Never to early to go out on a limb

With a little over two months left till the football season starts its time to talk about what sort of season the Cats will have this year.

Starting off the season with Miami of Ohio 2-10 last year should give the Cats an easy win although the hiring of Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Haywood as head coach should put a little spunk in the Redhawks offense. Haywood has worked as an assistant at Texas, LSU, Ball State, Ohio, Army and Minnesota and in 2005, he was named NCAA Division I-A assistant coach of the year by the American Football Coaches Association. Kentucky 1-0.

Louisville 5-7 last year should be another win but this is a rivalry game. With Hunter Cantwell’s back up Matt Simms transferring Louisville has no experience at quarterback making it a little more difficult for Louisville to come away with win. Kentucky 2-0.

The third game of the season brings Florida 13-1 to Lexington. The best we can realistically hope for is that the Gators stomp Tennessee the week before and the Cats play the Gators much better than they did last year. A good game could be a launching board for a great season. Kentucky 2-1.

Alabama 12-2 last year is the next visitor to Lexington. Last year with one or two breaks the Cats could have beaten the Tide. Having them in Lexington and without an experienced quarterback they can be beaten. If Mike Hartline can connect with our receivers and couple of defensive stops go our way and this could be a big upset. Kentucky 2-2.

OK the Really Ole Ball Coach thinks he’s finally found his quarter back at South Carolina 7-6 last year. The Cats are due to win this game. Kentucky 3-2.

Auburn 5-7 last year had a problem the Cats use to have. According to Gene Chizik “Depth is an issue at this point, and I think that’s glaring”. Their offense also stinks so this is close but another winnable game. Kentucky 4-2.

We then get Louisiana Monroe 4-8 last year at home. The Warhawks beat Alabama in 2007 but wont beat the Cats in Lexington. This will be the game where a freshman quarterback gets a decent amount of playing time. Kentucky 5-2.

Mississippi State 4-8 last year doesn’t come to Lexington and win. Kentucky 6-2.

Eastern Kentucky 8-4 won the OVC last year but don’t look to match up with the Cats although they might play them better than people expect. Kentucky 7-2.

Vanderbilt 7-6 came into Lexington and beat the Cats. Mackenzi Adams is a good quarterback and running back Jared Hawkins should be much improved as a senior. This game is a toss up but I think injuries will be starting to plague the Cats by this time of the season. Kentucky 7-3.

Georgia 10-3 last year will be a tough game for the Cats. If they can go thru the season without as many injuries as last year they should beat the Cats. Kentucky 7-4.

The final game of the season is against Tennessee 5-7 last year. With Lane Kiffin bringing the Vols to Lexington the Cats welcome him to Kentucky. I’m gonna get out on my limb and say the Cats win with Morgan Newton running for a touchdown and tossing a touchdown to Cobb with little time left in the game. Kentucky 8-4.

NEXT YEAR….AND THIS ONE.. OLE MISS vs. KENTUCKY

Some things that will probably happen next year…Patrick Patterson will be back, he said so…Jodie will be back…and BCG and Mitch. All will be well next year with UK basketball from the eternal optimist. If you need convincing, think about it. Consider, if you will, what one more year under their belts will do for this bunch of green frosh and Juco’s. Darius Miller is barely 18 yrs old.

One more year of life and maturity and this will be a completely different TEAM. Really, it will be, considering the players will be a year older, wiser, and better. The level of talent that we have coming in; which I feel is vastly superior to this year’s group, will bolster next year’s experienced squad. I expect UK to put three (3) new starters on the floor next year in additon to the BIG 2…They have too, in my opinion, to be competitive.

Matt Pilgrim and Orton will make a BIGGG difference in this program…Perry S. Would be well served to work on his game…Looking at Jon Hood film reminds me a little of a kid we had in here by the name of Rex…Really, the kid is a player and can shoot the basketball. Any contribution from him next year would be the icing on the cake.

Now as for Ole Miss, I look for UK to take this game rather handily using a strong defense on the point of attack which was our Achilles heel in the last game with Ole Miss. David Heurtas, their leading scorer is said to be “day to day” with a foot injury and UK is primed to bust O-U-T…

Let us not forget this is the same UK team that started this season at 5-0 and took #5 Louisville to the wire and the top twenty LSU team as well.

Having a lack of balanced scoring has been a hallmark of the team of late; that and an inordinate number o f turnovers have often been the catalyst for defeat. To secure a victory our Cats must cut back on the turnovers and find scoring from other sources. But, they can and will do it today by 13 points! One Game A t A Time~

Latest Top 25

This weeks top 25. With a good week by LSU and a few losses by others the SEC could climb into the rankings

AP Top 25
1. Connecticut (67) 22-1 1,795
2. Oklahoma (3) 23-1 1,710
3. North Carolina (2) 21-2 1,672
4. Pittsburgh 21-2 1,583
5. Louisville 18-4 1,423
6. Duke 20-3 1,350
7. Wake Forest 18-3 1,242
8. Memphis 20-3 1,237
9. Michigan State 19-4 1,214
10. Marquette 20-3 1,137
11. UCLA 19-4 1,131
12. Clemson 19-3 1,097
13. Villanova 19-4 989
14. Xavier 20-3 893
15. Butler 21-2 762
16. Kansas 19-4 751
17. Missouri 20-4 395
18. Arizona State 18-5 389
19. Gonzaga 17-5 361
20. Purdue 17-6 353
21. Utah State 23-1 317
22. Illinois 19-5 303
23. Syracuse 18-6 280
24. Ohio State 17-5 216
25. Florida State 18-5 182
Others Receiving Votes
LSU 167, Washington 135, Texas 106, Florida 66, Minnesota 43, Dayton 31, California 16, Kansas State 8, West Virginia 8, South Carolina 7, Davidson 7, Miami (FL) 7, Utah 4, Arizona 4, San Diego State 2, Siena 2, Northeastern 2, Robert Morris 1, Boston College 1, Green Bay 1.
Dropped From Rankings
Texas 16, Minnesota 19, Washington 22.

ESPN/USA Today Poll
1. Connecticut (30) 22-1 774
2. Oklahoma (1) 23-1 735
3. North Carolina 21-2 711
4. Pittsburgh 21-2 689
5. Duke 20-3 604
6. UCLA 19-4 554
7. Louisville 18-4 553
8. Wake Forest 18-3 541
9. Michigan State 19-4 521
10. Memphis 20-3 486
11. Clemson 19-3 456
12. Marquette 20-3 446
13. Villanova 19-4 416
14. Xavier 20-3 375
15. Butler 21-2 346
16. Kansas 19-4 300
17. Utah State 23-1 258
18. Arizona State 18-5 214
19. Missouri 20-4 162
20. Illinois 19-5 143
21. Gonzaga 17-5 124
22. Syracuse 18-6 115
23. Purdue 17-6 114
24. Washington 17-6 86
25. Florida State 18-5 62
Others Receiving Votes
Ohio State 55, Texas 50, LSU 50, Dayton 34, Minnesota 30, Florida 26, Davidson 9, Utah 9, South Carolina 7, Saint Mary’s 5, Brigham Young 5, California 3, San Diego State 3, Penn State 2, UNLV 1, Arizona 1.
Dropped From Rankings
Texas 17, Minnesota 19.

Top 25

The latest top 25 polls are out.

AP Top 25
1. North Carolina (72) 3-0 1,800
2. Connecticut 4-0 1,694
3. Louisville 2-0 1,646
4. Pittsburgh 4-0 1,423
5. Michigan State 2-0 1,402
6. Texas 2-0 1,355
7. Duke 6-0 1,330
8. Notre Dame 2-0 1,291
9. Gonzaga 2-0 1,222
10. Purdue 4-0 1,161
11. Oklahoma 4-0 1,094
12. Tennessee 3-0 1,005
13. UCLA 3-1 916
14. Arizona State 3-0 767
15. Marquette 3-0 735
16. Xavier 5-0 600
17. Florida 3-0 535
18. Memphis 4-1 500
19. Wake Forest 2-0 414
20. Villanova 3-0 356
21. Georgetown 2-0 349
22. Miami (FL) 2-1 272
22. Kansas 2-0 272
24. Davidson 3-1 238
25. Wisconsin 4-0 214
Others Receiving Votes
Baylor 170, Syracuse 115, Saint Mary’s 111, UNLV 107, Ohio State 52, Clemson 49, Michigan 42, LSU 25, Texas A&M 25, USC 18, Siena 18, Brigham Young 16, Washington State 13, UAB 12, West Virginia 10, Creighton 6, Missouri 6, Rhode Island 5, Seton Hall 2, Georgia Tech 2, Illinois 2, Mercer 1, Oklahoma State 1, Virginia Military 1.

ESPN/USA Today Poll
1. North Carolina (31) 3-0 775
2. Connecticut 4-0 730
3. Louisville 2-0 697
4. Pittsburgh 4-0 635
5. Duke 6-0 625
6. Michigan State 2-0 615
7. Texas 2-0 576
8. Notre Dame 2-0 551
9. Purdue 4-0 516
10. Gonzaga 2-0 481
11. UCLA 3-1 437
12. Tennessee 3-0 434
13. Oklahoma 4-0 415
14. Arizona State 3-0 343
15. Marquette 3-0 284
16. Georgetown 2-0 251
17. Memphis 4-1 246
18. Florida 3-0 238
19. Wisconsin 4-0 171
20. Xavier 5-0 166
21. Miami (FL) 2-1 146
22. Villanova 3-0 143
23. Kansas 2-0 125
24. Wake Forest 2-0 123
25. Davidson 3-1 100
Others Receiving Votes
UNLV 58, Saint Mary’s 43, Ohio State 29, Baylor 27, West Virginia 19, Washington State 15, Syracuse 14, Siena 10, Creighton 8, Texas A&M 7, Brigham Young 6, USC 4, UAB 3, Clemson 3, Michigan 3, Oklahoma State 2, Washington 1.

Casper dies from injures

Jenni Casper, the record-setting former University of Kentucky volleyball player injured in a car accident early Saturday, has died.

Casper, 24, was pronounced dead at 1:27 p.m. Sunday by UK Hospital staff members.

She had been critically injured at 1:43 a.m. Saturday, when, according to police, she was driving on Chinoe Road and apparently lost control of her car negotiating a curve near Fontaine Road. Casper’s car hit a tree, Lt. Scott Blakely of the Lexington police department said Saturday.

Police believe speed and alcohol were factors in the crash, Lt. Garry Sennett of Lexington police said Sunday.

Casper, who played for UK from 2003 to 2006, graduated from the university in May 2007. Originally from Louisville and a graduate of Mercy Academy, Casper was the Southeastern Conference record holder in career digs, ranked 13th in NCAA Division I volleyball history in career digs and was a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

“The Wildcat family is saddened by the loss of Jenni Casper,” UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said in a statement.

“Jenni represented the University of Kentucky and the volleyball program with passion and dignity. She was an intense competitor and amazing individual. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jenni’s family and loved ones during this period of grief.”

UK volleyball Coach Craig Skinner added, “We will do everything we can to carry on Jenni’s legacy of dedication, enthusiasm and unselfishness through our program.”

Information about funeral and memorial arrangements was not available Sunday night.

Wreck injures former UK star

Sims and Ridge commit to Cats

David Sims becomes the second player to commit to Kentucky since the win on Sunday.Projected to play running back for the Wildcats, Sims also held offers from Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Michigan, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Oregon, Colorado and South Carolina, among many others.

ESPN’s Billy Tucker said of the pledge, “Building off last year’s onfield success and exposure, the Wildcats are quietly putting together an impressive class as Sims is their 19th commitment and sixth positional prospect rated in the top-30 nationally.”
“While Sims has raw arm strength and good zip on the football, we project this productive dual-threat quarterback is being more recruited as an athlete with Morgan Newton (Carmel, Ind.) and Ryan Mossakowski (Frisco, Texas/Centennial) already on board. Either way, he will bring great versatility to the roster and is a great out-of-state pickup for Kentucky.”
“The second rated athlete in South Carolina this year is very a dynamic prospect with a ton of physical talent and legitimately has a chance to develop on either side of the ball in Lexington. Defensively, he is very instinctive as a high-point safety and has good range and ball skills. He could get a look at tailback on offense with his strong, compact body structure needed to earn YAC, quickness to make defenders miss through the hole, and great acceleration when he reaches the second level.”

Earlier in the week Kentucky recieved a commitment from Ridge Wilson, a 6-foot-3 linebacker from Central (Louisville, Ky.), has agreed to accept a Class 2009 scholarship offer from Kentucky.

He said, “I had been thinking about UK for a while, and that game (vs. Louisville) kind of made me decide that now may be the right time to go ahead and make my decision,” the Courier-Journal reports.

The Wildcats edged Louisville, Arkansas and Indiana for Wilson.
Kentucky now has 19 commitments.

Kentucky 27 Louisville 2

Kentucky’s defense stiffled Louisville’s offense scoring on a Ashton Cobb return of a Louisville fumble for 28 yards and 310 lb Myron Pryor’s return of another fumble 72 yards for a score as the Wildcats embarrassed Louisville 27-2 in the Governor’s Cup on Sunday.

The Cats defense held Louisville to 205 yards total offense with 153 yards of that on 20-43 passing by Hunter Cantwell. Mike Hartline was 16 of 31 for 147 yards and only one mistake in his first start. Neither team could get much of a rushing game going although Kentucky managed to score a td by Tony Dixon in the second half.

The brightest spot of the game was shared between the defense which was outstanding and Randall Cobb who showed that he has the potential to be a really great reciever for Kentucky. The dullest spot of the game was the offense which showed none of the spark Kentucky fans have become use to. Coach Brooks made it as simple as possible for Hartline which was good enough for Louisville and possibly in the next 3 games. Hopefully by using Cobb more as a reciever they will move the ball on a consistent basis in the future.

The biggest looser in the game was Kragthorp. Brooks and Kragthorpe are a whole lot alike when it comes to doing things the right way but Kragthorpe probably wont last long enough to straighten out Louisville. Keeping that in mind if we keep winning for a while we will be getting more Kentucky players to commit to UK.

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