To me, the South Carolina losing streak is the most frustrating of the three the Kentucky football program is trying to end.  Florida and Tennessee regularly put more overall talent on the field, but the KY-SC matchup is almost always even and yet the Gamecocks have won 10 in a row--and Steve Spurrier is 17-0 versus the Big Blue.

 

You knew Spurrier would pick on the young cornerbacks but given that situation, I thought the Kentucky defense held up pretty well.  And Joker Phillips' offensive gameplan was outstanding, mixing the run and the short pass to keep the Cats out of third-and-long against the best pass rush in the SEC.  Then, Mike Hartline goes down, ironically while playing his best game as a Cat.  If he stays in, I'm convinced the Cats win.  Joker is getting beaten up on the message boards for going with Fidler at QB on the two-point conversion play.  It's certainly legitimate to question that call but don't boil the game down to that one play.

 

Two big kickoff returns, a short punt and a couple of key penalities were the biggest culprits in the Cats' loss.  But take away from this game that Kentucky is developing a running game that could make the Cats a much more potent offense in the second half of the season--provided Hartline gets healthy or someone else takes charge there.

 

I don't like the Cobb option as much as some because it minimizes or eliminates John Conner's role in the offense.  Fidler did little today to inspire much confidence but perhaps a week of getting the majority of the practice reps could change that.  And now freshman Morgan Newton may get a chance to see what he can do.

 

When looking at the schedule, we all knew a 2-4 start was a possibility so if Kentucky can win at Auburn, it's still in great shape in my book, as the schedule turns in UK's favor down the stretch.

v. Louisville
September 2 / 3:30pm eastern
listen on UK-IMG Sports Network
See full schedule