The House of Blue

Good summary, nothing much to add except that the half glass full description of the Oline is that several of these guys have played against the best teams in this league in the past and have performed well so we know it's in them, the coaches just have to find a way to get it out of them.

Overall this team is just performing well under it's potential. Execution at several positions is just disjointed and inconsistent, but it isn't due to a lack of talent. I still maintain that we have enough players to play with any team on our schedule, but at this juncture playing at full potential seems a long, long way from here.

In college football a lot can happen in a week, let's hope it does.

You might include the fanbase's mood after the game under "Ugly." I know mine was.

A good summary of the game Jeff. As a long time Styx fan I appreciate the fact that you mentioned the band is embarrassed to have recorded that song. They should have booted Dennis DeYoung from the band immediately after the end of the Paradise Theater tour!

Pretty good recap.

The main thing I would take issue with is this:

"A large group of high school players from across the state and beyond were on hand at Commonwealth Stadium Saturday, plus a national TV audience on ESPNU."

ESPNU might be broadcasted from coast to coast and border to border, but there were some good games on last night including OU-FSU, SC-Navy, The U and THE Ohio State University. The numbers are still being tallied, but the overnight numbers indicate 16 sets outside of the Commonwealth were tuned into the pillow fight. Definitely good news for the Cats.

Good write-up, Jeff. I thought that "run Morgan, run" designed plays were about as ugly as one can imagine. They were so ugly that I'm not sure I can stand to see them called more than once next week.

It is not just the OL. If you watch the game and pay attention you will see a lot of mistakes. The ball is not going where the play is designed too often. There are not a lot of plays where the OL is just blown up. I would like to watch this tape with Jeff sometime.

On another note, how did our special team's coach expect to successfully block 4 guys who consistently got to our second level with only 3 blockers on punts? Another one, how did we expect to defend UL when they split 3 receivers grouped together wide with only two DB's? That happened a few times and UL converted. I was amazed they didn't score. These are just bad coaching mistakes. If I can see it from the stands the guys in the press box can. I just don't see consistent attention to detail and discipline. Some guys are playing hard and some are just loafing. Finally, do we get anything at all out of the FB position? I hear all the crowing about the new guy but I never see him make a good block especially at the second level where we need him. He doesn't run the ball or catch passes. I think we need to put this on the shelf and split someone into the slot just to get people out of the box and give us another option in the passing game. I honestly think it will help our running game too.

Makes you wonder. I know Pitt had way more talent than the record indicated, but hard to believe they were that much better than some of the SEC lines UK had faced.

Rough game to stomach for The Big Blue Nation.

I don't need to watch a tape to see that the OL has been manhandled in just about every quarter of play this year. I'm not laying all of the blame at their feet, just the majority of it. Having played on the offensive line, I can tell you that when you're not doing your job, the offense is going to spin it's wheels.

I don't hate Newton. I would like him to be great. I want the team to be great. If you don't need to see the tape to see how the plays broke down then you are much better at analyzing football than I am. Line blocking especially on the sweeps was bad and part of it was because guys like Hines have little lateral mobility due to a bad wheel. Warford and Hines were two of the best OG's in the SEC last year. Smith is on the Rimington watch list. Burden had off season shoulder surgery and Miller is a true freshman playing because Murphey is out. The OL didn't forget how to play. They are banged up. The same guys maned the line for the 3rd best offense in the SEC last year.

If you played OL then you know that the skill guys can help or hurt line play by getting the ball where it is supposed to go on time. Receivers can catch and block and get out of the way when they are not in the play. Backs, including the QB can may everyone look like a fool. There were at least two screens where the OL released the pressure and on one the back blocked instead of looking to receive the ball and on the other the QB couldn't get his head up to hit the receiver. The plays looked like the line caved unless you watch it carefully. No one really played well enough to win that game. It was not just the OL. That is all I am saying. Summers was a man and took responsibility but he was not happy because it is not all his guys' fault that the O sucks.