John Clay's Sidelines

ESPN’s Dave Telep is reporting that UK target Alex Poythress has dropped Duke from his list.

The 6-foot-8 forward from the Nashville area is now down to Kentucky, Memphis, Florida and Vanderbilt.

Poythress is scheduled to be at UK’s Big Blue Madness on Oct. 14.

Related links:

• UK target Poythress says he doesn’t have a favorite
• Poythress had lots of questions for Calipari during visit
• Poythress, Goodwin added to Big Blue Madness guest list

Big Blue Links for Monday:

• Kentucky’s next opponent, LSU, is now No. 1 in AP poll, reports Scott Rabalais of The Advocate.
• LSU’s move to top of the polls was overdue, writes Les East of The Advocate.
• Andrew Wiggins discusses his unofficial visit to UK over the weekend, reports Bluegrass Hoops.
• Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader reports that Phillips is trying to keep the Cats out of the ditch.
• Phillips accentuates the gains from Kentucky’s loss to Florida, reports Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal.
• My column says that UK football fans are pointing fingers of discontent at Mitch Barnhart. (Note: There is an error in column. The Jacksonville State game is Oct. 22, not Oct. 15.)
• After weekend visits, two football prospects pick Kentucky, reports Jody Demling of the Courier-Journal.
• Steve Jones of Cats Illustrated talks to new UK commitment Kadeem Thomas.

SEC links for Monday:

• The Nov. 5 Alabama-LSU matchup looms over the season, writes Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News.
• Florida gets ready for Saturday showdown with Alabama, reports Arnold Feliciano of the Gainesville Sun.
• Is Texas A&M ready for the SEC? asks Pat Forde of espn.
• The Aggies hit their tipping point, writes ESPN’s Ivan Maisel.
• SEC still open to Missouri if impediments can be worked out, reports Vahe Gregorian of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
• Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone denies resignation rumor, reports Parrish Alford of the NE Mississippi Daily Journal.
• Reeling Ole Miss heads to Fresno State in need of a win, writes Hugh Kellenberger of the Clarion-Ledger.
• Arkansas just hasn’t recruited well enough to beat Alabama, writes Jim Harris of Arkansas 360.

Alfonso Smith

Thanks to injuries, former Kentucky running back Alfonso Smith was the featured back for the Arizona Cardinals in their 13-10 loss at Seattle today.

Smith carried 17 times for 54 yards. After spending much of last year on Arizona’s practice squad, it was the 24-year-old’s first carries as a professional in a regular-season game.

Here is the interesting part: Just once in his college career did the Louisville native get as many as 17 carries in a game. That was 2006, Smith’s freshman season, when he subbed for the injured Rafael Little and carried 17 times for 92 yards and a touchdown against Mississippi State.

After that, Smith never got more than 12 carries in a game. He carried 12 times for 60 yards and a TD in a blowout win over Eastern Kentucky in 2009.

Smith played his high school football at Louisville Waggener.

Bill Byrne

It’s official. Texas A&M will join the SEC on July 1, 2012. The Aggies will compete in all SEC sports during the 2012-13 school year.

UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart released a statement this afternoon:

“On behalf of the coaches, administrators and student-athletes at the University of Kentucky, I would like to welcome the Texas A&M Aggies to the Southeastern Conference. Coming off its best year athletically in school history, Texas A&M adds a strong athletic program along with its academic prowess to the best league in the country. I look forward to competing against one of my mentors, Bill Byrne, for years to come.”

As the AD at Oregon, Bill Byrne hired a young Barnhart as regional director for the Duck Athletic Fund. Barnhart went on to be assistant AD at Tennessee and AD at Oregon State before coming to UK in 2002. At UK, Barnhart hired Byrne’s son, Greg, as an assistant AD. Greg Byrne is now the AD at Arizona. Bill Byrne is the AD at Texas A&M.

And, of course, Bill Byrne was the AD at Texas A&M when Kentucky hired away the Aggies basketball coach, one Billy Gillispie.

Click here for the Herald-Leader’s Snapped Tailgating gallery.

Here’s where Kentucky football ranks in latest NCAA statistics:

•  Kentucky is 113th out of 120 schools in total offense, averaging just 280.75 per game. The Cats gained 299 yards in the 48-10 loss to Florida last night.
• The only teams behind the Cats are Central Michigan (278.25), Memphis (272.25), UAB (268.33), Vanderbilt (258.0), Ole Miss (235.0), Kent State (189.0) and Florida Atlantic (164.0).
• Kentucky has beaten Central Michigan 27-13. It has Ole Miss  (Nov. 5) and Vanderbilt (Nov. 12)  left on the schedule. The Ole Miss game is in Lexington. The Vanderbilt game is in Nashville.
• UK is 90th in rushing offense, averaging 123 yards per game.
• Kentucky is 110th in pass efficiency offense with a rating of 100.41.
• After allowing 405 rushing yards to Florida, Kentucky is now 103rd in the nation in run defense, giving up 203.75 yards per game.
• The Cats are 15th nationally in pass efficiency defense, with a rating of 98.23.
• Kentucky is tied with Navy for 63rd in total defense, giving up 366 yards per game.
• The Cats are tied for 78th in turnover margin at -.25 per game.
• By the way, Kentucky’s next opponent, LSU, is fourth nationally in turnover margin.