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UK linebacker Micah Johnson talks about the Louisville offense.

Micah Johnson talks to the media. (Photo by John Clay)

Bonus note: UK’s Sept 26 game with Florida has been picked up by ESPN2 and will start at 6 p.m.

Five things that stuck out from the UK football press luncheon earlier today:

• 1. Asked about changes in the Louisville offense, UK coach Rich Brooks remarked on the Cardinals’ use of a “moving pocket” during U of L’s less-than-stellar 30-10 win over a putrid Indiana State on Sept. 5. (Indiana State lost 31-0 to Eastern Illinois this past Saturday.) In other words, U of L quarterback Justin Burke executed quite a few roll-out passes in the Louisville win. The idea there is to avoid the rush, a smart tactic considering the inexperience of the Louisville offensive line. The strategy works if Burke can throw the ball on the run. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s pass rush was nothing to write home about in the Cats’ 42-0 win over Miami on the same day. A moving pocket might make it tougher for the home team to pressure the Louisville quarterback.

• 2. Brooks’ voice climbed an octave or two when talking about Kentucky’s kickoff coverage. “Did you see the Georgia-South Carolina game on Saturday?” he asked. That SEC tilt was filled with long kickoff returns. The past few years, Kentucky had Tim Masthay booming the ball into the end zone. No more. Brooks said UK’s kickoff coverage was good against Miami, but the competition will be much better this Saturday.

• 3. I asked Brooks if he had to go back and look at Utah State tape, what with former USU coach Brent Guy now serving as Louisville’s defensive coordinator. Yes, the Cats did eyeball Utah State tape. But Brooks said he thought the Indiana State tape would be more helpful because, though Louisville probably didn’t want to show too much, it included the current personnel groupings.

• 4. Wide receiver Kyrus Lanxter could miss Saturday’s game with a hamstring pull. It shows the upgrade in receiver at UK that Lanxter’s absence would not be too big a blow.

• 5. Micah Johnson pointed out that if Kentucky wins Saturday, he will have gone 3-1 against U of L. Compare that to the 2006 senior class, which was 0-4 against the Cards.

(H-L photo by Charles Bertram)

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

• Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader reports that Micah Johnson might not play Saturday.
• My column on Miami of Ohio coach Michael Haywood.
• H-L photo gallery from basketball picture day.
• Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal writes about UK’s defensive ends.
• Yahoo Sports says DeMarcus Cousins is a bad boy in a good way.
• B.W. Jones of the Kentucky Kernel takes a look at the Kentucky kicking game.
• WKYT has the 911 call that reported Billy Gillispie before his arrest on suspicion of DUI.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Prep days for UK football, picture day for basketball’

UK football coach Rich Brooks said after practice today that sophomore wide receiver Aaron Boyd will redshirt, and that senior middle linebacker Micah Johnson is nursing a strained foot. Brooks said x-rays did not reveal any breaks in Johnson’s foot, but that it is sore and his status is uncertain.

UK quarterback Mike Hartline says offense played well in UK’s second scrimmage, if not quite as well as last week. Meanwhile, linebacker Micah Johnson says the defense was much improved over last Saturday.

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

• Dan Wolken of the Memphis Commerical Appeal reports that sources say Memphis will be forced to vacate its 2007-08 NCAA Tournament run.
• Commercial Appeal columnist Geoff Calkins writes that NCAA ruling is less about Memphis and more about Calipari.
• Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader writes on UK safety Ashton Cobb’s fresh start.
• Ryan Alessi of the Herald-Leader reports on John Caliapri’s speech in Louisville, in which the coach says his newcomers “think they poop ice cream.”
• My column on programming suggestions for a UK TV network. (They’re only jokes.)

Continue reading ‘BBL: Memphis media blames Calipari’

Photo by John Clay.

Update: Here’s my Media Day column.

Five quick impressions from this morning’s UK Media Day:

• 1. Quarterback Mike Hartline said he believe he is more mature this year. One step in that maturity, point the finger at yourself first. Hartline said he had talked a lot this summer with HCFO (head coach for the offense) Joker Phillips and OC (offensive coordinator) Randy Sanders and now believed that while it is ok to get on your teammates when the situations warrant, “I need to take care of my own business first.” At times last year, Hartline sounded like he was blaming his teammates for his own failures. That especially came through when the staff benched the sophomore in favor of then-true freshman Randall Cobb. But Hartline sounded today like someone an entire year older, and who had learned his lesson.

• 2. Rich Brooks said, “We’ve shocked a few teams in the SEC the last three years, but we have not shocked enough teams.” (Look for this is to reappear in my print column.)

• 3. Brooks told Cris Cross that the WLXG sports anchor needs to lose weight. This was not just based on visual evidence. Brooks said that sometimes when he’s driving around in his car late afternoons, he’ll switch to Cross and Mike Cameron’s “Sports Huddle,” and Cross is always at a different restaurant. This drew a huge laugh from we media, of course, who are just jealous that Chris receives a free meal most weekdays. By the way, Chris asked the first question. He always does.

• 4. Last year, leadership was a question mark. After all, Keenan Burton was gone. Wesley Woodyard was gone. This year, not so much. True, Jeremy Jarmon is gone, and the former defensive end was a definite leader. But Brooks said he has no worries when it comes to leadership on this team. He pointed to Micah Johnson and Trevard Lindley has leaders in different ways. Micah likes to talk. Trevard does not like to talk. Yet both can lead.

• 5. Brooks said that the new ESPN-SEC TV contract is the biggest development in 50 years. That’s saying something, of course, but then again the man will be 68 on August 20. Who are we to argue? Besides, given the national exposure the league will get, he’s right.

Trevard Lindley

ESPN.com SEC football blogger Chris Low ranks UK cornerback Trevard Lindley as the eighth best player in the SEC heading into this fall.

An excerpt:

The 6-foot Lindley has bulked up to 180-plus pounds, but it’s his speed, anticipation and technique that make him so good. He’s always in position to make the play and is one of those cornerbacks who can take away one side of the field. A second-team All-American last season by the Walter Camp Foundation, Lindley enters the 2009 season as one of the most polished cornerbacks in the college game.

Low ranked Kentucky linebacker Micah Johnson as the 28th best player in the SEC.

Update: I’ll be at UK football scrimmage this morning, sending updates via Twitter at jclayiv.

Big Blue Links for Saturday:

• Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger reports on UK baseball’s 5-4 win over its former coach John Cohen at Mississippi State.
• Chris Lawlor of espn.com writes that insiders believe John Wall will come to UK.
• Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader reports that UK football coaches are excited about the secondary.
• Tom Leach reports that the Boyd brothers have been working together.
• Brett Dawson of the C-J writes that the Johnson brothers are ready for their football finale.
• Jody Demling of the C-J reports that ex-UK commitment Michael Avery is looking at Indiana.
• Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger writes that John Calipari likes Darius Miller.
• Vaught also writes that Matt Pilgrim is adjusting to changes.
• Straitpinkie has a link to a video interview with John Wall.
• Bluegrass State Basketball thinks Calipari is formulating a backup plan.
• Joey Fosko writes that Calipari ain’t Pitino Lite. (Hat tip to Spam’s Wildcat Page.)