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Cats add kicker

  • You guys are nuts...every signing class for every school will have 3-7 guys who never produce at the college level for various reasons (grades, lack of talent, reached max in HS, drugs, homesickness etc)...no reason to act like the kickers we bring in are taking the spot of a 5* program changer.

    Foster will punt and this kid will kick. They will give us a year or two of not recruiting kickers.

    BUT, the higher the level of football, the more important the P/K are...and the SEC is almost as high as it gets. Flipping field position and locking in 3 pts is more valuable for UK than some other teams in the SEC with studs who can change the game in spectacular ways.

    WildcatGG24

  • For 2012, the Cats will have the following kickers:

    Craig McIntosh - SS K
    Joe Mansour - SS K/P
    Landon Foster - SS P
    Tanner Blain - WO K/P
    Jay Wilmott - WO P

    For 2013, it appears that list will be:

    Joe Mansour - SS K/P
    Landon Foster - SS P
    Austin McGinnis - SS K/P
    Jay Wilmott - WO
    Tanner Blain - WO

    Three scholarship kickers in 2012, three in 2013. Where was the outrage for recruiting Foster this year to take us to three SS kickers?

    This isn't necessarily an exciting commitment, as far as stars and reputation go, but it's pretty necessary with McIntosh leaving after this season and Mansour being a senior next season. For a marginal team looking to improve, special teams are pretty important. I think JDHoss's post points that out pretty well.

    Better to have three quality guys on scholarship when it comes time to find a quality performer at KO/PK/P than to just throw out whoever you found on campus and hope he works out.

    JDHLaw11

  • while on the subject of special teams, let's all hope the return game can turn it around and find someone reliable to do the punt/kick returns. Think we all got spoiled with Locke/Abney/Cobb and the rest of the return guys from the past who could take it for 6 every time. That's where we really need to improve, otherwise we're always looking for our punter to just pin them back and bomb one everytime.

    Hogan_Ryan

  • jeffries123 said...

    For KY to be good in the sec they have to be great in special teams. Not good but great. I think the staff realizes that and they act accordingly. We're not gonna beat normal sec teams if we don't make fgs and win the field position battle. I may bash joker for a lot of things but trying to become better in special teams is not one of them. The patriots might not be the dynasty they was without AV.

    Yep. Ask Virginia Tech how important special teams are to a program trying to work their way up. It is absolutely vital, and in the last class and this one we have managed to sign an elite punter and Macginnis is a top 7 "specialist" ( which includes FG kickers, kickoff guys and punters, so if you break it down to just FG kicker, he is probably top 3). There is NO WAY you turn that down at UK, especially not in favor of another run of the mill DB.

    This post was edited by mjdotson on 6/24/2012 at 11:26 AM

    mjdotson

  • Hogan_Ryan said...

    while on the subject of special teams, let's all hope the return game can turn it around and find someone reliable to do the punt/kick returns. Think we all got spoiled with Locke/Abney/Cobb and the rest of the return guys from the past who could take it for 6 every time. That's where we really need to improve, otherwise we're always looking for our punter to just pin them back and bomb one everytime.

    No doubt about it. I hope Nord read "Special Teams for Dummies" this offseason, and not just for the return game but for coverage as well. It still drives me nuts to watch us try and put every kickoff and punt in the coffin corner. On kickoffs, it just leaves so little room for error if the ball bounces. If I see our opponents automatically get the ball at the 40 again just b/c our strategy is to make our kicker (who already struggles with accuracy) place the ball precisely, I will scream.

    mjdotson

  • JDHoss said...

    ***2006 @ Knoxville - Lones Seiber misses a very makeable FG from 30 something yards in either the 2nd or 3rd quarter. At the end of the game with UK trailing 17-12 (and Seiber also missed a PAT), UK has to go for a TD inside the UT 5 instead of trailing 17-15 (or 17-16 if he made the PAT) and working the clock while setting up for a chip shot game winning FG.

    ***2007 @ Lexington vs UT - In the 2nd OT, UK has a chip shot game ending/winning FG blocked, and goes on to lose in 3 OT.

    ***2008 @ Lexington vs MTSU - UK is 2-6 on FG attempts, including one that is blocked in the closing seconds that set up one of the most heart stopping plays I've ever witnessed when Robbie McAtee made a game saving shoestring tackle on the UK 3 with no time left.UK wins 20-14

    ***2008 @ Lexington vs Carolina - UK is leading 7-0 and the defense playing lights out when a kickoff is returned by Carolina for 84 yards to the UK 16. Carolina, who had yet to muster a 1st down, scores on the next play. In the 2nd quarter, UK sets up for a short FG looking to take a 10-7 lead. Instead, Carolina blocks it and takes it to the house for a 14-7 lead. UK, which also misses a 45 yard FG, goes on to lose 24-17. That was a swing of 20 points in a 7 point loss. All of it on the kicking game.

    ***2008 @ Lexington vs Vandy - UK roughs the punter not once, not twice, but three times (and had yet another one nullified by a Vandy penalty) to extend Vandy drives and exhaust the defense in a 31-24 loss. The loss isn't on the kicking game, but abysmal special teams player for sure.

    ***2008 @ The Swamp vs Florida - Two blocked punts in the opening minutes allow Florida to take a quick 14-0 lead en route to a 63-5 laugher. I'm in no way advocating that we would have won, but those two gaffes buried us in an enormous hole and things just snowballed from there. Judging by CRB's "conversation" with Ortmeyer I would have bet money that at halftime, Steve Ortmeyer would have been headed back to Lexington to clean his office out. Also, in the interest of time, I won't go into the other kicks that Florida has blocked against us.

    ***2008 @ Memphis vs ECU - Two PAT are blocked, leaving us hanging to a 25-19 lead at the end instead of 27-19 and ECU needing a TD & 2 point PAT to tie.

    ***2009 @ Columbia - Two long kickoff returns by Carolina sets them up with TD drives of 32 and 39 yards. In the 4th quarter and UK trailing 21-20 UK has to punt from the Carolina 44. Instead of pinning them deep, a shanked punt lets Carolina start work from the comfort of their own 39. Cats go on to lose 28-26.

    ***2009 @ Auburn - A blocked FG and TD return by Auburn turned what was actually a pretty good ass whipping by UK into a game that could have easily been sent to OT.

    ***2010 @ Oxford - Two UK kickoffs that go out of bounds to set up Ole Miss at their own 40 and a 60+ yard punt return given up to set up Ole MIss at the UK 6 factor in huge in a 42-35 loss.

    ***2010 @ Lexington vs UGA - With UK trailing 7-3, UGA reutrns a kickoff 100 yards to take a 14-3 lead. UK loses 44-31. Without that return, it's 37-31 and UK still has a chance at the end.

    Do special teams matter? Yeah.....and I also might add that these were games that either likely kept UK from better bowl games (not to mention a couple of 9 win seasons) or could have kept UK from going bowling (like the MTSU game).

    +1

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    E-mail: JDRUM@247SPORTS.COM Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/JDrumUK

    Jeff Drummond

  • tommy said...

    There have been certain posters forced to keep their hate holes sour recently with the watt recruiting has been going. They have sitting eagerly, just itching for something...anything to bitch about. It was only a matter of time. Im not thrilled with the commitment myself, but this class still has potential to finish a top 25 class imo. One commitment does not take away from the class as a whole.

    Tommy one thing is for certain you are a optimist... Don't let anyone ever tell you nothing different...

    todd

  • K__TIME said...

    Seriously...this is silly. Low on rides this year...Mansour was supposed to kicker of a generation and Landon Foster last year.

    I hope people see thru the smoke screen to failing of this program under Joker. What next another FB?

    Geez. Failing? We go to 5 straight bowls for the first time in what..50 years? We are getting recruits that have offers from Fla St, Notre Dame, Miami, Ohio St? We beat the national champs in LSU in 07? WE beat Clemson..and Fla State in bowls? And you say Failing? Get serious.
    I remember when it was a good year to get 5 wins..and watching a Uk game was like having a root canal performed without novacaine. I remember getting hammered by 70 points every year to Florida...in the past 6 seasons weve beat Georgia between the hedges...played Alabama closer than anyone in 06 and 07..we were ranked #6 in the nation before a injury to our best rb and two freakish turnovers cost us the South Carolina game or Uk could have been national champs in 07 ..no way Ohio State would play within 20 points of us that year. We beat LSU and LSU hammered the Buckeyes.
    Joker needs 5 years. For goodness sakes if we can give Bill Curry all those years..playing horrible and not so fun to watch ball...and wasting a full year of Tim Couch's eligibility for 1 game?
    Wait untill after this season...when everyone has us dead last again...and tell me what kind of coach Joker is. After the 8th win..tell me Joker is failing. Yes..I said 8 wins. Mark it down.
    Louisville, Kent, WKU, Florida...finally Florida..Miss St..Vandy..Samford and Tennessee. WE can also beat Mizzu, Arkansas..I dont see more than 8...but I know well go bowling again in 2012.

    BigBlueDawg12

  • This program has given me some if the very best sports moments of my like. I got to storm the field when we beat UofLOL in 07' when NOBODY outside of Lex gave us a snowball in hell as well as me being laughed at, mocked, and damn near harassed for six months leading up to the game while i was working in Loserville. Hell, had it not been for D. Character, i would have gotten into a fight with Edgar Sosa infront of a J.B. Gumbo's just because i was wearing a UK braclet...but i degress.

    I got to storm the field when we beat the #1 ranked and eventual champion LSU. I was 11 rows back when Andrew hit Ford for an 80 yards for the go ahead TD against a Clemson team that was at one time in the top ten that year. I was 7 rows back watching UK make sure that Bobby Bowden's last bowl game was an L.
    I stormed the field when we finally beat Spurrier with an 18 point comeback for the ages. And last year...what day last year...after tailgating with great friends all day, getting to take JawJacker to his very first game at CWS, somehow someway regardless of the fact we all sat un different places all over CWS, we all found each other at the fifty yard line in a sea of blue celebrating ending the streak of all streaks..beating UT.

    Since 2006 this program has given us fans special moment after special moment. Those moments will continue. But i truly truly believe that soon we won't get but just one moment ir huge win each year but more and more each season. MB (love him or hate him) has done amazing things at UK, but he knows his true legacy lies with football. He will create a winning culture here. I home its with Joker, but im not sure it will be. This year will be the year we find out more than likely.

    To say his program is failing is ludicrous. We had a terrible year last season due to a host of reasons. Injuries were massive. Poor poor QB play for most of year. Lockerroom issues for the larger part of the year, and despite all that...we were only one win shy of going to our 6th straight bowl game.

    There is nothing more encouraging than youth. Youth is all about the possibilities and potential. Youth is about what can be. Things not yet determined. This team is loaded with youth...talented youth.
    So why can't we just be excited about the possibilities, the potential, and the what could be. The things not yet determined.

    This post was edited by tommy on 6/26/2012 at 8:12 AM

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    tommy

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