John Clay's Sidelines

Received this e-mail from Elvin, a 1971 UK grad:

Hello John:

I have attached a file which contains a quote from a former great president. I think it may apply and maybe some of our fans may wish to read it. It talks about downgrading the athletes who strive so hard for our entertainment. I think it applies in particular to this Kentucky football team.

I used to run out on old Stoll Field after the games when I lived on Columbia Avenue. The other neighborhood kids and I would pretend we were making touchdowns for U.K. One time I even met Steve Milenger (spelling?) when he was in the neighborhood.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank Randall Cobb for pointing out that it is the players who are getting their heads knocked in, bones broke, muscles torn, etc. My God do I wish Randall, Mike, Derrick, Danny, Chris, Winston, and all the other players who came to Kentucky will get something out of all this, Thanks what you have done for us. Your contributions to the University and our other athletic programs do not go unnoticed.

I am like a lot of fans who are really wishing this team well. We have waited a long long time. We have cheered a long long time.

Hey Kentucky fans! Do you believe that people are actually talking about winning the East? Wow!

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

“Citizenship in a Republic,”
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

(AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

As a motivational tool, Georgia coach Mark Richt is letting his team grow beards, on one condition.

If the Bulldogs win the turnover battle, then players are allowed to show some previously-forbidden facial hair.

“I hope they are the nastiest looking bunch in America by the end of the year,” Richt told Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Georgia has won the turnover battle each of the last two games, a 48-14 thrashing of Tennessee and a 43-0 smackdown of Vanderbilt.

Said quarterback Aaron Murray, “I got a little fuzzy last week, but my mom got mad at me so I had to clean it up before the game. She likes it clean-cut. I’ve got to make Mommy happy because my birthday is coming up and I want some good gifts.”

Georgia was 118th out of 120 FBS teams in turnover margin last year. The Dogs turned it over four times in the second half of their 34-27 loss to Kentucky in Athens. Shane McCord and Sam Maxwell each had second-half interceptions for the Cats.

This year, Georgia is second in the SEC and 30th in the nation in turnover margin.

“I don’t really like to shave that often,” receiver Kris Durham, who is growing a beard, told the Athens Banner-Herald. “I want to keep the facial hair as long as I can, so when I get in the real world I’m not going to be able to have it quite as much.

The Bulldogs come to Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday night for a 7:30 game with UK.

Leslie Phillips (H-L photo/Ken Weaver)

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

• Joker Phillips’ wife handles her roles with flair, writes Mary Meehan of the Herald-Leader.
• Randall Cobb and Kentucky football fans share the same goal, says my column.
• Cobb apologizes for his controversial tweets, reports Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.
• Cobb’s tweet needed to be said, sort of, says Armchair Quarterback.
• SEC media pick UK to finish second in women’s basketball, reports Jennifer Smith of the H-L.
• Student practice performed before a silent Memorial Coliseum classroom, reports Aaron Smith of the Kentucky Kernel.
• Georgia has just as much chance to make a statement as Kentucky, reports B.W. Jones of the Kentucky Kernel.
• Chris Matthews has found his work ethic, and the ball, reports Michael Grant of the Courier-Journal.
• Kenny Payne’s NBA experience is an important asset, reports Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger.
• Kentucky trying to cure its slow football starts, writes Brent Carney of WLEX-TV.
• Brandon Knight tells Wildcat Den that chemistry won’t be a problem this year.
• Kentucky men’s soccer team is trying to hold things together, writes Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches.

Gary Danielson

SEC links for Wednesday:

• Gary Danielson thinks the SEC could become the ACC in football very, very quickly, reports Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News.
• There’s no doubt that the SEC West is best, writes Scott Rabalais of The Advocate.
• Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun asks the pertinent question, just what has happened to the Gators?
• Could Florida and Central Florida be headed for a collision in the Liberty Bowl? asks Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel.
• After losing an 18-point halftime lead at Kentucky, Steve Spurrier rips his pass defense, writes Travis Haney of the Charleston Post and Courier.
• Gene Chizik’s hiring is looking inspired, writes Paul Finebaum for the Mobile Press-Register.
• Greg McElroy’s numbers don’t tell the whole story, writes Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Tennessee’s Tauren Poole wants to be the back to crack Alabama’s streak, writes Andrew Gribble of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Believe it or not, Tennessee isn’t out of the SEC race, reports Wes Rucker of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• Jeremiah Masoli’s mobility has changed the Ole Miss offense, reports Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger.

Ten randoms (+1) to close out this Tuesday:

• I give high marks to Randall Cobb for his apology in tomorrow’s print edition column, plus recycle the blog’s open letter. This is called cross-referencing, or synergy, or something like that. Either way, here’s the video of Randall’s stand-up apology this morning. Click here to read Chip Cosby’s story on Cobb’s apology.

• BTW, Randall tweeted a little earlier tonight that he had been back to Red Lobster, and had two baskets of cheddar biscuits before his meal. “I’m back it,” tweeted Cobb.

• Apparently, the UK basketball practice for students and faculty was not nearly the draw it was last year. Aaron Smith of the Kernel tweeted early on that the lower level was only about half-full. Some blame the scheduling. It’s right during mid-terms. But when have UK students put studying in front of hoops?

• Kentucky is No. 51 in the latest Sagarin computer college football rankings. Saturday’s foe, Georgia, is No. 48.

• During his Sunday morning talk show on WVLK, Larry Glover said he was told by a source that during their pre-game chat, Steve Spurrier told Joker Phillips that he had a “nice little team,” and that Phillips used that to fire up his team before the game. Joker apparently denied that on his radio show, but it sure sounds like Steve to me – especially since Spurrier (allegedly) used the same “little team” phrase during an interview with Rivals radio’s Bill King.

• The media have picked the UK women to finish second in the SEC this year behind Tennessee, and Victoria Dunlap was the overwhelming pick as pre-season Player of the Year.

Continue reading ‘Ten random notes (+1) for a Tuesday night’

Here’s an Excel spreadsheet with SEC teams, results, schedule, and statistical leaders in rushing, passing and receiving, per game.

• Click here to download the Excel spreadsheet from Google Docs.

With all the Twitter tumult, lost in the mix was the question of how Randall Cobb got so open for the winning touchdown, on a fourth-and-seven play, no less to beat South Carolina last Saturday?

Picture 1: Going back and looking at the play, UK is in a shotgun, 1-back set, with two wide receivers to the left. Cobb comes in motion across the formation, stopping just to the right of right tackle Brad Durham. Right beside him, in the slot, is fellow wide out Chris Matthews. Those two are inside the circle.

Picture 2: Matthews runs a short turn-around route and stops. That’s Matthews in the left corner of the pic. You can see the three South Carolina defenders — or at least the two to the right — all going for Matthews, as Cobb runs right past them. There is no safety help over the top.

Continue reading ‘How did Randall Cobb get so open against South Carolina?’

Drake wasn’t at this year’s Big Blue Madness, but the rapper is still a Kentucky basketball fan.

Drake tells Kelly Carter of espn.com that he is still on the UK bandwagon.

An excerpt:

And will the Canadian rapper’s loyalty still stay with the team, ranked 11th in ESPN analyst Andy Katz’s latest preseason rankings, after the departure of several of the team’s stars to the NBA?

You betcha.

“We lost a lot of players to the draft, and I hope they all thrive. And that’s what college basketball is all about. Hopefully for a lot of people, it’s about that step,” he says. “But I’ll be there to watch Coach Cal rebuild.”

(Hat tip to Walter’s Wildcat World.)

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Scott Howard-Cooper of nba.com writes about Sacramento Kings’ rookie DeMarcus Cousins, one in which he talks to one former Cousins teammate.

Named Daniel Orton.

An excerpt:

Teams called the University of Kentucky before the draft and got positive reports of a good kid. A 19-year-old wandering through games, a freshman who did not handle criticism well, a major prospect who lacked discipline to where it cost him big money — yes, yes and yes — but mostly a nice guy with the right intentions who just needs to grow up. That temper, though.

“I’ve seen it get out of hand,” said Daniel Orton, one of DeMarcus Cousins’ college teammates last season.

Out of hand?

“It’s kinda like watching a little kid throw a temper tantrum,” Orton said. “But it’s a big little kid, so you’ve got to kind of control it before he gets way out of hand. He may hurt somebody, to tell you the truth.”

The story goes on to say that the person who could get hurt is New Jersey rookie Derrick Favors, who was drafted in front of Cousins.

(Hat tip to KSR.)