Post by Lawdog on May 12, 2012 10:47:24 GMT -5
Kentucky was a topic of discussion on ESPN’s SEC Blog this afternoon, as they talked about UK’s chances of getting back to a bowl game and some of the new playmakers for the Cats this year. First, Edward Aschoff manages to dodge the question of whether Joker can get the Cats to a bowl game in 2012:
Jimmy in Pikeville, Ky., writes: Do you believe that Joker Phillips will be able to get the Kentucky Wildcats back to a bowl game this season?
Edward Aschoff: Phillips thinks he’s found more offensive playmakers this spring, with youngsters such as Demarco Robinson, Daryl Collins and Ronnie Shields stepping up, and that’s huge for the Wildcats. They didn’t have many at all last year and that was a main reason Kentucky’s offense was so bad. But we still need to see what those players can do against SEC competition in October. And a consistent quarterback has to step up. Maxwell Smith has the lead, but the race isn’t over. The schedule is going to be tough for the Wildcats, as well. I think Kentucky needs to sweep nonconference play to ensure a bowl birth. That means beating Louisville to start the season. The Louisville loss was a big one for the Cats last year and right now, Louisville is still a better team. Getting those four nonconference wins will go a long way for Kentucky.
That’s basically a nice way of saying ‘probably not’ while still making it seem like he thinks it could happen. Whatever they think of Kentucky’s bowl chances, though, they did take the time to talk about the offensive playmakers that need to step up for UK.
We have lived and died on our non-conference schedule since 1977, the year we went 10-1. We are NOT competitive in the SEC and two glaring problems exist for Kentucky: coaching and football facilities. In order to rise above our current status, we have to address both issues.
Jimmy in Pikeville, Ky., writes: Do you believe that Joker Phillips will be able to get the Kentucky Wildcats back to a bowl game this season?
Edward Aschoff: Phillips thinks he’s found more offensive playmakers this spring, with youngsters such as Demarco Robinson, Daryl Collins and Ronnie Shields stepping up, and that’s huge for the Wildcats. They didn’t have many at all last year and that was a main reason Kentucky’s offense was so bad. But we still need to see what those players can do against SEC competition in October. And a consistent quarterback has to step up. Maxwell Smith has the lead, but the race isn’t over. The schedule is going to be tough for the Wildcats, as well. I think Kentucky needs to sweep nonconference play to ensure a bowl birth. That means beating Louisville to start the season. The Louisville loss was a big one for the Cats last year and right now, Louisville is still a better team. Getting those four nonconference wins will go a long way for Kentucky.
That’s basically a nice way of saying ‘probably not’ while still making it seem like he thinks it could happen. Whatever they think of Kentucky’s bowl chances, though, they did take the time to talk about the offensive playmakers that need to step up for UK.
We have lived and died on our non-conference schedule since 1977, the year we went 10-1. We are NOT competitive in the SEC and two glaring problems exist for Kentucky: coaching and football facilities. In order to rise above our current status, we have to address both issues.
