A five-spot of thoughts from the UK football press conference, completed about an hour ago:
- 1. Randall Cobb is not going to be the quarterback. He’ll stay at wide receiver, except for possibly a slightly expanded “Wildcat” package. As I wrote this morning, I think that’s the right call. Playing Randall at quarterback is a prescription for punishment. And Cobb is not as viable a passer, and you have to be able to throw the football, at least a little, to stand a chance in the SEC.
- 2. Morgan Newton is a factor. Thinking about what Rich Brooks said, and his tone, I think we might see a lot of the heralded freshman over the next four weeks. And that could be a silver lining. The sooner the staff finds out what it has in Newton, probably the better.
- 3. Still say special teams cost UK the game as much as any other factor Saturday. The kickoff return coverage was woeful, and you could tell since fall camp that it was a major worry for Brooks. And that five-yard punt by Ryan Tydlacka was a key play in the game.
- 4. We won’t see Trevard Lindley before the Mississippi State game, if then. It’s been a snake-bit senior year for the All-American cornerback. You have to wonder how this will affect his draft position.
- 5. People are harping on the failed two-point conversion, with Will Fidler at quarterback, and Cobb at receiver. It didn’t work, so it was the wrong call. So the criticism is justified. And if Cobb was “gassed” as Brooks said, why was he still in the game? Think it was more a case of the coaching staff liked that play, it had worked twice before, and decided to go back to it. And this time, it didn’t work.
When is Ortmeyer going to start catching some heat? Special teams have been awful every year with the exception of Masthay. We couldn’t find a better kicker than Seiber in four years? Or have been punt protection or kick coverage? When do heads roll? One old buddy will probably leave when the head old buddy decides to retire.
If the 2 point conversion play had worked, people would be talking about a great call by the UK staff. If they had run Cobb and he failed, the staff would be criticized for being too predictable.
John-I couldn’t agree more with both articles you have posted today regarding the Cobb at QB debate. And your 5-Spot perfectly illustrates how people are missing the “big picture” in regards to points left on the table.
Plus, the reason that the 2 point play failed had more to do with UK’s right tackle allowing his man into the backfield to block the pass as opposed to the pass and where it was thrown. Yes, per Coach Brooks had three guys covering him, but if a play works, you have to keep going to it until the team figures out how to stop you. Cobb could have scored twice if not for one previously dropped pass.
The facts are that there has not been a viable SEC caliber option at QB since Woodson. Most good SEC teams seem to be able to groom a replacement even when they have a star QB. For us, it just seems to be more of a struggle. I’m not necessarily dumping on Hartline, but you have to be able to consistently get quality players for the important positions.
Im from Ky and went to USC…that game was going to come down to last series as usual..alot of ifs and ands…. both teams played hard and was most enjoyable game Ive seen in awhile. Alot of effort on both sides…Both sides fans expect way too much….just relax and enjoy the next one…come along way from Billy Curry days and 0-21 Brad Scott days. It will be close again next year. Go Cats..Go Cocks