The House of Blue

Not much new stuff in today's final media availability. It was Joker Phillips only and a lot of stuff was rehashed from previous days, but a few things of note:

+++The one thing you hope for entering the season opener is a team that is relatively healthy. Last year that wasn't the case, especially in the offensive line, and you saw how it affected Kentucky through the first month of the season. That opener was bad, and a lot of it had to do with an offensive line that was crushed by injuries in camp. Outside of Glenn Faulkner (ankle) and Josh Clemons (knee) the Cats should arrive at the stadium on Sunday as healthy as you could expect:

“This is as healthy as we've ever been (for the first game) in my 25 years of coaching,” Phillips said. “A lot of that has to do with we're a little more athletic and a little stronger so we're not all over the ground. We understand how to practice and a lot of that has to do with our older guys teaching the young guys how to practice.”

+++Landon Foster is the punter. Yes, they think he's that good. And Phillips raved about the work long snapper Kelly Mason has put in. But this is their first games, so....

“You know what? The pup is going to be good. He's going to be a good punter,” Phillips said. “Our operation is as fast as we've ever been. Now we've got to take it from this field to the (real) field and who knows what you're going to get in front of a national television audience.”

+++Phillips said they won't use a traditional punting formation as much as in the past, but the following guys will handle coverage duties: “Our gunners, with the way punt formations have gone now there really aren't gunner,” Phillips said. “You might flex one out at a time. Tay Neloms will be on one side and E.J. Fields the other. A lot of times they'll be attached (to the line) but those will be the guys that cover for us.”

+++Phillips mentioned right tackle Kevin Mitchell as perhaps the most improved player on the team. I'm sure that's music to a lot of fans' ears since he has routinely been picked out as a major weak spot. I guess we'll see. He also mentioned MLB Avery Williams as one of their most impressive guys in the locker room and as a leader.

+++Kentucky's offensive ranks last season: Rushing (124.2 yds/gm; 90th); Passing (135.6 yds/gm; 114th); Total Offense (259.8 yds/gm; 118th); Scoring (15.8 pts/gm; 117th). No wonder Phillips didn't care how his team got points he just wants points:

“I just want to score. We've got to score points,” Phillips said. “That's what we did not do last year. We didn't get the ball in the end zone or move the ball much last year, that's what we've got to do.”

+++Phillips and Louisville coach Charlie Strong go back a long way. They're friends. And they're also enemies in this game. Has their relationship changed the past three years?

“We've always competed against each other one game a year,” Phillips said. “We used to talk when he was a coordinator and I was a coordinator right after a game but we just don't have that kind of time now right after the game. We talk a little bit in the offseason. It has not changed our relationship. He's good. There hasn't been any negative recruiting or anything like that. We're both being professionals with this thing and we understand it, but we're enemies on Saturday. He'll be trying to rip my tonsils out and I'll be trying to rip his tonsils out.”

+++PROGRAMMING NOTE: There is no more media availability before the game. We will have a CatsPause.com 'Four Downs' game preview analysis coming Friday, game coverage Sunday that should include a game chat and postgame coverage, then several analysis pieces on Monday.