Became a Dynasty Defender: Dec 1, 2005 0:09:27 GMT -5
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Post by mountainmutt on Sept 12, 2022 10:05:25 GMT -5
The Cats are in the the top 10 in both major polls for the first time in 15 years.
The Cats looked really good against Florida. UK physically dominated both lines in the second half.
Levis showed his arm strength and UK showed they have a bumper crop of tight ends and speedy receivers
UK missed a chip shot field goal, gave away a safety and still beat up on the Gators in the Swamp.
It was a classic Stoops game and he accomplished it with perhaps their best player not in the game.
With C-rod, the game would have gotten really ugly.
Looking ahead, UK has what should be two easy wins in Commonwealth.
C-Rod is expected back for the OLE Miss game and with this group of tight ends, we should see the best power
team since the Derrick Ramsey days.
Combine that kind of power on offence with what appears to be one of the best defensive units in UK history and you get
a team with the potential to do something special this season.
UK should enter the OLE MISS game ranked in the 6 to 8 range. It will be two teams diametrically opposed in style with
UK pounding the ball and Kiffen throwing it on 8 out of 10 plays.
I like UK's chances.
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Became a Dynasty Defender: Dec 27, 2006 22:41:35 GMT -5
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Post by smyrnacat on Sept 12, 2022 20:00:46 GMT -5
You're right mutt - I was impressed with the way the Cats handled themselves in the Swamp. They may lose a game they shouldn't but Stoops has certainly proved his worth on the football field. I distinctly remember some saying he would never have UK in the hunt for a division title. He may never win one, but it's certainly better than what we saw the previous 30 years! Now, we just need to keep winning and UK needs to make sure he stays in Lexington. I saw where the talking heads said he's on the short list for the Nebraska job....I'm sure him leaving would make Donut happy.
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Became a Dynasty Defender: Nov 5, 2007 22:58:38 GMT -5
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Post by catomic42 on Sept 19, 2022 22:16:17 GMT -5
Cats have looked pretty solid so far. Still room for improvement, but its early.
Its hard to play perfect football and win every game you should. I like what I see so far.
Also, nice to see some young play makers like dane Key. UK football ha need this a while.
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Became a Dynasty Defender: Jun 3, 2002 11:49:19 GMT -5
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Post by ruppsrunt on Oct 9, 2022 9:46:25 GMT -5
Well--old C-rod has been back for 2 games--both LOSSES!!
so much for old C-rod being the big difference maker for Ws.
old C0rod is now 0-2 this season when participating.
so much for this big 10-1 season.
rr
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Became a Dynasty Defender: Dec 1, 2005 0:09:27 GMT -5
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Post by mountainmutt on Oct 9, 2022 12:59:46 GMT -5
As the one-minute man Pitino used to often say" Fool's Gold".
UK, just aint top 10 material.
No pass rush.
Poor offensive coordinator who is struggling mightily in the transition from pro to college".
No depth, especially at key positions.
Piss, Pissy Poor on special teams.
Mutt's analysis follows:
The play calling of the OC, he alone lost the game at old Miss with two changes to win.
I still haven't figured out what he was trying to do yesterday. The young QB is an outstanding runner. He is a water bug with 4.4 speed and his strength is getting out of the pocket.
The QB should have been allowed to run all over the field. We have good tight ends, the slants and outs are easy completions especially with a QB that can roll out like the youngster can.
On the tight end passes, the defensive end and outside line backer have to commit to stop the run or drop and pickup the tight end. Kentucky never took advantage of a QB with NFL receiver speed.
Why? The answer is easy, the OC stinks. IMO, HE has cost us two games that we should have won.
Special Teams are about one third of a good team. Ours sucks. Ruffalo has been consistent in the past. I don't know whether it is form or mental, but a Stoops coached team has to knock in field goals inside the 40 yards at 95%, otherwise the power rushing game is a limp dick.
The long snapper is obviously not the right guy for the job, he is scared to Fu$$cking death.
Long snapping is a difficult job, the long snapper is unquestionably going to get the hell knocked out of himself on every snap. His head is down and he has to focus on delivering the deep snap with a 380 pound nose guard knocking his damn brains out on every snap.
Nose guards get a hard-on, just thinking about it, because they get a free crunch on a basically helpless player, every long snap. When they know a guy is scared, as UK's guy obviously is, they become animalistic and start the prison rape telling the snapper exactly how there are going to make him their bitch on every snap.
Some guys can deal with that kind of situation, most cannot, UK's guy is clearly a puss.
The special teams coach is to blame, but there was obviously very little work during the off season on choosing a long snapper with the intestinal fortitude for the job.
A change has to be in that position immediately or we may not win another game.
The offensive coordinator has done a worse job that the special teams coach. We should be 6-0, instead, we are 4-2 and on a downward spiral primarily due to the OC and the special teams coach.
This group is starting to look like a 6-6 traditionally shitty UK football team a hell of a lot more than they look like a top 10 team.
A few embarrassing bad ass whippings are starting to look like absolute certainties.
Tennessee is going to embarrass us by 30 or 40 points.
Georgia is going to beat us as badly as they choose to. A 60 to 0 score would not surprise me at this point.
Miss State is not very good, but they can beat us or any other team whose pass rush allows the QB to check down through all 6 receivers leach has running in pick plays all over the field . Give his QB time, they will pick you apart. UK is looking like a team that is going to allow 40 plus points against the Bulldogs.
Missouri sucks, but no worse than us. That game is a toss up.
The Ole Miss f$$ck up is looking bigger and bigger. A game like that can break a team by bringing forth the animosities between members of the coaching staff and even between teammates. I doubt either Stoops or any of the other assistants are feeling much love for the OC or special teams coach. I know that I wouldn't be.
Stoops knows that the OC completely blew the OLE Miss game twice in two minutes. A coach like Stoops will not allow that kind of horse shit play calling to continue although it did yesterday.
This is the critical week of the season for Stoops.
1) Long Snapper:
He needs to find a long snapper (tough with just a few days to work on it). I would probably try the regular center as my next choice, he is used to the head clubbing.
2)Ruffalo:
Ruffalo is one the three most important players on the team under the Stoops system. He is third behind Levis and C-Rod. Stoops cant win without a dead eye kicker from 40 yards in because the power game is set up for clock crunching and field goals.
Ruffalo needs to spend some time with a good sports psychologist and figure out what the hell is going on in his mind.
The short field goals have to be automatic for Kentucky to win. Kicking is a function of both leg strength and muscle memory. Last year he was nearly automatic inside the 40 but struggled hitting anything longer.
Arm chair coaching, I would say that since Ruffalo was so good inside the 40 last year, he spent the off season working on being a guy who could knock in field goals from 50 regularly. In his efforts to become capable of hitting the long kicks, he modified his technique to get a little more distance, the result is he hits every ball a little low. The result is obvious.
Ruffalo, does not have the leg strength to hit the long ones unless it is a line drive kick. Line drive kicks get blocked during real games against SEC caliber players. This means he is not going to be an NFL kicker. No one other than perhaps Ruffalo has ever considered him an NFL prospect. At Kentucky, he only needs to be a dead eye kicker from inside the 40 to support the Stoops style. He needs to return to his natural stroke and forget about the long balls.
Stoops, needs to have Ruffalo, the long snapper and the holder on the field practicing 8 hours a day for the rest of the season. Ruffalo should have to hit 250 field goals a day over a high kicking net to regain his natural filed goal kicking form. It is a matter of understanding your limitations and repetition. 3.) Play Calling
Stoops needs to take the job of play calling over from the OC. I recognize this would embarrass the OC. Coaches have to learn to be tough. This guy does not understand Coach Stoops style of play. Stoops heard all the criticism of his style, so he went out and got a guy who likes to open things up and gamble, both of which, are in direct conflict with what has made Stoops successful.
This team has some nice outside speed and two quality tight ends to go with a very good college QB; however, Kentucky is a power running team and Stoops can't win unless he is coaching a power running team.
The extent of Kentucky's passing game is the dumps offs C-Rod, the short outs and crossing routes to the tight ends and the long ball when teams crowd the box. UK can make several long ball connections per game, if the long pass is set up by the run.
The big issue is situational play calling.. Kentucky is not a first down passing team, they are an occasional second and short deep ball passing team. On third and less than 3, it has to be C-rod or Levis off tackle. That is THE PLAY Stoop's Kentucky teams are made to convert. Inside their own 40, Kentucky has the power to be a 4 down team in most cases. C-Rod is almost automatic 3 yards. In these situations, a pass is a wasted play.
Kentucky has, I think, for the first time under Stoops a team that is dangerous in 3rd and long, Levis can run, there is excellent outside speed, Levis can make the long throws. Other than this scenario, Kentucky's offence should be identical to what Stoops has run since he has been at Kentucky. The other big issue with the passing game is the inability of Levis to get rid of the ball. He has to feel pressure and the the ball away once in a while.
Personally, I would like to see the the return of the "Wildcat" with Levis on a couple of series per game. There is a risk of injury, but he can hurt teams consistently from the Wild Cat primarily running the ball, but also with the long ball in situations in which the defense is expecting the run. I think the youngster that started yesterday could also be a handful in an occasional Wildcat Series.
The bottom line here is: Stoops has to do what has made him successful. The current OC is the complete opposite in style to Stoops. The Ole Miss game was a great example.
Stoops can trust the OC to run practices and focus on execution, he can not trust the OC to call plays in games until the OC learns the Stoops style. The OC can make suggestions and relay what he sees from the his vantage point with regard to how the defense is set up. Stoops needs to use this information, consider it, and then make the call he feels comfortable with.
4. Defense
The defense has actually been pretty good. The one exception to this is their lack of a pass rush. With the players Kentucky has on the field, I don't any potential for marked improvement unless there are some freshman linemen that just have not had a chance to show their rushing skills.
This indicates to me that the defense needs to incorporate a blitz package. Blitzing against good QB's is dangerous and can result in big plays, again a non-Stoops thing to do. However, a well designed and unpredictable blitz package can result in some big plays and can deliver some slobber knocker blows to the QB. You need QB's to be hearing steps. If they play fearlessly at the SEC level, bad things happen.
Ole Miss, was a tragedy for this team that was completely unnecessary. Yesterday, shut the lid on the coffin. Now to salvage a good season, they have to beat everyone on their schedule that they were originally expected to beat and then beat either Tennessee or Georgia.
I believe in Stoops, I think he will right the ship in the appropriate places and beat the teams he is supposed to beat. I doubt seriously they can beat either UG or UT
I think the best we can expect is 8-4, though 7-5 is far more likely, a third or 4th place finish in the east and a bowl appearance in Nashville, Memphis or Tampa. By traditional UK Football standards, that would be a successful season. For this edition, a 3rd or 4th place finish must be considered a disappointment.
I think some big issues exist within the coaching staff that could result in a horrific finish, a 6-6 record and a bullshit bowl appearance against a lousy team that would give this bunch a shot at a winning season.
Wow, two weeks ago, things looked great for the Cats, we were talking about an all time great season. We give away, totally give away a game to Ole Miss, then we get beat by a team that we should have beaten by 2 or three touchdowns at home and now we are talking about an embarrassing 6-6 season.
UK football is completely f%@!ing frustrating. I will keep watching because following to me is as much religion as it is entertainment, but they sure do get on your nerves.
I want to say keep hope alive, but in this case doing so is difficult, since pretty much a football miracle will be required to salvage any of the expectations we had for this team.
My guess is the OC and the special teams coach had best be prepping their resumes because Stoops expects and must have perfection in Special Teams play to win and I can't Stoops and the current OC ever getting on the same page.
At the moment, I would consider firing the OC right now, Id probably just take play call duties away from him to prevent the emotional upheaval within the team, but he deserves a pink slip.
I am beginning to think Cal may be working with the OC to hone his bone head calls.
the job of the head coacxh is to win, not to worry about the ego od the OC.
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Became a Dynasty Defender: Apr 22, 2002 6:40:17 GMT -5
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Post by Riley on Oct 9, 2022 13:00:58 GMT -5
...South Carolina WANTED it more than us..............regardless whether Levis was out or not......should never lost to SC on your home field.........................we played like we didn't want to win, especially the defense....
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Became a Dynasty Defender: Nov 21, 2002 21:39:38 GMT -5
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Post by chatycaty on Oct 9, 2022 13:56:16 GMT -5
I can sum it up in a lot fewer words: It's Kentucky football, enough said.
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Became a Dynasty Defender: Jun 3, 2002 11:49:19 GMT -5
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Post by ruppsrunt on Oct 9, 2022 15:09:30 GMT -5
Well Mutt--lots of protection by the rules for long snappers in college football--
In the NCAA, defensive players are not able to line up within the shoulder length frame of the long snapper.[3] Defensive players who play opposite of the long snapper are also not allowed to initiate contact with the long snapper until 1 second after the ball has been snapped.[4] These rules were created to protect the long snapper, as they are in a compromised position with their head usually down and unprotected.
Cincy bengals lost a game a couple weeks ago for the same reason. regular LS got hurt--NO back up--loss ensued.
UK football is like a blind squirrel--a good season(hickory nut) comes by now and again--
Mutt---you sure did a 180 in just 2 weeks!!
rr
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Became a Dynasty Defender: Sept 8, 2001 20:59:02 GMT -5
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Post by Katman on Oct 9, 2022 17:01:50 GMT -5
One thing I have concluded, sports are a distraction in life and should be a pastime when times are good.
Right now, focusing on sports is like taking a relaxing drive in the country while flames are shooting out the hood.
Seems like the ones most focused on sports are the ones least focused on what's going on in the world.
My Conclusion: Its a f%@!ing game for good times. Seems to me, some want to jam sports back in and pretend that we are NOT on the precipice of losing the American Dream and our Constitutional Republic.
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Became a Dynasty Defender: Dec 27, 2006 22:41:35 GMT -5
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Post by smyrnacat on Oct 9, 2022 17:04:48 GMT -5
Well, this season went south quickly! I was definitely disappointed in that we seemed to have not done anything during the week to prepare for the game. The QB situation was unfortunate, but UK should have had enough talent out there to win this game without much problem, especially at home. It just goes to prove how difficult it really is to change a culture permanently. We'll see what happens against MSU, but I have my doubts UK will respond favorably after laying the egg they did last night in front of a sold-out and very loud Kroger Field.
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Became a Dynasty Defender: Dec 1, 2005 0:09:27 GMT -5
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Post by mountainmutt on Oct 12, 2022 13:44:39 GMT -5
Riley nailed it.
South Carolina played harder and whipped our ass on both lines.
Yep, RR two weeks of the hot mess UK has displayed the past two games, were enough to convince me that there are deep problems with this team.
Ole Miss was the result of incredibly poor play calling. Just flat f%@!ing stupidity is all one can blame the Ole Miss game on.
The South Carolina game was another game in which the OC clearly did a dreadful job. A f%@!ing halfback reverse in your own endzone, that is a video game call. CRod racks up 97 yards in the first half and gets 6 carries in the second half. There is no explanation for bullshit like that.
The problem in the USC game was that the entire team even on the sidelines had no energy. They were just not interested in playing football.
That is the head coaches fault.
As I said, I will continue to watch them and likely continue to scratch my head and bitch.
My expectations and low for the rest of the season.
I expect at least 3 more losses. Georgia, Tennessee, likely Miss State and possibly Missouri.
The prognosis is 6-6 to 8-4.
To make 8-4, the offensive play calling has to be more Stoops like featuring the power game and long clock buring drives.
The defense has tackle like Stoops teams usually do and they have to find a way to get a little pressure on the QB.
The special teams play must significantly improve.
I read the protections provided to the snapper that you provided. Someone needs to read them to the long snapper because either he is scared shitless or he has terrible spacial vision because he sure as hell has not looked like an SEC caliber long snapper. I think at this point, I would try another snapper.
Ruffalo as I stated above needs thousands of repetions kicking field goals from 40 yards in over a 12 ft net located at the line of scrimmage. He has modified his stroke in an effort to hit longer kicks and it has resulted in lower line drive kicks. He will do himself and his team a major favor by focussing on perfection on the 40 yard in kicks and forgetting about kicks any longer than 40 yards.
Stoops is a coach who has been successful in the SEC by knocking in 2 to 4 field goals per game.
His calling card is the long clock burning drives that get stalled out around the 30 yard line but nearly always result in a made field goal.
Three or four 8 minute drives with field goals combined with one or two 10 minute td droves leaves little time for the opposition to score. That is the Stoops philosophy.
The problem with that strategy may not only be Ruffalos problems but could very the fact that offensive line appears to be far less physical than those Stoops usually puts on the field.
Saturday will tell us a lot.
Miss State is a solid SEC football team capable of beating anyone other than the top 7 or 8 Goliaths of college football when they play well.
Kentucky can beat them, but it will require a more physical, offensively conservative, mistake free Stoops-esk game by the Cats to win.
I will be watching.
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Became a Dynasty Defender: Sept 8, 2001 20:59:02 GMT -5
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Post by Katman on Oct 12, 2022 16:03:34 GMT -5
Cats quit when Stoops said Smoke "Was sick" Never rebounded. I bet the sickness was something else. Just my Rodriquez opinion.
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