brooks after the game.

Keys to Kentucky Victory

Its the 50th Anniversary of the Liberty Bowl and the Wildcats will hope to win a third straight bowl game for the first time in school history. It might not be all that easy to do against a Conference USA champion East Carolina who is looking for double digits wins for the second time in school history!

For the Kentucky Wildcats to leave Memphis and the 2008 season with a win they must achieve these keys...

KEYS TO A KENTUCKY VICTORY

1) Play Defense like the beginning of the season- With a month to prepare, Kentucky will have all thier players back from various injuries. From mid-season the Cat defenders had various injuries which caused several playmakers including all three linebackers to miss valuable time. The injuries allowed opponents to 115 total point in the final month of the season. The first month of the season, when the Wildcats were at full health, the defense only allowed 22 total points. A healthy defense should make a huge difference and will need to if the Cats want to win today.

2) Score in the Opening quarter- Kentucky has been slow out of the game by being outscored 98-34 in the first quarter alone. The Wildcats failure to score in the opening quarter haunted them so many times this season, as they built a hole too deep to climb out of.


3) Mike Hatline- Well, quarterback Mike Hartline's season did not go as planned as he went from the highs of defeating the hated Louisville, to being booed onto the field in the opener, to eventually being benched midway through the season. Hartline is now thrust back into the starting spot with an injury to true freshman Randall Cobb. The red-shirt sophomore must be able to lead this offense, make good decisions, and prove something to the coaches going into the offseason. Hartline was unable to do any of this when he was the starter, as he threw for just 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

If Kentucky can play the defense which catapulted the defense to a top-10 national ranking everything should fall into place. It was the defense in the beginning of the season that also produced touchdowns, turnovers, and positive positions for the offense to be in. Thier defensive play is key for the other keys to be attained.

Anyways, it is off to the Liberty Bowl for me...Blogs thorughout the game.

The 50th Annual Autozone Liberty Bowl game will be played at 2 pm PST/ 5 pm EST on ESPN.

Kentucky wants to dominate Liberty Bowl

Well, its official. Big blue nation has invaded the Land of the Delta Blues as the Kentucky Wildcats will play in the 50th annual Liberty Bowl tomorrow against a hungry Conference USA champion. The game is set to take place at 5 pm EST and should be a good one.

Coming into the game Kentucky has not been quiet about thier expectations.

In fact to start the week linebacker Michah Johnson promised, "We will dominate." He then he went on to say how the Cats felt disrespected by the confident East Carolina squad. "They seem to think they can come out and move the ball on us and we're taking that personally."

And hopefully the Wildcats can take it as a personal challenge. In the past three games alone, the Kentucky defense has given up an average of 34 points a game and over 1199 total yards. This is a far cry from the defense that started the season ranked in the top ten in the country in total defense.

"We want to end things the right way", said Myron Pryor on after a walk thorugh on the Liberty Bowl turf.

But with all the defensive concerns and talk this week it will be the team's achillies heal- the offense which will decide whether or not the Wildcats will win thier third straight bowl game for the first time in school history.
The offense has struggled all season but was completley null and void in the last two weeks of the season against both a porus Vanderbilt and Tennessee defense in sucession.

Adding to the Cats woes will be the loss of true freshman Randall Cobb who injured his knee the last game of the season and was forced into having a surgery knocking him out for the bowl game. With CObb out, back will come Mike Hartline.
Hartline has certaiunly had an embattled season of both highs and lows. The red-shirt sophmore led the Wildcats to victory against hated rival Louisville in the opener only to be booed off the field at half time following a woeful performance against Norfolk State. But Mike Hartline seems to have handled the adversity well as he says, " "I am more relaxed at quarterback now and is ready to play in the bowl game."

Kentucky will need Hartline to be efficent if they have any hopes of taking down the East Carolina Pirates. At one point in the season the Pirates were ranked at #15 in the nation having beat a #8 West Virginia and #17 Virginia Tech in consecutive weeks. The Pirates should be a worthy foe...but for now I, as well as Cat Nation will believe what junior linebacker Michah Johnson says, "We Will Dominate."

Keys to a Kentucky Victory and live Updates tomorrow through the Liberty Bowl...
GO CATS!

Getting the skinny on the East Carolina Pirates

Kentucky prepares to take on a East Carolina team which had BCS aspirations of thier own heading into the season, but landed in the Liberty Bowl after a tough mid-season slump. However, the Pirates got to Memphis by winning thier past three games and winning the Conference USA title game over the favored Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

East Carolina will provide quite a game for the Cats as thier senior quarterback Patrick Pinkney can provide a spark with both his arm and his legs. Pickney led the Pirates to upset victories over both Viginia Tech(#17) and West Virginia(#8) early in the season to propel his team to a 3-0 mark and a #15 national ranking.

Following the hot start, East Carolina's hopes for a dream season was shot and killed by an overtime loss to in-state rival North Carolina State. According the the radio play-by play voice, Jeff Charles the loss really hurt the morale of the Pirates.
"They were so amped up for the rivalry game that the loss really took a lot out of them. Then they lost again to Houston and again to Virgina and were looking at 3-3," said Charles.

But the Pirates were able to turn things back around as they went on to win 6 of thier last 7 and took down a high flying Tulsa offense in the Conference USA title game 27-24.

The statistical ranking are unimpressive for the Pirates of East Carolina as they do not lead in any offensive statistical category. Their strenght lies with gritty team play and creating turnovers. Thier defense led Conference USA in scoring and was ranked 2nd overall in total defense.

A fierce defense and a vetran leader at quarterback will face the Wildcats in the Liberty Bowl on January 2nd. The Pirates hope to win thier second straight bowl game and obtain thier second Liberty Bowl title.

2008 Kentucky Football Season Review

The season started with promise. Kentucky's defense was ranked in the top 10 of all the nation and the offense was doing just enough to win. However, following the first month of the season and a close loss to the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide to open conference play the team began to rupture.
The Wildcats now head into thier 3rd straight bowl game having lost three games in a row and six of thier past eight.
What went wrong? Well, injuries to the defense was a major cause for the Cats fallout. Kentucky lost various defensive leaders on a week to week basis in conference play and by the half way point of the season, all three starting linebackers were forced to sit out due to injuries and watched the Florida Gators destroy the once highly touted defense 63-5.
The defensive losses forced Kentucky to play offense, which was the major weakness. The team lacked leadership, playmakers, and cohesion. The second game of the season, redshirt sophomore quarterback Mike Hartline was booed when he entered the game to start the second half.
It might not have been Hartline's fault but he was the scapegoat and was eventually replaced by true-freshman Randall Cobb. Cobb gave the Wildcats a spark as he led the Cats to a last second victory in his first career start in Mississippi State. However, the victory over the Bulldogs would be his and Kentucky's last as they lost thier remaining three games of the season.
In the downfall of the last month, Kentucky fell far behind early and were unable to makeup ground.
The demise of the Cats regular season, can be saved with a bowl victory. Other than quarterback Randall Cobb, who suffered a knee injury which required surgery following the Tennessee game, the team should be at full strength. If the veteran denfense can revert to the play which they displayed in September, Kentucky should be able to win thier 3rd straight bowl game.

2008-2009 Bowl Projections

After a trip home to Los Angeles and computer troubles I was unable to post my Bowl Projections. Going into tonights Holiday Bowl between Oklahoma State and Oregon, my record stands at 8-7.

This bowl season has been strange as some teams that should have been locks, were not and so the bowl record to this point is extremely poor. But tonight and the five games tomorrow will be a good indication to how the season will fair for me and my projections.

For the season my record was an astounding 78-45, that is a 63% correct rate. Not to mention my BCS and SEC Bowl Projections were DEAD ON! SO, these next few days of bowls should better my record....Here on the 2008-2009 Bowl Projections---

INDEPENDENCE BOWL 1) Louisiana Tech o Northern Illinois 17-10 (W)
FIESTA BOWL 2) Ohio State o Texas
LIBERTY BOWL 3) Kentucky o East Carolina
PAPA JOHNS BOWL 4) NC State o Rutgers 23-29 (L)
GATOR BOWL 5) Clemson o Nebraska
GMAC BOWL 6) Tulsa o Ball State
NEW MEXICO BOWL 7) Fresno State o Colorado State 35-40 (L)
INTERNATIONAL BOWL 8) Buffalo o UConn
HAWAII BOWL 9) Notre Dame o Hawaii 49-21 (W)
HUMANITARIAN BOWL 10) Nevada o Maryland 35-42 (L)
SUN BOWL 11) Pittsburgh o Oregon State
MUSIC CITY BOWL 12) Vanderbilt o Boston College
EMERALD CITY BOWL 13) California o Miami 24-17 (W)
INSIGHT BOWL 14) Kansas o Minnesota
NEW ORLEANS BOWL 15) Troy o Southern Mississippi 27-30 (L)
CAPITAL ONE BOWL 16) Georgia o Michigan State
CHIC-FIL-A BOWL 17) Georgia Tech o LSU
COTTON BOWL 18) Ole Mississippi o Texas Tech
MOTOR CITY BOWL 19) Central Michigan o Florida Atlantic 21-24 (L)
HOLIDAY BOWL 20) Oregon o Oklahoma State
ALAMO BOWL 21) Missouri o Northwestern 30-23 ot (W)
TEXAS BOWL 22) Rice o Western Michigan
ARMED SERVICES BOWL23) Houston o Air Force
CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL 24) Florida State o Wisconsin 42-13 (W)
ST. PETERSBERG BOWL 25) South Florida o Memphis 41-14 (W)
POINTSETTA BOWL 26) TCU o Boise State 17-16 (W)
MEINEKEE BOWL 27) West Virginia o North Carolina 31-30 (W)
OUTBACK BOWL 28) South Carolina o Iowa
ORANGE BOWL 29) Cincinnati o Virginia Tech
EAGLEBANK BOWL 30) Navy o Wake Forest 19-29 (L)
LAS VEGAS BOWL 31) BYU o Arizona 30-31 (L)
SUGAR BOWL 32) Alabama o Utah
NATIONAL CHAMPION 33) Florida o Oklahoma
ROSE BOWL 34) USC o Penn State

Rivalry Re-Newed: Indiana Heads to Rupp Arena

Indiana Takes the youth movement into Rupp to take on a Cats Team in need of Momentum

Last year the landscape was different. Kentucky was a meager 4-2 having lost an unprecedented game to Gardner-Webb at home and were fresh off an embarrassment to the #1 North Carolina Tarheels. Hopes were bleak for the Cats in Bloomington and the Hoosiers capitalized on their rivals weakness and embarrassed the Wildcats by taking down Kentucky by 19 points.

Following the loss, Kentucky continued to struggle dropping games to UAB, Houston and rival Louisville. Indiana on the other hand thrived throughout their non conference sleight but was halted by NCAA sanctions which removed Head Coach Sampson and put a dagger into the Hoosier hopes for a special season.

With the sanctions and loss of so many players it is now the Hoosiers whom are in rebuilding mode as they come to Rupp Arena today. The Kentucky Wildcats still have a sickening taste in their mouth from the whooping they received last year in Bloomington.

With the immediate departure of Kelvin Sampson, nearly all their recruiting class, current players, and remainder of the Indiana staff jumped ship and left the cupboards bear. In the off season the Hoosiers hired former Marquette coach Tom Crean to pick up the pieces and attempt to rebuild the Hoosiers team.

The season for Indiana has been rough so far as they have are 5-4 and dead last in the Big Ten in nearly every statistical category. This make-shift and transition phased Hoosier squad has only two upper classman, which produce very little on the court.

As the Indiana team is rebuilding, Kentucky MUST return to dominating this rivalry. Before last year, Kentucky has won the past seven between the two schools. Historically, the Hoosiers have not won in Lexington since 1988.

Kentucky needs this game badly to add to their RPI and gain momentum heading into conference play, which is less than two weeks away!