Post by Administrator on Sept 18, 2002 13:37:33 GMT -5
A win over Middle Tennessee on Saturday would get the Kentucky football team off to its best start since 1984.
But regardless of what happens after that, the Cats will finish the season Nov. 30 at Tennessee after the NCAA rejected the university's appeal to have the one-year ban on post-season play lifted.
UK Coach Guy Morriss said he found out about the ruling Monday afternoon, and he and UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart informed the players of the verdict before yesterday's practice.
"I was pretty numb for a while," Morriss said. "But you deal with it. It's out of our control, so we move on. This is the last piece of an ugly pie, so we're ready to put it behind us."
Senior punter Glenn Pakulak is one of 21 seniors who won't have the opportunity to go bowling this year.
"It's disappointing," Pakulak said. "As a senior I would have loved to go to a bowl game. Now we just have to treat every game like a bowl game. We've still got a lot to play for."
But the players said they won't let yesterday's ruling take the luster off their surprising start. UK is also ineligible to participate in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game, but among the goals the team has discussed are breaking into the Top 25, compiling the best overall record in the SEC Eastern Division, and even the possibility of an unbeaten season.
"It's been a great run so far, but by no means is it going to end," junior quarterback Jared Lorenzen said. "We're going to play as hard as we can. We want to get to 5-0, then 6-0, then 7-0. And we know it's going to be tough to do in the SEC, but we really want to go undefeated."
But regardless of what happens after that, the Cats will finish the season Nov. 30 at Tennessee after the NCAA rejected the university's appeal to have the one-year ban on post-season play lifted.
UK Coach Guy Morriss said he found out about the ruling Monday afternoon, and he and UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart informed the players of the verdict before yesterday's practice.
"I was pretty numb for a while," Morriss said. "But you deal with it. It's out of our control, so we move on. This is the last piece of an ugly pie, so we're ready to put it behind us."
Senior punter Glenn Pakulak is one of 21 seniors who won't have the opportunity to go bowling this year.
"It's disappointing," Pakulak said. "As a senior I would have loved to go to a bowl game. Now we just have to treat every game like a bowl game. We've still got a lot to play for."
But the players said they won't let yesterday's ruling take the luster off their surprising start. UK is also ineligible to participate in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game, but among the goals the team has discussed are breaking into the Top 25, compiling the best overall record in the SEC Eastern Division, and even the possibility of an unbeaten season.
"It's been a great run so far, but by no means is it going to end," junior quarterback Jared Lorenzen said. "We're going to play as hard as we can. We want to get to 5-0, then 6-0, then 7-0. And we know it's going to be tough to do in the SEC, but we really want to go undefeated."
