Good reading material..Questions are in bold, answers not in bold.
Hey Jeff,
You guys have a tough schedule ahead of you starting thursday night. What say you on thursday's score and the seasonal outcome for UK? If for some strange reason you get paired with Clemson in a bowl game again, well... Go wildcats!
Thanks!
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I think this is a total toss-up. If Kentucky can keep its ball-security fortunes going, its offense will be tough to beat. But if Carolina can force 2-3 turnovers and control the ball, the Gamecocks will win. I think it all boils down to turnover margin.
As for the season, I picked 7-5 before we started. I may have to amend that now
but it wouldn't be all that surprising either to see them finish with that record. Disappointing, but not surprising.
Mr. Drummond,
On offense and defense, who would you say is your biggest impact player?
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On offense, it's hard to say. They have so many weapons, and they've been taking turns being the top gun. Obviously, Woodson is the leader. If he goes down, UK would be in serious trouble. There's no proven backup. But Rafael Little has also quietly become one of the best RBs in the nation, and the same can be said for Keenan Burton at WR. The UK coaches maintain there's no better offensive trio in the country than Woodson-Little-Burton.
On defense, it's OLB Wesley Woodyard. He's the heart and soul of the team. Expect his name to be called about 15 times Thursday night. Always around the ball.
What is KY's injury situation? What receivers have stood out this year for the cats? Thanks!
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RB Alfonso Smith is a no-go for this game and RB Tony Dixon is questionable, but everyone else is fairly healthy. Just some normal bumps and bruises you'd expect at this time of year.
Keenan Burton is a dynamite receiver, but Stevie Johnson and Dicky Lyons Jr. are also very productive. They also have first-team All-SEC TE Jacob Tamme, who has the best hands on the team.
Hey Jeff,
The Cats offense seems well balanced and talented. How would you describe their defense? Is it more of an aggressive, blitzing style of defense, or more of a disciplined/assignment style of defense that relies on the front four to pressure the QB? Do they tend to play man or zone? Who are the difference makers on D?
Sorry for the long question....thanks.
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The defense has been very conventional thus far. They've stressed trying to get pressure with the front four, maybe one blitzer at most, and playing aggressive, assignment football. They'll mix up their coverages, but play mostly man. Jeremy Jarmon is a really good young DE who has had sacks in something like 7 of his last 8 games dating back to last season. Myron Pryor is a good space-eating DT. Wesley Woodyard is the heart of the defense at OLB, but MLB Braxton Kelley and OLB Johnny Williams have also played well. MLB Micah Johnson (one of UK's highest rated recruits in recent years) is coming on strong and making the most of his reps. He led the team in tackles last week and returned an INT for a touchdown. CB Trevard Lindley is the best cover man, and Marcus McClinton is a playmaker at safety.
UK's defense is still giving up too many yards -- especially on the ground -- but they've been really stingy with points, particularly in the second half. It's a well-conditioned unit with a lot of bend-but-don't-break heart.
Jeff, How do you explain why almost 37% of the fans polled on ESPN.com picked Kentucky to be upset by SC, out of the 4 games listed? The 36.7% was the most BTW. Thanks
This post was edited on 10/2 4:55 PM by coastalsixty8
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I think it's out of respect for SC's great homefield advantage and Spurrier. Plus, a lot of people nationally are waiting for the bubble to burst on UK's dream season IMO. I don't think people realize how good a team they have.
IF the Gamecocks contain the UK offense (now that is an if, I know), do you think the UK defense and special teams are capable of winning a close, low scoring game? Everyone is predicting a shootout, so I wanna know if you think UK is capable of winning a 17-14 kind of game. Thanks.
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My hunch is no, but this defense has a lot of heart. They completely shut down Arkansas in the second half on the road. That showed me a lot.
But if UK can't muster 24-plus, I don't like its chances.
I was suprised to see the yardage in the Kent State game favor Kent State. Is this Kentucky D like ours in the bend and don't break mold?
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It has been at times. They are very stingy in the red zone and opportunistic with turnovers.
One thing about that Kent State game, they had a dual-threat quarterback. For whatever reason, those guys have given UK fits. It happened last year with Central Michigan, La-Monroe and Vandy. The Cats got gashed by those teams, but really played well against UGA, Tennessee and Clemson -- all 3 with conventional-type quarterbacks.
Jeff - What percentage of run vs pass would the uk coaches like to see? Further, what is your base defense? Thanks.
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They are really stressing a balanced attack. The ability to run the ball so effectively is the biggest surprise of the season so far, and the coaches are milking it. Teams have to respect the UK run game now, and that gives Woodson more opportunities down the field.
The base D is a 4-3 with a lot of man converage. The corners play left-right instead of matching up with a particular receiver.
Jeff,
I am curious as to how KY is racking up rushing yards this year...do you run the draw play out of the shotgun and take advantage of the respect teams give the passing game, or is it a traditional type I formation?
How do the rushing yards balance out? For example, in SOS's Florida era, most of his rushing yards came in the second half after leads were built up. Does KY run the ball about the same in all quarters, or does it concentrate more at a particular time?
Thanks
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They've more or less just lined up and blown people off the line. Their O-Line has been extremely good at run blocking, and their young FB John Conner is a budding star. He's a great lead blocker for Little and the other backs. They haven't run much draw or stuff out of shotgun at all.
Kentucky has been really balanced throughout the game. It's pretty much 50/50 at any given time. They've been really unpredictable.
What kind of depth does UK have on the offensive and defensive lines of scrimmage? How do the UK fans view Rich Brooks presently as it seemed there was a lot of dissatisfaction until UK got rolling toward the second half of last season? i.e. Do most of the fans feel he is the "right man for the job" now that UK is experiencing some success, or is he a couple losses away from being on the hot seat again? Thanks.
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The O-Line is fairly deep. They have a good 8-9 man rotation. The D-Line is not deep. They lost a good DT earlier this season (Ricky Lumpkin), and DT Myron Pryor gets dinged up quite a bit. They still rotate a lot of guys on the D-Line, but the talent level drops off fast after the starters. Same for the ends. Jarmon is very good. Lewis is solid. But after them, there are question marks.
Regarding Brooks, he could run for governor right now. It's been a total turnaround in fan sentiment. A lot of people have had to call his radio show and apologize and/or eat crow. The guy has steadily built a very solid porgram from the ashes. He's bought himself some more time, even if they fall on hard times in the rough part of the schedule.
Thanks for taking our questions!
What is UK's best defensive attribute/area?
Weakest?
Do they run more man or more zone, or is that a push?
If you had to find one offensive weakness in the KY team, what would it be?
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Best = opportunistic, aggressive, turn people over
They're mostly a man coverage team, but will mix in zone.
Regarding the offense and weakness, I don't think it exists. They're just very good at every single spot. But, as I said earlier, if Woodson were to go down with an injury, things could get very dicey. They don't have a proven backup at this time.
Mr Drummond: How do you explain Ky ranked #8, USC #11. I know you are 5-0, we are 4-1, but look at who we each beat to get here, now. It looks skewed a bit to me, peering thru the Garnet glass.
Thank you, and I hope this one is not too long for you and our powers that B.
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I think both teams are deserving of the respect they're receiving. I can't say for certain UK is better than SC, or vice versa. But I think voters are giving them a lot of credit for beating Louisville and winning on the road at Arkansas. Louisville is still a very good team, despite its struggles early on. UK is largely responsible for that. To put it in perspective, that game was Louisville's season for all intent and purposes. They came in expecting to play for a national championship this season. That went down in flames on Sept. 15, and they had a major hangover the following week when Syracuse embarrassed them. But, talent-wise, that's still a fantastic team.
I think UK's getting bonus points for how impressive the offense has been, too. They've put up 40+ in every game.
So far this season, Kentucky has given up some serious points, i.e. 20 to Kent, 34 to Louisville, and 29 to Arkansas.
Considering USC just laid 38 on Mississippi State, a team who is purported to have a pretty decent defense, what is the rationale behind those who think that USC cannot keep up with Kentucky on offense, and do you agree with it? Or do you think that if UK even stops USC twice, that would be enough?
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Hard to gauge on raw scores. Kent State got some points late as UK played almost everyone on the roster. Louisville usually gets 34+ on everyone. Arkansas only managed 13 points against the defense. They had a defensive TD, a safety and a kickoff return for a TD accounting for 16 of those 29.
I don't expect a shootout Thursday like some do. I think this one will be played in the 20s with a lot of ball-control focus on both team's part. I think you'll see some good stops on both sides.
Besides R Little, who is the most productive runner? Do you have an inside or outside running attack? Is Little in good health or does he have some problems? Thanks.
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Their RBs have largely been interchangeable. The O-Line is blocking so well, they just plug anyone in there, and he delivers. All of them are averaging 6.7 yards or better. Little averages 6.7. Tony Dixon is the No. 2 guy. He's getting 8.1 a carry. The No. 3 guy (who is hurt and will miss this game) is Alfonso Smith at 7.9 per carry. The No. 4 guy, freshman Derrick Locke, is a track speed guy averaging 7.9 per carry. He's the one who came off the bench in the fourth quarter at Arkansas and helped deliver the win.
Little had a thigh bruise last week, but played through it and looked good against Florida Atlantic.
How are the special teams for UK? Have they thrived in any area...or been bad in any area's?
Thanks and goodluck
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Placekicking has been very shaky. They've missed a FG in three of five games, and not overly long attempts, either. They've also missed some extra points. The kicker has a nice leg, but is struggling with his confidence. This could be a HUGE factor in this particular game IMO.
The punter has been very good thus far. He was a concern entering the season, but is growing into his potential. Big leg, improving technique.
The return game was supposed to be a major strength for UK this year, but has been very disappointing. With the college kickoff being moved back five yards, we thought UK's return game would have a field day. They haven't.
Mr. Drummond:
What would you say the outlook is for UK sustaining this most recent rise in the football world? More specifically, do you feel good about what state the team will be in when Andre Woodson leaves after this season? Is there talent in place to "reload" other key positions as well?
Thank you...
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Great question. I think we're all wondering that right now. For starters, I think they have a tremendous staff. Rich Brooks is as solid a football man as it gets, and he deserves a lot of credit for steering the ship through some choppy water and getting Kentucky where it is today. Joker Phillips is also an ace coordinator who is likely going to get some schools calling on him for a head coaching job soon. They've recruited well in recent years (although not always evident in Rivals stars) and built quality depth. Quarterback will be a huge question mark this spring, but they will have Curtis Pulley returning to the team after redshirting this year. He actually beat Woodson out two springs ago. He's a dynamic dual-threat guy.
rayerGO BIG BLUE!
