John Clay's Sidelines

A look at how SEC offenses are doing heading into this Saturday:

Alabama: Quarterback AJ McCarron pulled out his laser gun and averaged a stellar 10 yards per pass attempt in win over Arkansas. Bama offense also did not turn the ball over. Now Nick Saban’s club meets a Florida defense that has not allowed more than 299 yards in a game – the 299 coming last week against UK.

Arkansas: After rolling up at least 454 yards in each of their first three games, Hogs managed just 226 yards against Alabama. Bobby Petrino’s club has a turnover margin of -6 over its last three games. The Hogs step out of conference this Saturday to play Texas A&M, which has to still be stinging from that 30-29 home loss to T. Boone Pickens State last Saturday.

Auburn: Tiger offense sputtered against Florida Atlantic, gaining just 315 yards. Gene Chizi’s team would not be 3-1 if not for a +2 turnover margin. Now Auburn travels to South Carolina, where Gamecock defense is coming off a performance in which it held Vanderbilt to four rushing yards and all of five first downs. South Carolina was allowing an average of 381 yards per game. That number now is 305.

Continue reading ‘Look at how SEC offenses are doing going into Saturday’

Approximately 2,000 students risked life and limb by rushing through the doors at Memorial Coliseum to snatch up the first tickets to an intra-squad basketball scrimmage that will take place at Rupp Arena on Oct. 14. The scrimmage will not even count in the standings. This has to be seen as another failing of our American educational system.

(AP photo)

Big Blue Links for Tuesday:

• Tubby Smith was back in the Bluegrass on Monday night, reports Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader, and received a warm welcome at a Georgetown College forum.
• I’m the Kentucky football beat writer this week, and in that appointed role reported that Kentucky did upset a No. 1-ranked LSU back in 2007. So if it happened once . . .
• UK defensive tackle Mark Crawford has officially been freed from Joker Phillips’ doghouse, reports my UK notes. Crawford missed the first four games while serving an unspecified four-game suspension.

(Ft. Worth Star-Telegram photo)

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Tennessee could find itself right back in the NCAA doghouse, reports the AP. A former football assistant is accused of paying for a recruit’s visit.
• Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne says the Aggies intend to win in the SEC, reports Hugh Kellenberger of the Clarion-Ledger. Texas A&M didn’t do a whole lot of winning in the Big 12, however.
• Mike Strange of the Knoxville News-Sentinel writes that there are some previous SEC ties to Texas A&M. One is former UT legend Robert Neyland who spent a year in College Station before going to West Point.

Video of offensive tackle Billy Joe Murphy talking today about UK’s opportunity Saturday at LSU.

Commonwealth Stadium after UK beat LSU in 2007. (Photo by Stan Pileggi)

Kentucky carries a 3-9 record against AP No. 1 teams into Baton Rouge on Saturday to face top-ranked LSU. One of those three victories was in 2007, the last time the Cats played the Tigers. Kentucky rallied from a 27-14 deficit to send the game into overtime and beat Les Miles and his Miracles 43-37.

Since Bear Bryant, only three UK head coaches avoided facing a No. 1 team during their tenure in Lexington. One was Jerry Caliborne (1982-89). One was John Ray (1969-72). The third was Guy Morris (2001-02) who was only head coach two years.

As for the others:

Bear Bryant (1-1): Had the biggest win by a UK coach against a No. 1 team when his 1950 squad snapped Oklahoma’s 31-game win streak. The next season, UK lost to No. 1 ranked Tennessee in Knoxville.

Continue reading ‘Kentucky football’s history versus No. 1 teams’

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Transcript from Joker Phillips’ press conference today, as provided by UK:

COACH PHILLIPS

COACH PHILLIPS: First, the injury report. (Josh) Clemons will be questionable. He has a hamstring strain. (Martavius) Neloms will practice but will have non‑contact probably Tuesday and Wednesday. (Gene) McCaskill is also questionable with a back injury. (Raymond) Sanders and (Collins) Ukwu are out.

And we’ll cut Mark Crawford loose this week to play. So I’m really proud of the way he’s handled the suspension, the time he’s been off. He’s done a lot of stuff on his own, extra work and conditioning, which you always worry about, especially a big guy that’s not getting a lot of reps in practice with the ones. He does get to work with the scout team but doesn’t get a lot of work, and has done a lot of extra work in getting himself conditioned, and we challenged him to be ready when the time came for him to play. And we think he’s definitely done everything we’ve asked him to do, and he’ll get some reps on Saturday.

Continue reading ‘Transcript from Joker Phillips’ press luncheon’

Kentucky defensive back Mikie Benton talks to the media today about playing No. 1 ranked LSU on Saturday. The Cats beat the Tigers in 2007 when LSU was ranked No. 1. LSU went on to win the national title. Kentucky went on to finish 8-5 with a win over a depleted Florida State in the Music City Bowl.

I’m at Wildcat Den for Joker Phillips weekly press luncheon.

• That’s the end of the press conference.
• On the 49-0 loss at LSU in 2006, “That game probably changed the attitude of the program and the kids. It was a game where we left there being down and out. We were down, but definitely not out. Andre (Woodson) was the team that stepped up to the mike and got the team going. But I think this team is farther along.”
• On getting on the road when things aren’t going well, “We used that Morgan’s freshmen year and went on the road and won three SEC games. But we want to get the program to where that is not a factor. . . We have got to take care of Commonwealth Stadium.”
• Asked about possibly leaving the SEC: “Not my job to be thinking about, but I think we’re in a good situation where we are.”
• Said “it’s like mowing a 100-acre field. As soon as you get it mowed, you’ve got to mow it again. . . . It’s never ending.”
• Said the program has adjusted after not being able to get some of the things that it would like. “We’ve done some things to try and put the wow factor in to those things.”
• On the recruiting room: “It’s really just to house recruits before the game and serve them meals.”
• “We had a great week in recruiting this week. When recruits come on campus, you never hear them say we don’t have good facilities.”

Shadrach Thornton, one of two high school seniors who committed to Kentucky over the weekend, tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he will still take planned visits to Georgia Tech and North Carolina State.

Excerpt:

The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder said he talked with Georgia Tech assistant Lamar Owens.

“I called to let him know that I did commit but that I still wanted to take my official visit there to make sure Kentucky is where I want to go,” Thornton told the AJC. “Coach Owens totally understood. Kentucky was my first official visit, and I’ve got to factor in the distance from home, and what are the pros and cons of each school.”

Related link: Thornton talks about his hasty decision