Cole Cubelic has high praise for the Cats!
- Thread starter TuckyFB
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Yep. No doubt we will be better but so will just about everybody else. 7-5 this year will be a lot bigger accomplishment than last year IMO
I think it's kind of a push or slightly better schedule for UK overall when looking at last year verses this year.
Southern Miss- worse by a good bit. New QB and Oline
USC- better by a good bit. Good QB now
Florida- worse. Same offense and sig worse D. And home game this year
Mizz-better but not by a bunch. Home game
Miss St- better. At their place. D has lots of highly ranked jucos. Good QB
Ole Miss- HUGE advantage this year. Bad team at end of last year. Home game verses virtually assured lose last year at bama
Vandy- worse this year by a little bit. Lots of players back but lose 2 best players on D. Don't replace Cunningham or Butler with anyone close. Lose a couple veteran Olone
UT- worse. Lots of new faces. Dobbs gone thank god. best RB, receiver, DE, CB. Home game
UGA- better. Toughest game on paper
UL- worse. D will take sig step back. RB serious question. Oline still question. Home game.
All in all I like this year's schedule significantly better.
I have no issues with this years schedule. It is breaking in our favor about as much as one can expect when you are in the SEC. No road is easy but I like our chances this year.
This is the year we beat Florida.
This is the year we beat Florida.
UK has the schedule and experienced talent to wind up #2 in the East. Actually winning the East? I'm not that bullish.
The east is Georgia's to lose at this point, but I think we have the schedule and team to finally be in contention and hopefully we can get some help from others on UGA's schedule and pull it out.
The UL win will pass on more confidence to this team than it has had in many seasons.
It will show when we play Florida this season.
It will show when we play Florida this season.
Sky's the limit IMHO. I have a feeling the defense steps up big this year, and unexpected results follow from that.
The schedule strength is all about how you look at it.
The optimist says "we get FL, UT and UL at home...we can have a better chance of winning 1,2 or maybe all 3 of those if we play our best" while the UK pessimist looks at it and says "2 automatic losses in UT and FL and a tough game against Jackson and UL to eek out 1 win."
The optimist also says "We got easier road games with MSU, SC and Vandy, much better than having to face FL and UT on the road" while the pessimist says "We barely beat those teams last year at home and they will be 3 dogfights again on the road in games we have to win to get to 6-7 wins for sure."
The truth is somewhere in the middle IMO.
The optimist says "we get FL, UT and UL at home...we can have a better chance of winning 1,2 or maybe all 3 of those if we play our best" while the UK pessimist looks at it and says "2 automatic losses in UT and FL and a tough game against Jackson and UL to eek out 1 win."
The optimist also says "We got easier road games with MSU, SC and Vandy, much better than having to face FL and UT on the road" while the pessimist says "We barely beat those teams last year at home and they will be 3 dogfights again on the road in games we have to win to get to 6-7 wins for sure."
The truth is somewhere in the middle IMO.
If Kentucky makes another step comparable from the 5-7 to the 7-6 season last year, 8 wins or more is DEFINITELY on the table. If things are similar to where we were last year, another 7-5 season wouldn't surprise me, with the way the schedule is set up.
While I'm hoping for 8-9 wins, another 7-5 season with a win in a decent bowl game would be more than tolerable. At UK, we have to learn to walk before we run. Making a 6 win season a "down year" is the first step in building the program to achieve the success we all crave.
I doubt Kentucky will ever be on the level of Alabama or OSU, but I think something like Wisconsin, Michigan St, or Baylor is achievable if Mark Stoops continues to build the program after 6-7 years of continuing to turn things around.
By Wisconsin, Michigan St, or Baylor, I mean a consistent top 25 team that gets 9 wins on average, but is capable of winning 10-11 every couple years or even reaching the BCS if things go their way.
I think that is our plateau and would be ecstatic to see our program make such a move under CMS in the next 5-10 years. Patience is required, though. You don't go from 5 wins to 7 to 9 to 11 to 13 in 3 years. It takes a lot of 8-9 win type of years to reach that next plateau where competing for a BCS spot ever few years is possible.
While I'm hoping for 8-9 wins, another 7-5 season with a win in a decent bowl game would be more than tolerable. At UK, we have to learn to walk before we run. Making a 6 win season a "down year" is the first step in building the program to achieve the success we all crave.
I doubt Kentucky will ever be on the level of Alabama or OSU, but I think something like Wisconsin, Michigan St, or Baylor is achievable if Mark Stoops continues to build the program after 6-7 years of continuing to turn things around.
By Wisconsin, Michigan St, or Baylor, I mean a consistent top 25 team that gets 9 wins on average, but is capable of winning 10-11 every couple years or even reaching the BCS if things go their way.
I think that is our plateau and would be ecstatic to see our program make such a move under CMS in the next 5-10 years. Patience is required, though. You don't go from 5 wins to 7 to 9 to 11 to 13 in 3 years. It takes a lot of 8-9 win type of years to reach that next plateau where competing for a BCS spot ever few years is possible.
This is the schedule you want if you have a team that is capable of competing for the East. IOW it favors a potential 6-2 type conference record. If is NOT the schedule you want if your a medling team hoping to scratch out 6 or 7 wins and a minor bowl. Last year's schedule was much more well suited for that. So like you say it depends on your point of view the optimists including me, see the potential of competing for the East this year, so this is the schedule you want for that.
I agree they didn't look too impressive on offense. I think Fitzgerald is Patrick Towles 201. Big athletic guy with speed and big arm, that can run with the ball, but way too inconsistent to generate a decent passing offense.
I agree. Gonna believe they win all those road games when I see it though. This is the SEC, not easy to win on the road against your swing games. I'd still think 6-7 wins is what to expect. Anything more is gravy. That's not being pessimistic either.
One other thing under Stoops, considering the talent deficiency we have had up until recently we have competed fairly well at times on the road including big win at Mizzou last year, a win a USC the previous year and what should have been a win over the Gators at the Swamp in 14.
Good. Beating MSU this year at their place would be big. LOTS riding on 1st year jucos on that D. Maybe it works out for them but our experience has certainly been that a Juco is next to worthless year one.
I really think the 3rd week USCjr game at their place will be a huge litmus test for this team. The place will be rocking after we've beat them 3 years in a row. Win this game and I fully expect to beat Florida the next week at home...then its game on for the East
Fitzgerald threw 4 first half picks . . . . FIRST HALF.
Either he is a poor passer, or the Miss State secondary has taken a great leap forward.
You're sad because Fitzgerald isn't a good passer?accuracy and consistency aren't his long suite
not really but I take no delight in a kids failure either regardless of who he plays for.You're sad because Fitzgerald isn't a good passer?
I think he's a streaky passer, he's been known to get hot and put some yards up, but in general he isn't accurate at all. I think he made their defense look a lot better during the spring game than it actually is.
I think we beat them this year at their place, if we can contain Fitz and not let him run all over the place and beat us with his arm then we should be in great shape. I think their defense looking so good was a product of Fitz playing so poorly.
Think about it he threw 4 picks with out facing any real game pressure and in general it's a glorified practice. I think their secondary was a product of him playing so poorly. I like our odds.
