John Clay's Sidelines

Opening remarks from UK coach Joker Phillips after his team was swamped in The Swamp.

Notes as provided by UK Athletics Department:

Click here for pdf of Florida’s post-game notes.

KENTUCKY POSTGAME NOTES

Team Records and Series Notes

Kentucky is 3-1, 0-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Florida is 4-0, 2-0 in the SEC.
Florida leads the series, 44-17. The Gators have won 24 in a row.
UK stays on the road next week when the Wildcats visit Ole Miss on Saturday, Oct. 2. The game kicks off at 12:21 p.m. EDT and be televised on the SEC Network.

UK Team Notes

Florida won the toss and deferred to the second half.
Kentucky had two turnovers (both interceptions) after not turning the ball over in the first four games. UK is +3 in turnover margin for the season.
UK has passed for 200 or more yards in all four games this season.
With 23 first downs, UK has 20 or more first downs in all four games this season after having only five games with 20 or more first downs last season.
Kentucky’s defense has an interception in three of four games.

Game Summary

1st Quarter Summary
UF’s Jeff Demps rushed for 17 yards to the UK 26.
UF’s John Brantley completed a 20-yd pass to Deonte Thompson to the UK 6.
UF’s Trey Burton (at QB) rushed for an 11-yd TD.
UF’s Caleb Sturgis made the PAT. UF 7, UK 0 (11:09)
UK’s Mike Hartline completes a 20-yd pass to La’Rod King to the UK 45.
UF’s John Brantley completed a 20-yd pass to Carl Moore to the UK 41.
UF’s Brantley completed a 12-yd pass to Trey Burton to the UK 21 on 4th down.
UF’s John Brantley completed an 11-yd TD pass to Trey Burton.
UF’s Caleb Sturgis made the PAT. UF 14, UK 0 (2:40)

Continue reading ‘Kentucky notes after 48-14 loss to Florida’

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Big Blue Links for Saturday:

Birmingham investigation says Bledsoe grade change “not credible” but decides to let eligibility stand, reports Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader.

Bledsoe grade change ruled questionable, but upheld, reports Pete Thamel of the New York Times.

Many of Bledsoe’s grades were missing, investigation finds, reports Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News.

Garry Parrish of CBS Sports says there is no reason to celebrate the Bledsoe investigation findings.

Eric Bledsoe’s transcript will stand, reports Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal.

Kentucky can breathe a little easier after the Bledsoe report, writes Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News.

Eric Crawford of the C-J writes that something feels wrong about so much time focused on one grade.

Ten ways Kentucky could pull off the upset at Florida, according to Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.

Can the Cats defy the numbers? asks Cosby.

Danny Trevathan will sit out first quarter tonight, says Bleed Blue Kentucky.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Bledsoe reaction; Cats go for upset at Florida’

SEC links for Saturday:

Arkansas defense takes on Alabama’s dangerous duo, reports Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News.

Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy knows quite a few famous people, reports Tommy Deas of the Tuscaloosa News.

Mark Ingram may have another gear, blogs Chris Low for espn.com.

Auburn’s offense is struggling for identity and balance, reports Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser.

Defending Cameron Newton tough task for South Carolina defense, writes Travis Haney of the Charleston Post and Courier.

Matt Simms has intercepted some criticism after Tennessee’s 1-2 start, reports Austin Ward of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Bobby Bowden understands Mark Richt’s plight, writes David Ching of the Athens Banner-Herald.

LSU expecting drama in matchup with West Virginia, writes Scott Rabalais of The Advocate.

Retirement is suiting ex-Vandy coach Bobby Johnson, writes Jeff Lockridge of the Tennessean.

Tony Barnhart, Mr. College Football of the AJC, makes his Saturday picks.

Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader writes this morning about UK’s three-game SEC road winning streak at the end of last season, which the Cats hope will carry over into this Saturday’s trip to Gainesville for a date with 9th-ranked Florida.

So here’s a chart of Kentucky’s SEC road games over the past four years.

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Big Blue Links for Friday:

Birmingham Schools call board meeting this afternoon to discuss Bledsoe case, reports Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News.

John Calipari believes that Enes Kanter is an amateur, but can’t guarantee that NCAA will agree, reports Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader.

Sadly, Florida’s arrests are overshadowing Meyer’s victories, blogs Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel.

Florida says high number of football arrests should not define the program, reports Steve Wieberg of USA Today.

Mark Schlereth will be doing his first college game as analyst for ESPN, reports Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post.

Recent road success should help in The Swamp, writes Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.

Same questions, different outcomes for Tim Tebow and Andre Woodson, writes Mark Story of the H-L.

Urban Meyer’s confidence in his offense is rising, writes Edward Aschoff of the Gainesville Sun.

Calipari warms up for another candid year, writes Eric Crawford of the Courier-Journal.

Broken hand a minor setback for Danny Trevathan, reports Brett Dawson of the C-J.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Eric Bledsoe case takes next (final?) step today’

SEC links for Friday:

Phil Fulmer has found a new role on TV, writes David Climer of the Tennessean.

Alabama will play Michigan in 2012, reports Izzy Gould of the Birmingham News.

Marcell Dareus is one of many keys to Alabama defense, writes Harry King of the Arkansas News.

Matt Sims’ likability and toughness have endeared him to Vols, writes Wes Rucker of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Auburn was once hopeful for a Dyer-Lattimore backfield tandem, writes Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Phil Fulmer is now a television star’

Jay Bilas

Jay Bilas is a smart guy with a dumb idea.

With regards to the Eric Bledsoe situation, the ex-Dukie and current ESPN analyst wrote today that the NCAA should get out of the eligibility business.

Here’s the link, though I normally don’t link to pay-per-read material.

Here’s what Bilas wrote: “The NCAA should get out of the eligibility business. Its member institutions are perfectly capable of making admission and eligibility decisions on their own.”

Then Gary Parrish of CBS Sports nodded his head, blogging that he agreed 100 percent with Bilas’ position.

Parrish wrote:

So why doesn’t the NCAA remove itself from the equation and let Memphis and Stanford decide what’s good for Memphis and Stanford in terms of academic requirements? It would put eligibility back into the hands of schools, eliminate a lot of the NCAA’s biggest headaches, and make much more sense than the current system that has programs getting penalized for playing players they were initially told it was OK to play.

Ok, so let me get this straight. Under Bilas’ idea, schools playing the same sport, even in the same conference, could have wildly different entrance/eligibility standards and still compete with each other.

Yes, that’s already true to some degree. Take Vanderbilt in the SEC. I’m guessing it’s a little tougher to get into Vanderbilt than it is to get into Auburn or Arkansas, or, yes, Kentucky. That’s why Vanderbilt has a more difficult time competing in football. You need more eligible athletes to play that sport. Bilas should know that from Duke football. Check the score of the Alabama game.

Continue reading ‘Come on Jay Bilas, you’re smarter than that’