Well, we're just under a quarter of the way towards the
finish line of the college football regular season and it goes without saying
the University of Kentucky football team is in a position to experience a
season for the ages - well, by UK standards anyway. To wit, the
Cats are:
- 5-0 for the first time in forever...
- Ranked 8th in the AP Poll, giving them a top-10 ranking
for the first time in, well, forever*...
What is the cause of all this good fortune that has befallen
the Cats; a team that wasn't even ranked when the season kicked-off (although,
the Clemson Tigers - the team UK beat in the Music City Bowl last year -
were)?
At first glance, most people would say our successes start
and perhaps end with quarterback André Woodson (according to some, "First-name apostrophes are the new
Heisman pose") and you wouldn't get much of an argument because his 5-game
stat line is pretty damn gaudy:
Attempts/Completions: 112 -167 for a 67% completion
rate. He's also thrown for 1309 yards and 16 touchdowns with only one
interception.
However, UK's
offense is much more than Dre, although having him deliver the ball to the
under-appreciated skill players helps immensely. While we are on the
subject of passing, let's look at who Woodson throws the ball to and where they
rank among other SEC leaders:
Keenan Burton
Yes, I am the flagship member of the number 19 fan club, but my affections are
deserved. Burton
is second in the SEC in receptions a game (6 - behind Vandy's Earl Bennett) and
is fifth in receiving yards a game (84.4). However, in the all-important
receiving touchdown category, Burton
is tied for first with five. He also has a two-point conversion
reception.
Dicky Lyons, Jr
Because Burton gets a truckload of the defense's attention, Lyons and Steve Johnson split time as the
number two and number three receivers. Both
options are exceptional at what they do. Lyons' 23 receptions put him in the
SEC top-10 for receptions a game. Lyons also has
three touchdown catches, two behind league-leader Burton, and is also quick with quotable
utterances. When asked about his feelings about just-defeated Louisville a few weeks
ago, he offered these emphatic thoughts:
Stevie Johnson
UK’s other "second"
receiver, Johnson let the world know about him with his awesome game-winning
touchdown catch against rival Louisville,
but he hasn't stopped there. He had a
big game against Arkansas
and had a nifty touchdown catch against Florida Atlantic. Currently, Johnson has 16 catches for 297 and
4 touchdowns, putting him right behind Burton
for overall SEC leadership in the touchdown reception category.
Can't forget about Jacob
Tamme either. The preseason 1st team
SEC tight-end has performed just like you would expect: dependable, catches everything thrown to him
and he's a hard player for opposing linebackers to cover. I expect to see Tamme playing on Sundays next
year (think Jason Witten).
However, UK
offense attack is not limited to the passing game, as much as the world would
have you believe. The Cats can actually
run the ball as well, giving opponents a balanced attack that’s really hard to
scheme for. Observe:
Sitting in 3rd with the current SEC rushing leaders is Rafael Little. In just 82 rushing attempts (in one less game,
Darren McFadden has 105 attempts), Little has amassed 542 yards rushing and 3
touchdowns. For those of you not into
math, that's 6.7 yards a carry… and Little has a stable of help that goes by the names of Tony Dixon, Alfonso Smith and true freshman Derrick Locke (remember him, Hog fans?).
Dixon is averaging 8.1 yards a carry with 3
touchdowns, while Smith and Locke are averaging 7.9 and 7.5, respectively.
Furthermore, it would be remiss of me if I forget about
fullback John Conner (where's
Reece?We need to save SARAH!!!!!!!) who
has four touchdowns, two rushing and two receiving… not to mention, he'll block
the hell out of you if you happen to get caught in his clear-the-way-for-Little
path.
Be warned, UK’s
success isn't all offense and no defense either, a lament that last year's team
wore very well on many occasions. Case
in point, the leading tackler in the SEC is one Wesley Woodyard with 58, 12 more than the next player. Not only that, but UK’s team defense has been
holding their own as well… except when it comes to defending the run, but a
great deal of that came from the two-headed monster in Fayetteville.
Furthermore, UK
was ranked almost dead last in the NCAA when it came to defense last year. This year, they check in at an
almost-respectable 69th, 50 spots higher than they were 2006.
Before the season started, I said if UK can improve
their defense only slightly, they would have an opportunity to turn some heads
and so far, they have. However, most
don’t believe UK
is anywhere near deserving of its ranking, something I understand but still
take umbrage with.
A lot of these complainers are acting like UK came out of
nowhere this year, which tells me they weren't really paying attention last
year, except to their own teams and now that UK is prominent on a national
level (at least for this week), people are acting like we've done nothing to
deserve it.
Nothing at all.
To which I say: Bull####. UK has one of
the best offenses in the NATION and a defense that plays hard and does just
enough to give the offense an opportunity to win. We've already won two games every pundit in America expected us to lose, but yet, the argument that UK hasn't played anybody still remains.
I'm sorry, didn't everyone pick us to lose to UofL and Arkansas? What happens when UK beats them? UK still hasn't done anything yet... except, of course, win the two games a large majority didn't think they could.
However, this is another pointless argument because the opportunity for UK to prove themselves - again - presents itself a number of times throughout the year... none more, however, than the next three games, which sees UK go against South Carolina
(THURSDAY NIGHT, BOYS AND GIRLS), LSU (you know, the number 1 team in the
country), and that one team from Gainesville.
Obviously, these next three games are a
murder's row and UK
is going to have to play their best ball to go 1-2 in these match-ups. However, if the impossible continues to
happen and UK
actually WINS ALL 3, they deserve the number 1 ranking in the country.
And no, I did not stutter there. I did say NUMBER 1.
Stay tuned. Until later, GBB!!!
* Not really on both of those forevers; it just feels that
way…
Hey goodluck against S. Carolina and the Ole' ball coach. I'm an LSU fan but it's great to see the wildcats accomplishing something no one would have thought they could do. Hopefully this is the begining o####reat football program for you guys. I'm pulling for you against everyone accept my Tigers. Sorry Rev.
Kats look ok so far, but let's face it..they've only played 1 game in the SEC. They're 5-0, but 1-0 in SEC play. You survive the SEC schedule without losses, then you got bragging rights..considering it's the best conference in college ball.
this isn't about bragging rights. i do, however, take issue with the fact that people are acting like we are completely undeserving of being ranked highly (something i could care less about, i'm more concerned with the 5-0 thing).
the funny thing is, most of this ####ing comes from people who said we wouldn't even beat UofL or Arkansas... but yet, when we do, the first response is they weren't that good anyway.
so what happens if UK does actually win these next 3? people will make excuses for the other teams, i'm sure... because we all know, this isn't basketball season.
Congrats to UK for the 5-0 start. As an LSU fan, I am hoping you guys can win all but two this year. Next week and the SEC Championship game. It is good to see a program that noone gave any looks at in the preseason come up and show people what SEC football is all about.
to say you have bragging rights by going through the sec undefeated is a little much. for most teams(other than lsu, florida, and sometimes tennessee and auburn) going through the sec with just 1 or 2 losses deserves bragging rights, especially for a team that hasnt been at the top of the sec in a long time.
by the way, im not going to say after we win because spurrier has always had our number, but if we beat south carolina we will be the first team in college football this season to be bowl eligible.
I don't even like the ranking but I love UK Sports and I am really proud of this football team. i hope they win all their games but as long as they come out even better than they did last year then congratulations to them - They've continued on the path Forward. Lets face it - Cinderellas don't exsist in Championshp NCAA football - You earn it!
with wins over teams ranked 84,92,32 ,40, and div-2,i wonder what all the fuss is about. but tiger fans comment about showing what sec is all about? its all about sec sched div-2 teams(9) and division 1 creampuffs(Lou-Monroe,Lou-laugh,Fla -Int,Kent St UAB,Ark St, North Texas. Sec had better have the best non-conf record playing teams like that. Its not much to brag about.Pac 10 only has 3 div-2 .games and then plays Ohio St, wisconson, cinci, hawaii,Colorado,michigan,tcu,Neb,BY U and tenn(crushed by CAL who Les Miles said was a horrible team).Most sec fans are myopic. I would think that playing harder comp is something to brag about
Last edited by cabouscdave on October 3rd at 9:37 AM.
First things first. I am and have always been a Cats fan, I bleed blue even thru the rough years. What these Wildcats have done so far this year is beyond great. I have read alot of the stories and blogs that are being posted around the internet world saying "they aren't a top-ten" "yeah ok they are 5-0, but who have they played." For all of those "BLEEP off". Yes Loser-ville didn't have the same defensive teams as the last few years. What was the final. Yes the two-headed monster in Fayetteville ran over the cats in the first half. Isn't that why they play 2 halves of football. I have followed most of the other SEC games this year, and I know the history with Ole' Ball Coach. And yes the next month will be a "Murders Row" for our beloved Cats, but I only ask you to think of this. Appy State/Michigan. Its the glory and the heart ache of "ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN" I will be there in my BLUE/WHITE no matter what. Win or Lose 0-3 3-0. No matter the outcome, This group of Cats have turned heads and deserve what they have EARNED. Best of luck to them, and for that matter every other SEC team. This just shows the rest of Football Nation that the SEC is again the powerhouse on the gridiron.
BT
not sure who's bragging right now... i'm just saying i'm enjoying being 5-0. nothing more, nothing less. i am, however, taking issue with people who say we don't deserve any of this pub...
and yeah, who, exactly, has played a pre-conference grueling schedule?
"What is the cause of all this good fortune that has befallen the Cats; a team that wasn't even ranked when the season kicked-off (although, the Clemson Tigers - the team UK beat in the Music City Bowl last year - were)?"
Get your facts straight, Clemson wasn't ranked until they beat FSU in week one. They did receive more votes than UK did in the preseason and will likely finish ahead of them once UK plays somebody.
clemson2002- you play in the acc, go home. Other than clemsons pregame in stadium ruckus your squads have nothing. Why dont you go warmup in one jersey and then come out in another color, that will get them.
Congats so far UK fans
As a Big Ten fan living in Kentucky the last 6 years its nice seeing UK finally having success again the last two years. Seems to drive other SEC fans nuts, good. I hope UK goes at least 10-2 and possible shot at BCS. SEC little brother (UK) deserves props. School has good coach and good future. Go Bucks.
I love it!!!! Go Cats! I bleed Blue everyday of the year. Whether we win or lose. So I am just thrilled that the Football team is going out and making some noise!
This gator is happy for the cats. There's nothing anyone can say to take those wins away from you. Be proud and keep playin good football...eh...except when the gators come to town. Good job guys !
and what happens if tomorrow night the ol' ball coach drags the field with woodson's facemask?
you guys are unbelievable.....whom, exactly, have you actually beaten?
louisville? they've already proved themselves to be way overrated. good lord, they lost to syracuse. arkansas? other than mcfadden, they have NO ONE. and the team is playing like they want nutt fired.
stop talking smack and wait for the season to be further along before you start talking bcs.
personally, i hope you beat the rest of the teams on your schedule and go to a bcs game b/c it's time for new blood in college football. but don't start acting like georgia and let a few wins mean that a national championship is in sight.
those losers have spent the last 25 years singing that same song and look where they are now.
again, i'm excited for you but calm down until you're 8-0.
UKjedi, congrats on the wildcats season so far! I love hearing about other teams in the sec [besides lsu and fla.] doing well. Good luck the rest of your season!
You are right jedi, 5-0 does feel pretty damn good.
It's funny that some people hate UK so much they can't stand to give us our kudo's. It irritates me to no end. Who gives a #### what others think!! The Cats ARE 5-0; they ARE ranked 8th; we DO have the right to crow!!
"I will say however, that on paper, the best defense yall have played all year is Kent St."
you obviously didn't watch the second half of the UK/Arkansas game... you know the one where we shut their offense out? they scored 9 points in the second, 2 on a safety and 7 on the resulting kick-off. besides that, NADA.
BGL:
Virtual hugs are always a good substitute. ;) And you are right. All UK can do is win the games that are in front of them. Whatever happens after that, I don't care.
5-0.....WOW! How many seasons have we had that we didn't even WIN 5 games TOTAL?? Leave us alone....let us bask in the temporary glory of (at least) a 5 win season! And a few more words to the CatHaters...let your teams have the dry spell we have endured and sell YOUR stadium out every week! Your fans would drop off like Brian Brohm's Heisman chances! PEACE!
i know exactly what you are talking about and again i say teh best defense we've played is the second half against Arkansas.
couldashoulda:
wow, a star wars joke. good god, how original...
anyway, i like how you avoid anything i've said about who, exactly, have the Cocks played (you live up to your mascot's nickname quite nicely, btw).
another thing, i guaran - damn - tee you were picking us to lose to both UofL and Arkansas and when we didn't, your next, predictable defense was to say, "well, they must've sucked if UK beat them..."
what's going to be your excuse if we beat your team tomorrow night?
another thing, couldashoulda, you were you one that came here running that hole under your nose, not me. show me one place in my post where i said UK was all this and that and that we would beat all comers.
I can't wait til tomorrow's game, finally a SC/KY game that has meaning. I've been very impressed with Woodson this season, which is why I can't wait to see how he does against our pass defense. I'm not about to predict the winner of this game because they are so evenly matched at this point; their great passing game and our great pass defense. I hope SC beats them by at least two TDs, but I just settle for a 1 pt victory, as long as we have the "W" at the end of the night. Let's face it, this year KY is doing great things and could very well come out of Columbia with a huge victory. It should be exciting, congrats on 5-0 cats.
Enjoy it for now, UK fans. Let's see what the record is at the end of November. Trust me, 5-0 is great (especially knocking off loudmouth Louisville), but running the table (or even finishing .500 in the SEC) is a daunting task for even the best UK football teams. I'm glad Rich Brooks is finally getting some love. He took a lot of grief the past few years by all of you so called "fans." You succeeded in running Tubby out of town, maybe you should lay off Rich so he can continue to build the program.
hman2 be careful or UKjedi will use his light saber on you.
and i completely agree with your comments. congrats to uk for getting this far but wait until you've run the gauntet before you start espousing your bcs worthiness.
ukjedi (that really is a stupid and childish name) may the force be with you....except against florida where i hope you get slaughtered.
so this is what your argument boils down to: my screen name. wow. that's just an incredible tactic...
...as opposed to, you know, discussing the topic at hand and actually responding to some of things others have said to you.
thanks for playing.
hman2:
not sure who is suggesting otherwise. i also said nothing that indicated UK would "run the table." when i wrote this, i was only concerned with their record so far. the upcoming schedule will tell a lot about this team.
KickinChicken:
thanks for the kind words. i'm just glad one SEC/SC fan didn't take my post as a challenge. again, i'm just happy we've done this well so far.
UKjedi - don't you just love how the usc (the 2nd one in california) fans can only go on these blogs and talk about other teams schedules. I guess playing 1 ranked team out of four makes their schedule the most difficult in the world. And the one ranked team they did play will probably be unranked after playing Missouri this week.
Last edited by tigerfan1966 on October 4th at 7:41 AM.
Congrats to your team! Here is one LSU Tiger who is excited about your successes this season. By the way, who cares what the "nay-sayers" and "trash-talkers" think...it's fun to be undefeated and even more fun to try to stay that way. Best of luck with South Carolina tonight and on the remainder of your season. I'm looking forward to our game in Lexington next week. Of course, I hope my Tigers prevail...but who knows...
KENTUCKY 37 SO CAR 21 ,sure sounds good with LSU an FLORIDA GATORS coming up ,also TENNESSEE but it can happen ,im just wondering when TENNESSEE can get a coach that can bring them back into the spotlight an why they have waited so long.
from a georgia fan. congrats to kentucky on a great start. good luck with south carolina. enjoy your team no matter what all the trash talkers say. if I was a kentucky fan I would be crowing also. so enjoy the light while you have it and show true sports fan what sportsmanship is all about by offering cngrats when someones team does good and not talking needless #### when someone fails. good luck to ya kentucky from a dawg fan.
UK has a graet chance agianst anyone the wya tey have been palying
we have a tough next couple of games but we should bet s carolina dunno about LSU or florida but we have a good chance to beat all those teams
I see UK heading into the game against LSU undefeated. UK is on the verge of a very special season, and I'm a Tennessee fan. I'm definitely not looking forward to playing them in Lexington.
so what happens when we beat usc ? willl they become a NO ONE? uk has played a good arkansas team and a good louisville offense. why are u guys haring on uk ? isit bcuz ur scared now that we are playing good ball that ur team cant run on this uk team like the past? well get over urself uk is playiong great ball and should have a great season and honestly the only lose i see uk takin this yr is lsu....and for that matter i bet uk gives lsu a run for there money ... fl and lsu and tenn are coming to lexington this yr so that just helps us out... see yalll on the gridiron...
Dazed and Confused,
You know very well that if the Cats beat SC, the haters are gonna say: "See, we told ya SC was never any good." If SC wins they'll say: "UK was way over-rated and never really played anybody...yada-yada." Same old rhetoric. But a lot of fans love to push buttons. The reality is (in my opinion), both teams are exceptionally good with a wealth of fine athletes.
And I agree...I believe UK will give my Tigers a really good run for their money. Sometimes in CFB the tip goes to the team that makes one less mistake than the other team. I kinda like those contests a lot better than a blow-out, lop-sided game.
