John Clay's Sidelines

After practice today, and before the Randall Cobb’s apology, UK head coach Joker Phillips said he is not banning his players from using Twitter. He just wants them to be smarter. Phillips indicated that one of the reasons for Cobb’s tweet was that the junior doesn’t quit, has been asked by his coaches not to let his teammates quit, and so Cobb doesn’t want the fans quitting on the team.

The coach also said that Derrick Locke is better, but a long way from playing Saturday. He also talked about the defense playing better in the second half than the first half.

As for the first part of the video, Phillips’ “routine guy” comment comes from not being given his normal drink before talking to the media. After much hooting and razzing, UK SID student assistant Evan Crane hustled over and got the head coach his beverage. Then, Joker was good to go.

Tim Masthay

Ex-Kentucky punter is having his struggles these days with the Green Bay Packers, who are struggling as a team, if truth be known.

Jason Wilde of espn.wisconsin.com writes that Masthay is on thin ice with the Pack.

Excerpt:

The Packers coach publicly put punter Tim Masthay on notice Monday after what McCarthy felt was yet another inconsistent performance from the first-year punter. While Masthay’s job isn’t in danger in advance of Sunday night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field, McCarthy made it clear that he’ll have to punt better or he’ll be out of a job.

“The punting was not good yesterday. I think that’s obvious,” McCarthy said of Masthay, who averaged just 33.4 net yards and 38.0 gross yards on five punts, with a long of 42 yards and with two that landed inside the 20.

“Tim has been inconsistent, and my mindset in preparation for Minnesota is to keep working with Tim and get him to be more consistent. Frankly, I thought he did a good job with his inside-the-20 punts going in, but the opportunity to change the field position did not happen, especially when we needed it there in overtime. So he needs to do a better job.”

Masthay is in his first year with the Pack after winning the job in pre-season. He last punted and handled kickoffs for Kentucky in 2008. The thing about the NFL, seems there are always punters hanging around waiting to get another shot with another team.

After this morning’s practice, Randall Cobb met with the media and apologized for ripping fans on his Twitter account on Sunday.

Chip Cosby’s blog post on the Cobb apology.

Twenty bullet notes on Georgia in advance of Saturday’s tilt at Commonwealth:

• The Bulldogs are 0-3 on the road this season.
• Georgia outgained Vanderbilt 547-140 in last Saturday’s 43-0 crushing of the Commodores in Athens.
• Georgia rushed for a season-high 232 yards last Saturday.
• In a bit of an organizational snafu, Georgia burned all three of its first-half timeouts in the first five minutes against Vanderbilt. One timeout came because the Bulldogs only had 10 men on the field.
• The hapless Commodores were 1-of-11 on third-down conversions against the big, bad Bulldogs.
• Georgia has not committed a turnover in its last two games, romps over Tennessee and Vandy.
• Saturday marked Georgia’s first SEC shutout since blanking South Carolina 18-0 in 2006.
• It was the first time Vanderbilt rolled a gooseegg in the SEC since a 48-0 loss to Tennessee in 2003.
• Georgia has a new defensive coordinator in Todd Grantham, a former NFL assistant and coordinator (Cleveland), who has switched the Dawgs to a 3-4 scheme.
• Outside linebacker Justin Houston leads the SEC in sacks with 6.5.
• The 43-point win was the Dogs’ largest margin of a victory game in a conference game since thumping Rich Brooks and Kentucky 62-17 in Lexington back in 2004.
• Kentucky and Georgia have split their last four meetings, with UK winning last year’s game 34-27 in Athens. Kentucky overcame a 20-6 halftime deficit to beat the Bulldogs.
• Kentucky’s win last year was just the third over Georgia in the last 19 years.
• Georgia won the last meeting in Lexington, 42-38.
• Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray, a redshirt freshman, is the top-ranked freshman in the nation when it comes to pass efficiency. He is 18th overall, with a rating of 157.2. (UK’s Mike Hartline ranks 30th.) Murray threw for a career-high 287 yards against Vanderbilt.
• Kicker Blair Walsh has made 13 of 15 field goals this year, and is 33-of-37 over the last two years. He kicked a 52-yarder in Georgia’s season-opener.
• Tailback Caleb King will miss the UK game as the second game in his two-game suspension for failing to appear at a court date for an earlier speeding ticket.
• The Georgia-Vanderbilt game was nearly the first non-Sanford Stadium-sellout in the Mark Richt Era. The last remaining ticket was purchased 30 minutes before kickoff.
• Richt is 11-9 over his last 20 games.
• Georgia opened as a 3.5-point favorite over Kentucky for Saturday.

Georgia's A.J. Green makes a catch against Tennessee. (AP photo/John Amis)

Big Blue Links for Tuesday:

• Joker Phillips has cut off Twitter for his players, or maybe not, reports Mary Jo Perino of WLEX-TV.
• Kentucky’s fickle football fan base a product of the past, writes Mark Story of the Herald-Leader.
• Cats must avoid letdown against four-loss Georgia, reports Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.
• Kentucky thinks it can win the wild, wild East, writes Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal.
• In the SEC Least, Georgia is hot, writes Mark Bradley of the AJC.
• Ex-UK commitment Vinny Zollo chooses Western Kentucky, reports Jerry Tipton of the H-L.
• Columnist protests UK’s madness threat, blogs Tipton.
• The Cats are buying what Rock Oliver is selling, writes Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger.
• Men’s basketball walk-on tryout meeting is set for Wednesday, reports the Kentucky Kernel.
• Defense transforms for better in second half, reports Nick Craddock of the Kentucky Kernel.
• Defense seeking a faster start, writes Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches.
• KSR says that UK censored DeMarcus Cousins’ “Free Enes” t-shirt at Madness.
• Bleed Blue Kentucky has a Lamont McMurry update.
• All Kentucky Hoops has news on the John Wall shoe.

(AP photo/Wade Payne)

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Reality is a bummer for Tennessee fans, writes John Adams of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• After seven years together, Nick Saban and Derek Dooley face off Saturday, reports Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Alabama players are feeling their SEC schedule, writes Michael Casagrande of the Anniston Star.
• Les Miles calls Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton “one of a kind,” reports Evan Woodbery of the Mobile Press-Register.
• LSU is sticking with its two-quarterback system, writes Scott Rabalais of The Advocate.
• Urban Meyer is missing Dan Mullen, writes Rick Cleveland of the Clarion-Ledger.
• Mullen has Mississippi State on the fast track, writes Chris Low of espn.com.
• The fall of the Gators starts with Urban Meyer, writes George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel.
• It’s back to the drawing board for South Carolina, reports Travis Haney of the Charleston Post and Courier.
• Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett is improving, reports Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News.

Randall Cobb scores last year at Auburn. (AP photo)

Brandon Priddy sent me the following letter, he’d like to send to Randall Cobb.

He graciously gave me permission to post it here:An Open Letter to Randall Cobb from Kentucky Fans:

Randall,

First let me say thank you. You are what our football program aspires

to be. Unafraid of anyone and unwilling to accept anything less than
100% from yourself, your teammates or even your fans. Nobody told you
to be an SEC also-ran. You see yourself and your team as second to no
one. More importantly you don’t know why anyone else doesn’t see it
that way, either. We love that about you.

But to be honest, you don’t really know us. I know it feels like you
do; it’s been a thrilling 2.5 years, but we were here long before that.
There were a lot of unthrilling years before you – and that’s the part
you don’t understand. This has nothing to do with basketball.

Frankly we’re tired. It’s just happened too many times, we’ve been let
down too often. I won’t bore you with the litany of gut punches, but
suffice to say it’s long. Last time we beat South Carolina you were in
grade school – and they’re not even that good. Time and time again we
buy in and get excited – only to be let down. It takes a toll, it
really does. I’ve only been a fan since I started school in ’97 and
it’s taken a toll. I have friends who remember heartbreak long before
that. If I had a dollar for every game I’ve seen where we get “oh so
close” only to let it slip away, I’d be Urban Meyer’s bail bondsman.
True story – I was more excited by your 2 point conversion than the
actual TD on Saturday night because I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt
that SC would get a field goal shot. Like I said, it takes a toll.

Which brings me to you. Are you different from the parade who has come
through before you? Are you the One to help up make the Leap? We don’t
know. I think you might be. I see the passion you play with, how you
raise your game to meet the moment – I think maybe you’re different.
I’m driving 3.5 hours to watch the game this weekend. A lot of people
will drive a lot farther. We want to see if it’s different this time,
or if all roads lead to Nashville again. Is it? Can we even glance
towards Atlanta?

Be patient with us Randall. It’s been a long ride, but I think we can
turn the corner this week. All eyes will be on you and your team
Saturday night. I guarantee you with another effort like SC you won’t
play in front of an empty seat for the rest of the year – including a
heavy dose of Blue in your home state come November 27th. I know it’s
not fair that you carry the burden of a history that stretches back to
before you were born – but as Kentucky fans we learned long ago that
football isn’t fair.

Trust me, we want to believe – it just takes a little longer than it
used to.

With utmost sincerity (and hope),

The Big Blue Nation

Zagsblog is reporting that Kentucky has “stepped back” its recruiting of 2011 center Michael Chandler.

Chandler has visited Providence and West Virginia, and has a visit scheduled to Indiana.

Kentucky was though to be in the mix, but his coach says that UK’s interest has apparently waned.

Chandler originally committed to Louisville.

(Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)

Videos from UK’s press luncheon today of LaRod King, Brad Durham and Ricky Lumpkin.

Insight spokesman Jason Keller says Insight in Lexington will carry the UK-Georgia game on Saturday night.

The game is to be telecast on Comcast, which his unavailable in Lexington.

“For customers with a digital box, the game may be viewed on channel 503,” said Keller in an e-mail. “For customers without a digital box, the game can be seen on channel 14.”

According to Insight, these channel positions are specific to Lexington; other districts will carry the game on different channels.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Update: Insight has announced channels for the UK-Georgia game outside Lexington:

Saturday’s Kentucky-Georgia football game will be carried by cable operator Insight Communications, even though it’s airing on a channel that isn’t part of the company’s lineup.

For its Kentucky customers with digital boxes, the game will be available on channel 503. Those without digital boxes can view it on different channels in different cities.

In Lexington, it will be on channel 14. The channels in other Insight areas are as follows: Louisville (channel 15), Northern Kentucky (channel 99), Bowling Green (channel 5) and Henderson (channel 74).

Customers without digital boxes may need to run channel scans on their televisions to pick up the analog feed, said Insight spokesman Jason Keller.

This is the second UK game this season to be broadcast regionally by Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast.

Herald-Leader Staff Report