John Clay's Sidelines

Ryan Mallett vs. Alabama last year. (AP photo)

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Top-rated freshman backs to go head-to-head when Auburn meets South Carolina, writes Charles Bennett of the Anniston Star.
• Ex-South Carolina star Kenny McKinley found dead, reports The State.
• Gene Chizik is looking for more balance in the Auburn offense, reports Charles Goldberg of the Birmingham News.
• Arkansas eager for its Top 10 battle on campus, writes Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News.
• Alabama’s run defense could be better, says Nick Saban, reports Don Kausler, Jr. of the Birmingham News.
• Ryan Mallett big challenge for Alabama’s young defense, writes Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Mark Ingram cherishes the game more after injury, writes A. Stacy Long of the Montgomery Advertiser.
• Horrendous start has Ole Miss searching for answers, reports Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Auburn-Carolina, Bama-Arkansas big matchups’

Player videos of Derrick Locke, Ricky Lumpkin and Matt Smith from today’s UK football press luncheon.

Florida's Jeffery Demps (AP photo/Danny Johnston)

Some stats stuff concerning this Saturday’s Kentucky-Florida matchup in Gainesville:

• Kentucky’s Derrick Locke leads the SEC in rushing, averaging 124 yards per game. Florida’s Jeff Demps is fourth at 103.3 yards per game.
• UK’s Mike Hartline is fourth in the SEC in pass efficiency, with a rating of 170.2 Florida’s John Brantley is seventh at 131.0.
• Florida leads the SEC with 10 interceptions through three games. No other league team has more than five.
• Florida is second in the nation in turnover margin, at a +2.33 per game. Ohio State is first at +3.33. Kentucky is 16th at +1.33 per game.
• Watch out for kickoff returns. Demps leads the SEC, averaging 36.8 yards per return. That’s over five yards better than LSU’s Patrick Peterson, who is second at 31.7. UK gave up a 65-yard kickoff return to Louisville’s Victor Anderson, and a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to Western Kentucky’s Willie McNeal.

Continue reading ‘Kentucky-Florida football stats stuff’

Will be live-blogging old-school style from Joker Phillips press luncheon, which starts around 12-12:15.

• Phillips said “We’ve done some things in this off-season to try and get this team prepared. We did some things to try and break them. We wanted to see how they would respond, and they responded in the off-season. Hopefully, that will show on Saturday.”
• On kickers, Phillips said that Joe Mansour will do the kickoffs, Ryan Tydlacka will do the punts and Craig McIntosh will do the field goals and PATs. If a long field goal, may try Mansour.
• On Florida, “They’re Florida. They’re still Florida.”
• Phillips says, “Our staff has done a good job of humbling this group.” Says also that Locke and Hartline have done a good job of keeping the team humble. “Everytime we get on the bus, we say it’s a business trip. It’s not a slumber party. It’s a business trip.”
• “We can’t let the game be out of hand. We can’t be down 28. We can’t be down 14. We can’t be sloppy, like we were last week.”
• Phillips said Locke has voiced that the team wants black jerseys. Asked if that will happen, the coach said, “We are blue and white.”
• On Locke speaking his mind, “That means a lot. If you’re going to run your mouth the way he runs his mouth, you better be able to back it up.”
• Said he’s not worried about Randall Cobb having trouble after halftime. “We can’t hold anybody back, or anything back.”
• Phillips doesn’t think the team will be intimidated by The Swamp because of the drills that it was put through by Rock Oliver, strength coach, in the off-season.
• Says “this has got to be our best football game in all three phases.”
• “The starts (against Florida) have hurt us, no question about that.”
• Was very happy that Locke was able to go in and catch a couple of punts when Randall Cobb couldn’t go in the second half on Saturday.
• Said one run was just a five-yard run, but one he wouldn’t have made a couple of years back. The other was the long touchdown run.
• On Locke, “He had two unbelievable runs last week that I saw.”

Continue reading ‘Liveblog: Joker Phillips weekly press conference’

(McClatchy photo)

Big Blue Links for Monday:

• Tony Wroten to announce college choice on Oct. 8, reports Percy Allen of the Seattle Times. (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)
• Kentucky hasn’t seen speed like the Gators, writes Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.
• Derrick Locke adding guile to his game, reports Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal.
• Road win over Tennessee was positive sign for Florida, reports Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald.
• Kentucky no easy game for Gators, writes David Jones of Florida Today.
• Urban Meyer likes how Florida responded against Tennessee, writes Arnold Feliciano of the Gainesville Sun.
• Florida’s run defense is starting to pick up, writes Rachel George of the Orlando Sentinel.
• Grind-it-out Gators are winning Urban’s way, writes Mike Bianchi of the Sentinel.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Cats ready for Gators; Wroten to announce’

SEC links for Monday:

• Saturday’s Alabama-Arkansas game features a pair of top guns, writes Don Kausler, Jr. of the Birmingham News.
• Alabama defense bracing for Ryan Mallett, reports Tommy Deas of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Auburn’s running game meets up against South Carolina’s run defense, writes Charles Goldberg of the Birmingham News.
• What happens to Mark Richt if Georgia loses at Mississippi State? asks Mark Bradley of the AJC.
• Bulldogs in a rough spot, writes Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald.
• Vanderbilt’s victory produced a pair of breakthroughs, reports Jeff Lockridge of the Tennessean.
• Tennessee isn’t the only team struggling, writes John Adams of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Alabama-Arkansas features top quarterbacks’

Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline has moved up from 13th to 8th in the latest NCAA pass efficiency ratings.

Through three games, Hartline has completed 54 of 75 passes for a 72 percent completion percentage. He’s thrown for 680 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. His efficiency rating is 170.16.

Alabama’s Greg McElroy leads the NCAA in pass efficiency at 200.03. Northwestern’s Dan Persa is second, followed by Stanford’s Andrew Luck, Auburn’s Cameron Newton, Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett, Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden, Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick, then Hartline.

(H-L photo)

Big Blue Links for Sunday:

• My column on how Kentucky is now ready for some big-boy football.
• Derrick Locke’s big game is a model effort, writes Mark Story of the Herald-Leader.
• Joker Phillips do-better talk helps get Cats out of their funk and on way to 47-10 win over Akron, reports Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.
• C.M. Newton defends UK’s handling of Eric Bledsoe and Enes Kanter matters, reports Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader.
• Bill Ransdell is last UK quarterback to beat Florida, writes Mark Story.
• Gary Parrish of CBS Sports thinks Kentucky could get hit with strict liability concerning Eric Bledsoe.
• Despite a lax first quarter, Kentucky routs the Zips, reports Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Wrapping up the Cats win over the Zips’

Derrick Locke says, “I ain’t watching nobody!”

Click here to see this video on YouTube.

Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline after hitting 21 of 29 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns in win over Akron.

Click here to see this video on YouTube.