Nick Gray, Sports Editor, The Kentucky Kernel
ngray@kykernel.com
twitter.com/KYKernelGray
1. What do Kentucky fans think of Mark Stoops so far this season? I imagine most fans understood that the team would struggle, but is there still positive energy surrounding the team?
They see the improvement between last year and this year. No one expected UK to win 9 or 10 games, or even 6 or 7. Attendance for the past two games topped 60,000 people, and I’d imagine that would continue when Alabama and Tennessee come to town. Last season, the record for the Cats through four games was also 1-3. But the program is in the right place right now. The fans hope that they don’t get embarrassed like at South Carolina in 2011 and last year against Vanderbilt. For the most part, the Cats have done that. Stoops’ expectations internally are hard-working football players who give complete effort in games and in practice. Wednesday, Stoops was the most upset after practice than at any point in his 10-month tenure, because he believed his players were trying “to find a rock to hide under” instead of working hard. As long as players stay away from those rocks, the positive energy will continue. The excitement around the program is still as high as it has been since the Andre’ Woodson days.
2. What’s the quarterback situation looking like going into this weekend? Both Maxwell Smith and Jalen Whitlow have played this year, but Stoops said he wants one to step up. Is that likely to happen this week?
At practice on Tuesday, Stoops admitted that one quarterback is getting more first-team repetitions than the other, but did not specify on whom. Offensive coordinator Neal Brown said Wednesday the plan to start the week was to give one guy the vast majority of the snaps in practice and start him Saturday. Neither one has stepped up against defenses that are worse than South Carolina’s defense, in my opinion, like Louisville and Western Kentucky. That is concerning to Stoops and Brown, but how can a quarterback be successful against Florida, South Carolina and Alabama in a 21-day span? That’s my way of saying I don’t believe, barring victory … that one quarterback will capture the starting job outright.
3. How much attention do you think Kentucky will put on Jadeveon Clowney? Every opponent South Carolina has had this season has run away from the junior and double- or triple-teamed him. Do you think the Wildcats will stick to that game plan?
I don’t think you can do anything but double team (or at least chip a back or tight end) Clowney. The offensive tackle he’ll likely do battle against is Darrian Miller, and Miller allowed two sacks last week against Florida. It was uncharacteristic for Miller to so, but nevertheless, attention will be placed on Clowney. Now, I do not think he’s a guy you need to triple team like Central Florida did last week at times. Georgia chipped a running back on him and rolled away from him on pass plays while also running away from him. I think if Kentucky tries to attack Clowney without letting him go east and west, they’ll run the ball effectively. But the Cats have too many problems on offense besides the ones on the other side of the ball to not focus on doing what they’re scheming to do correctly.
4. What positives can Kentucky take from last week’s loss to Florida? The second half appeared to go a lot better for the team, so can they carry that into the game against the Gamecocks?
There’s not much momentum to look at in regards to UK’s offense in that second half. The Florida defense is the real deal and will give the Georgia running backs and Mike Davis some trouble. Any weekend that goes by without a quarterback standing out is not good for UK. But the Cats defense was on the field for over 38 minutes and gave up only a field goal in the second half against the Gators.
5. Finally, how grueling has this stretch of playing ranked teams every week been for the Wildcats? Next week against Alabama will be four straight weeks of playing a top-20 opponent. Has the difficult stretch demoralized the team, or are the Wildcats still a confident bunch?
The Cats are still as confident as they have been all year; they’re smart enough to know that the season would be messy at this point. But the energy from the fans, along with a much more manageable portion of the schedule coming after Nick Saban comes to Lexington, is keeping the players and the coaches hopeful and optimistic. That is, unless practices like Wednesday’s version becomes a trend as October turns into November.
Prediction: 42-17, South Carolina
The talent gap between the two teams is obvious. I’d expect Connor Shaw, who is the announced starter at quarterback, to share time with Dylan Thompson, and I think both will (or definitely should) hand the ball to Mike Davis at least 25 times. UK’s defense must get pressure on the quarterback in order to keep the game in reach, while the offense must find a way to move the football through the air and not turn the ball over. The story likely stays the same for the Cats; the defense stays on the field for a long time, and a handful of turnovers in the opponent’s territory turn a solid loss into a thorough defeat.