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tWhit said...
If we get some playmaking ability from the freshman then I think 7 wins becomes much more possible. Any predictions made on my part are made without even factoring in the freshman. If a guy like Whitlow or Sweat comes in and is special from the jump things will be looking up. If some of the young lineman can play thats even better. What would really be nice is for a guy like to Tiller to come in and be a playmaker at Corner. I think this is a special class we've got coming in and some of them will have to play.
"Kentucky Football needs to be and will be a championship contender in the SEC."~Mitch Barnhart 11/4/12
rgunslinger ●
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hoptownukfan said...
The defense was actually pretty darn good late in the season. For two reasons. A. Because our players got familiar with the scheme. B. Because Rumph, Cobble and & really improved as the season went on and starting playing very well.
This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by todd on 4/25/2012 at 12:46 PM
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rgunslinger said...
I agree, I really like this freshman class and we're gonna need some of them to play. How much they step up and how quickly will be interesting to watch. One thing I believe falls in UK's favor is that there are 2 key games (Vandy and @UT) that occur at the end of the season and UK gets a bye week and a very winnable game (Samford) sandwiched between those games. Of course the UL game is key as is MSU, unfortunately UL kicks off the season and MSU is a little over a month later.
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ukblueforever said...
I don't see this team being any better than last year. We HAVE to have a running game and until we prove we can run the ball, we'll struggle. I don't think there's anything different with this team that give us a productive run game. Of course, time will tell. My prediction is 4-5 wins, at best.
SSP4L!! #GBB
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todd said...
To add to why the D got better, I really think the biggest reason was because our NG Mister Cobble (I love saying and typing that) started to get back close to full health. If some didn't know he had shoulder surgery before last season during the spring (I think during the spring) and it showed early on, when healthy he's a beast. In the first 5-6 games he didn't play bad but wasn't nearly what he could have been. Then by the final 2-3 games he was one of the strongest NG's at the POA in the country. Some people for whatever reason think i'm making this up (on other sites) but Cobble was actually listed as a top 5 Jr to be NG, I just can't for the life of me remember what service or site I saw it on... Nor did I link it so when I tell people this I sound stupid and noone believes me.
But yea, the reason our D improved was like you said:
1. Everyone started to figure the scheme out
2. I also think Minter started to figure out what his team done the best and they stuck to it (I know some may say, ahh your are full of it, Minter knew the entire time, blah blah blah, but everyone even the staff have learning curves, all staffs do it's the ones with the least depth or talent that get called out the most)... I also heard that Minter took alot of things out because they were playing so many young guys and all of a sudden they improved... Sometimes with 18-22 year olds less is more, I really love Minter but I sometimes think he tries to be alittle to much x's and o's (and I love talking x's and o's) because there were times during the season when I would go back and watch a game I would see Minter stunting Cobble and or Rumph outside in a contain role, and it on 1st down, and even a couple times in short yardage situations... That had to be a mistake, both those guys should be full-tilt playing their 1 and 3 technique the entire game IMO...
3. Cobble got back close to 100%, by getting his strength back...
4. Rumph was getting better from his injuries, Rumph and Cobble being injured in the Vandy game (Rumph didn't play at all I don't think) was and is the number 1 reason the kept on running Power-Off tackle despite them being more of a zone-cut back and zone-spread team...
5. All the youngsters started to develop a bit.
There is hope for this defense, it's just going to take guys like Malcom-Rancifer getting stronger and playing with more confidence. I think Miles will be fine, but he to needs to play with alittle more confidence as well. If you watch him close like I did in the SG he's always, I mean always very tense. When a LB is always very tense it leads to cramps, energy drain and it also hurts their ability to tackle in the open field. When he fully understands what's going on and can play all out and not worry about mistakes he's going to be a stud at SAM LB. He's already stronger at the POA than Guy, so we should improve alot when teams try to run out-side zone, power off-tackle because Miles is a legit 225# (probably 230-235 by the season) and very strong. I think Miles is honestly strong enough for Minter to consider moving him inside to "Weak-inside LB" along side Avery if Malcom or others don't step up and begin to eat and study the playbook like a starting SEC ILB... I couldn't believe how much thicker Miles was from the last time I got a good look at him at FD before the season... Miles and Paschal look like they are 3 weeks out from a body building comp, I think both will make a mark in their spots at OLB this year.
Our D can improve but it's going to take some work, it's not our D that i'm that concerned about because a strong D-line will mask a small ILB like Malcom (as long as he starts to read and react faster) it's our OFF. I'm really worried that if Collins, Bookie, Gene, EJ, Sweat or Legree (i'm excited about Legree if he shows up for Summer workouts, great hands and very good ability) don't come along we will be stuck again without a dynamic "Z"/slot WR... I know Marco is making plays but come on guys, he may fumble every time he gets hit (sorry to say but like the UofL game) if asked to run a slant, how can the kid really block a 190-210# DB? Seriously, slot WR's have to be able to block, run slants and go over the middle, slot wr's and te's are the ones that work the middle of the field. It's not like Joker and Randy can bring him out every time a running play is called or audibled too, if that happens the D will know what we are doing... So again I hope WR-OL-ILB really comes along, IMO by far the least depth and talent on the team at this very moment. There are options, and possibilities I just hope everything works out for the best. I do think Max is going to do fine, if he can get some help. I just think we are still 1 or 2 years away from being a for sure 6/7+ win team... GO CATS!!!
hoptownukfan
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JHB4UK said...
Why do you believe this is an easier schedule? From my vantage point it is more difficult:
-UL on the road, last years frosh QB & WR's now have a seasons worth of experience
-Florida on the road, ought to be better than a 6-6 team
-Trade LSU for Arkansas, likely an even swap
-Trade Ole Miss for Missouri, by far NOT an even swap
-Georgia brings back 10 starters on a defense that eviscerated us last year
-UT on the road, ought to be better....if not, Dooley & his pants will be fired before UK plays them
-WKU finished 2011 one of the hottest teams in college football, and has added former UK recruit & 4* qb Demarcus Smith -
JHB4UK said...
Why do you believe this is an easier schedule? From my vantage point it is more difficult:
-UL on the road, last years frosh QB & WR's now have a seasons worth of experience -Florida on the road, ought to be better than a 6-6 team -Trade LSU for Arkansas, likely an even swap -Trade Ole Miss for Missouri, by far NOT an even swap -Georgia brings back 10 starters on a defense that eviscerated us last year -UT on the road, ought to be better....if not, Dooley & his pants will be fired before UK plays them -WKU finished 2011 one of the hottest teams in college football, and has added former UK recruit & 4* qb Demarcus Smith
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Catmando said...
Notice you said "this isn't true", implying what you will say is fact, yet then you follow up with: "the O-line's talent is "probably" the best. " Probably. There's a nice opinionated fact there.
One thing I really don't understand about those of you that complain about Doom and gloomers, and LOD'ers, is that you are also making predictions based on opinions, not facts. Gridiron Jo's opinion is just as valid as Whitaker's, or anyone elses for that matter. It's really pretty simple. We will either be better, worse, or the same as last year. History tells me we will be the same or worse, or possibly slightly better, all of which would lead to an unsatisfactory record. I do see a lot of "long-term" positives in the program, but I do not see any major gamechanging players that I expect to right the ship overnight. Therefore, I have to assume we will at best, not be much better than last year.
The problem with many of you is that you say: if we get better qb play, and , and so and so stays healthy, and there's no injuries occor on the o-line, and several true freshman step up,etc etc etc we could have a really good season. The reality is, there are too many if's in this years program and history tells you that the perfect storm will not come together when there are too many question marks. Like Gridiron JOe though, I hope with all my heart and soul I'm wrong.
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Kooky Kats 247
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Kooky Kats 247 said...
I think the Defense played a lot better when Crawford came back and allowed some rest to be taken up front.
Also, I commend Joe for presenting an argument (the most logical ones posted here), being called names - yet calmly defending himself.... You know why?
Because he is s fan. A good fan. A logical and objective UK football fan....not a troll or LOD guy as accused.
He hopes for the best. Expects less, no agenda.
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Gridiron_Joe said...
Says who? Newton will still be awful. Smith will probably be better, but how much better? The alternative is a true freshman at QB, which is suicide in the SEC. Our OL was terrible last year, but three starters are gone, paving the way for guys who weren't good enough to beat them out in 2011. Our WR corps is about as bad as any I've ever seen-- while I do think it'll be better than next year, again, how much better?
Defensively, I don't see this team stopping the run or the pass. We lost most of our experience at LB and DB, including Trevathan and Guy, who made about 80% of the plays that were made on defense last year. Also, our punter is gone and the replacement is either a true freshman or somebody who is terrible.
"neither UL nor Vandy are THAT much better than us". OK, I'll bite. UL beat us in our house last year, and has since brought in a great deal more talent than we have, without losing very much. How will this team beat them in the first game of the season? As for Vandy, they did beat us 38-8 last year (outgained us 410-211 yards). Meanwhile, Vandy did go 6-7, but played Georgia, Florida, and Arkansas to the wire. We lost to Florida by 38, Georgia by 9, and would've had our teeth knocked out by Arkansas.
Also, let's not forget that Ole Miss went off of our schedule.
We will beat WKU, Kent State, and Samford, although I might take WKU in an upset if they hadn't been hammered pretty hard by graduation. The WKU team from the end of last year would beat UK. We are not winning at Gainesville, or Fayetteville. I don't care if John L. Sullivan gets hired to coach the Hogs. They'll kill us. I don't see us going to Missou and winning, and either UT will kill us, or the game will be the battle of exiled coaches, and no one will care. At home, I don't see Georgia, USC, or Mississippi State losing to us. I think we might play one of the three close. Vandy is the weakest of the bunch, but look at what I said above, and consider that James Franklin is bringing the best recruiting class in school's history to Nashville.
I'll take 4-8. I think we beat the three cupcakes, and somebody else will slip up. Maybe UL (probably not), maybe UT or Vandy or Miss. St. But I think we've got a better chance at 3-9 than we do at, say, 7-5.
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Football Predictions after Spring game.