I needed a football hit so I just went back and watched the UK v USC game again from last season and here are a few observations that had slipped my memory:
What really struck me was the high-energy attitude of the players the entire game. It was in stark contrast to some of our later games.
Everyone remembers Kemp and the WildCat in the 4th quarter, but Patrick Towles looked like Aaron Rogers the first half. He was throwing lasers into tight windows on target and some of our receivers were making great catches. He looked pretty good the second half too but missed long on a couple of down-field throws and turned it over once due to poor ball security, a nagging problem he had last year that has reportedly been fixed this year.
Our O-line was giving PT great protection throughout the game - no sacks that I can recall and only a few hurries. When he did get pressure he found his check-down target. Zack West looked especially good
Joey Harrick looked really good on some tough receptions in traffic. I think he was playing sort of a hybrid tight end roll. He is a very physical reviver and somewhat overlooked and unappreciated IMO due to the fact he was a walk-on
Some might remember that AJ Stamp's had a fabulous game changing pick that he returned for 50 yards right before the end of the 1st half to take away a Cock score and set up the Cats for a 47 yard field goal to tie the game. AJ read the QB perfectly and timed his move to slip right in from the would-be receiver and then had a great run down the field.
On the negative side our defense just could not stop USC run game. Our tackles were getting mauled, their technique just did not look good, there was also poor tackling and technique from the secondary. However Josh Forrest looked really good and Dupree made some plays. We did not get pressure on their QB. USC did have one of the best O-lines in the league last year but we really need some guys to step up on defense this year. I think the primary NT's Lewis and Elam should be much better and we will have more depth. If these guys can carry their load out of our base 3/4 then we should be a lot better at stopping the run IMO.
Stoops mentioned in his recent interview with Matt Jones that the team was "fried" the second half of the seasons. He attributed this to a lack of depth. The increase in depth this year should allow wider substitution patterns and players should be kept fresher and avoid injuries better. If this team can play with the same energy as they exhibited against USC and some other early games, I think we can really go far this season.
The bottom line is this team has TALENT and it really showed that day, and almost all of it will be back again this year, plus a lot more.
What really struck me was the high-energy attitude of the players the entire game. It was in stark contrast to some of our later games.
Everyone remembers Kemp and the WildCat in the 4th quarter, but Patrick Towles looked like Aaron Rogers the first half. He was throwing lasers into tight windows on target and some of our receivers were making great catches. He looked pretty good the second half too but missed long on a couple of down-field throws and turned it over once due to poor ball security, a nagging problem he had last year that has reportedly been fixed this year.
Our O-line was giving PT great protection throughout the game - no sacks that I can recall and only a few hurries. When he did get pressure he found his check-down target. Zack West looked especially good
Joey Harrick looked really good on some tough receptions in traffic. I think he was playing sort of a hybrid tight end roll. He is a very physical reviver and somewhat overlooked and unappreciated IMO due to the fact he was a walk-on
Some might remember that AJ Stamp's had a fabulous game changing pick that he returned for 50 yards right before the end of the 1st half to take away a Cock score and set up the Cats for a 47 yard field goal to tie the game. AJ read the QB perfectly and timed his move to slip right in from the would-be receiver and then had a great run down the field.
On the negative side our defense just could not stop USC run game. Our tackles were getting mauled, their technique just did not look good, there was also poor tackling and technique from the secondary. However Josh Forrest looked really good and Dupree made some plays. We did not get pressure on their QB. USC did have one of the best O-lines in the league last year but we really need some guys to step up on defense this year. I think the primary NT's Lewis and Elam should be much better and we will have more depth. If these guys can carry their load out of our base 3/4 then we should be a lot better at stopping the run IMO.
Stoops mentioned in his recent interview with Matt Jones that the team was "fried" the second half of the seasons. He attributed this to a lack of depth. The increase in depth this year should allow wider substitution patterns and players should be kept fresher and avoid injuries better. If this team can play with the same energy as they exhibited against USC and some other early games, I think we can really go far this season.
The bottom line is this team has TALENT and it really showed that day, and almost all of it will be back again this year, plus a lot more.
