John Clay's Sidelines

Kentucky defensive tackle Donte Rumph talks to media at the Monday’s weekly press luncheon.

(H-L file photo)

As provided by UK:

COACH JOKER PHILLIPS

COACH PHILLIPS: First our injury report. Billy Joe Murphy actually ran today. We’ll try to find out tomorrow how he does with swelling. If he doesn’t, we’ll get him into some individual tomorrow. Then if he doesn’t swell after, that we’ll start getting him in some more of the practices.

Taiedo Smith, he ran Sunday, looked okay. We have to see how he does today, and then make a decision tomorrow whether or not he’s capable of practicing.

Larry Warford is day‑to‑day with an ankle, but should be able to play on Saturday. He’s day‑to‑day whether or not he’ll practice. The reason we say day‑to‑day is because we don’t want to reinjure him. We think he can go on Saturday, so that’s the reason why he’s day‑to‑day.

We have had a chance to watch the tape obviously a couple times. We’ve got to get better, especially offensively. We got to do a better job with our field position also. When you’re struggling offensively, it’s hard to go 80 yards because teams, all they want you to do is continue to snap the ball, which is our goal, keep offenses continuing to snap the ball.

We started on the 20 or less seven out of our 12 drives, and that’s hard, especially for an offense that’s struggling. We got to do a better job at getting field position. A lot of that has to do with our kicking game and getting people stopped on defense.

Continue reading ‘Transcript from Joker Phillips’ Monday press conference’

Kentucky defensive back Martavius Neloms talks to the media Monday at the weekly press luncheon.

Updates from today’s Joker Phillips luncheon and press conference.

• “The thing I learned from Rich is to stick to the plan and continue to plow ahead. We are 2-1. We are not 0-3.”
• Says the fans did a great job last Saturday against Louisville, said he expects the same Saturday against Florida.
• Says he watched how Rich Brooks reacted to criticism and “we’re trying to do it the same way.”
• “I think it’s fair given today’s society,” Phillips says of criticism. “I know what I signed up for.”
• Phillips says he feels the same way as the fans. “I care about this program more than anybody in here. I’m angry.”
• “We’ve got to win one-on-one battles.”
• Says sacks on Saturday were combination of not blocking and Morgan Newton holding on to the ball too long.
• Florida defense is “definitely better” than what Kentucky has faced so far.
• On third-and-long, “a lot of time they dropped eight guys and you throw into tough coverages.”
• Says “if we don’t turn the ball over, we don’t look as bad.”
• Joker on why offensive line has struggled: “I don’t know. That’s the million dollar question.”
• Phillips says he thought CoShik Williams did a good job of taking advantage of opportunity.

Continue reading ‘Updates from weekly Joker Phillips press luncheon’

(AP photo)

Rick Pitino used his blog to to comment on the news today that Pittsburgh and Syracuse are officially leaving the Big East to join the ACC. In doing so, Pitino referenced the movie The Godfather.

So much tradition and success. The words of the Pitt chancellor ring out at the Newport, RI league meetings: we must stick together. There is a scene from the godfather where one of the capo’s of the Corleone family approached Michael at his dad’s funeral. He told Michael he could arrange a meeting to stop the bloodshed. The Godfather told Michael that the one who comes to set up the meeting will be the one who betrays the family. Robert Duval, as Tom Hagen the consigliere, thought it would be Clemenza who would be the one. Instead, it was good old Abe Pagoda as Salvatore Tessio. Michael Corleone’s response to Tom was the answer to why Pittsburgh and Syracuse would make the move. His response: it was the smart move.

Pitino goes on to say he thinks U of L, South Florida, West Virginia and Cincinnati will stick together. He hopes the Big East will recruit four football schools quickly and says he thinks Memphis should be in the mix, for its basketball tradition with promise of a football upgrade.

Some think West Virginia could end up in the SEC, but I still think Missouri is a better bet. The latter can deliver more TV households than the former, and that’s what this is all about.

Meanwhile, the Austin American-Statesman is reporting that Texas is close to joining a 16-team Pac-12 that will also include Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. The conference would be split into a quartet of four-team pods. That way Texas can continue to play its three former Big 12 members, without having to make numerous long-distance trips.

But back to Louisville. Where might the Cardinals end up? Not in the SEC. For all its basketball history and its recent football success, U of L can’t deliver the new market share that the SEC would want. If the Big East can’t make it, I could see Louisville trying to join forces with Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Memphis, etc., for a new league. But what sort of TV deal would a group like that be able to command?

To be honest, this current conference chaos only brings into the open what we have known for quite some time. College athletics is not college athletics. It is professional athletics at the college level, played not for the benefit of the so-called student athletes, or the fans, or even the schools. These days they are nothing but greedy, money-making machines willing to do most anything to assure their own survival.

In that regard, The Godfather is not a bad analogy.

(H-L photo/David Perry)

Big Blue Links for Sunday:

Mark Maloney of Herald-Leader — Louisville came away with more than a rivalry victory Saturday night. According to Coach Charlie Strong, the Cardinals made a statement with their 24-17 road triumph over Kentucky. “This is a tremendous team victory … and we said earlier to our team that we needed to have a statement game,” Strong said.

Mark Story of Herald-Leader — On the best statistical night of his Kentucky career, Morgan Newton didn’t get nearly enough help. Against a determined Louisville defensive effort, UK couldn’t run the ball. The Cats’ struggling offensive front couldn’t keep Newton on his feet, surrendering a whopping six sacks. Still, as the fourth-quarter clock ticked toward 0:00, Newton put the Cats in position to tie in a game in which UK trailed throughout.

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

John Clay of Herald-Leader – Yet Kentucky played as if it believed it. The Cats once again started slowly, tentatively, trailing at halftime for the 11th time in the last 13 games. The offense performed only when its back was against the wall, late in the first half when down 14-3, then late in the game when down 24-10. In both cases, too little, too late. Once again, Kentucky got too little from its offensive line, a unit that was expected to be a strength.

Jerry Tipton of Herald-Leader — For the game sponsor, Friends of Coal, Kentucky’s 24-17 loss to Louisville on Saturday night looked much more like slurry than land reclamation. UK tried mightily to reclaim the victory, staging an improbable rally from 14 points down that died 18 yards from tying the score. Louisville held on to snap a four-game losing streak in the in-state series.

Rick Bozich of Courier-Journal — Strong was still yelling after the game. But he wasn’t yelling the same things he had been saying for a week. Not after Louisville hung a thunderous 24-17 defeat on Kentucky in Commonwealth Stadium. When UK quarterback Morgan Newton’s final pass sailed incomplete with 46 seconds to play, Strong pulled off his headset and raced to chest-bump Cardinal senior linebacker Dexter Heyman. Then he high-fived freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who pinch-hit for the injured Will Stein and threw two touchdown passes.

Larry Vaught of the Advocate-Messenger — It’s official now. Kentucky is in crisis mode and will not go to a sixth straight bowl game. It’s not just that the Wildcats lost 24-17 to Louisville here Saturday night to end a four-game winning streak against the Cardinals. It’s the way UK lost again. Louisville was the more physical team. Louisville was the more aggressive team. Louisville was simply better in all phases of the game. Don’t let the final score fool you, either. Kentucky made a valiant comeback try, but the team that deserved to win won the game.

(H-L photo/David Perry)

Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal — The University of Louisville football team turned to a new quarterback Saturday night to end its four-game losing streak against rival Kentucky. The Wildcats’ veteran quarterback, junior Morgan Newton, looked like a new man himself but got too little help. True freshman Teddy Bridgewater took over for injured starter Will Stein early in the second quarter and threw a pair of critical touchdown passes to lead the Cardinals to a 24-17 victory in Commonwealth Stadium.

Matt May of the Cats Pause — It’s rare that a play in the first seven minutes of the game turns out to be one of the most important but you could certainly make the case that La’Rod King’s fumble after a long catch from Morgan Newton on the Cats’ second possession was just that. UK already led 3-0 – although not getting a touchdown after having it 1st-and-Goal from the 5-yard line didn’t help – when King took a slant pass and rumbled up field inside the Louisville 25-yard line. King was blindsided by Dexter Heyman, jarring the football loose and allowing Louisville to take the air out of Commonwealth Stadium.

Ben Jones of Cats Illustrated – Stuart Hines was running out of answers. Kentucky’s senior left guard and captain faced reporters after his team’s 24-17 loss to Louisville and delivered the company line. “Missed opportunities,” he said, echoing his head coach. “Not making the plays.” But he retreated when asked if he felt the offensive line had a major part in the loss.

Ethan Levine of the Kentucky Kernel — With the score held at 24-17, UK’s offense drove down its home field and looked prepared to score the game-tying touchdown in front of its home fans. On a third down inside the Louisville 10-yard line, junior quarterback Morgan Newton completed a pass to freshman wide receiver Demarco Robinson for a first down. But after having the ball stripped from his possession, Robinson recovered his own fumble on the wrong side of the first down sticks, forcing a critical fourth down for the Cats with the game on the line. UK was unable to convert on fourth down as Newton overthrew a sideline pass, clinching the victory for Louisville.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Louisville’s statement sends Kentucky into a spin’

Vanderbilt quarterback Larry Smith (AP photo)

SEC links for Sunday:

Florida 33, Tennessee 23

• Florida gets its seventh straight win over the Vols, reports Sun’s Robbie Andreu.
• Same old Swamp, same old Vols, says Tennessean’s David Climer.
• Vols a big bust in big-boy football, writes John Adams of KNS.
• Florida’s defensive line contains UT, reports Rachel George of Orlando Sentinel.
• Hunter’s loss hurts UT offense, reports Austin Ward of KNS.

Vanderbilt 30, Ole Miss 7

• Commodores off to Van-tastic start, reports Jeff Lockridge of Tennessean.
• Ole Miss throttled in Nashville, reports C-L’s Hugh Kellenberger.
• You might have to go back 96 years to find a worse loss, writes C-L’s Rick Cleveland.

Clemson 38, Auburn 24

• First loss in 17 games stings, writes Evan Woodbery of Press-Register.
• Winning streak ends and reality begins, says Jon Solomon of Birmingham News.
• Auburn gives up 624 total yards, reports Josh Moon of Montgomery Advertiser.
• Tigers’ defensive tradition ends, as well, writes Joe Medley of Anniston Star.

South Carolina 24, Navy 21

• Lattimore helps Gamecocks sink Navy, reports Josh Kendall of The State.
• South Carolina survives a scare, writes Brad Senkiw of Independent Mail.
• Many struggle against the likes of Navy, says The State’s Ron Morris.

Alabama 41, North Texas 0

• With Arkansas on deck, Bama routs North Texas, reports News’ Izzy Gould.
• SEC season will define Tide, writes Cecil Hurt of Tuscaloosa News.
• It’s all or nothing for Bama rushing attack, reports News’ Don Kausler.

Arkansas 38, Troy 28

• Razorbacks have a lot of work to do, writes Chris Bahn of Arkansas 360.
• Hogs shaky in Bama tune-up, says Robbie Neiswanger of Arkansas News.
• Troy falls behind early, makes comeback, writes Drew Champlin of Dothan Eagle.

Georgia 59, Coastal Carolina 0

• Bulldogs hope win was a starting point, says Macon Telegraph’s Seth Emerson.
• Bulldogs show some signs of life, writes Jeff Schultz of AJC.
• Not much resistance from Coastal Carolina, reports Marc Weiszer of ABH.

A few more Kentucky-Louisville notes:

• Kentucky had its fewest yards rushing since a loss at Alabama in 2008. UK gained 35 yards on 20 carries that day. The Cats had 35 yards on 32 carries against U of L tonight.
• UK averaged 1.09 yards per rush, the lowest rushing average since they gained just 29 yards on 29 carries at Georgia in 2007. For you non-math majors, that’s a 1.0 yard per carry average.
• Kentucky was outgained 327-290. Dating back to last year’s Tennessee game, Kentucky has been outgained in its last five games.
• E.J. Fields, a junior from Frankfort, caught seven passes for 57 yards. Before tonight, Fields had not caught a pass in a game in his collegiate career.
• No team in the UK-U of L series has won more than four consecutive games in the series. Louisville won four straight between 2003-06. Kentucky won four straight 2007-2010.
• Kentucky has trailed at the half in 11 of its last 13 games. The Cats were down 14-10 at the half to Louisville.
• After Uof L starting quarterback Will Stein, true freshman Teddy Bridgewater completed 10 of 18 passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. But Dominique Brown, who was recruited as a quarterback last year, took direct snaps, and handoffs from Bridgewater, to gain 91 yards on 14 carries.
• Kentucky struggled to beat Western Kentucky 14-3 the first week. Western lost 44-16 to Indiana State today. Kentucky trailed Central Michigan 13-3 before rallying to win 27-13 last week. Central Michigan lost 44-14 to Western Michigan today.
• Louisville’s three passing touchdowns was the most given up by UK in a single game since Ole Miss threw for three last year in a Rebels’ win over the Cats in Oxford.
• After forcing six turnovers the first two games, Kentucky did not force a Louisville turnover.
• The crowd of 68,170 was the first time since Commonwealth Stadium expanded that the UK-U of L game did not draw 70,000.

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Click here for the Herald-Leader photo gallery from tonight’s game.

Video of offensive coordinator Randy Sanders talking to media after the loss.