General Impression of Spring Game . . . .We Have Depth

[The-Hack]

I'm no RV, and those others who have the 85 (or is it 86 now) scholly players penciled in at their respective spots and positions on the depth chart.

Like most, a few names took me by surprise . . . . usually I could strain my memory on some of the names that popped up during the Spring Game and sortta' remember their recruitment.

Still, throughout the game, I saw lots and lots of youngsters that looked like college and SEC football players running around that still have "freshman" or "sophomore" attached to their resume.

Looney was a bit of a surprise to me. Kid has size and moves well with it.

There were many other pleasant surprises to me, as well.

I guess most old timers on here remember the days of green jerseys on O-linemen so they could play both sides of the ball . . . .

And two-deep players who were such obvious step-downs from the first string. . . .

And walk-ons manning many second string positions . . . .

Things are achangin, my friends.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

Most talented uk squad I can ever remember. We're truly on our way

 

[Sawnee Cat]

I enjoyed the game as much as any in a long time. I even forgot about a high all star basketball game being played at the same time.

 

[mrschwump]

Expected/hoped to see more from Bonner/Bannerman. A door may have been opened for an incoming freshman or two.

 

[CastleRubric]

How did the 1st team and back up offensive linemen look specifically?

Any injuries along the O Line yet?

 

[Crankdatmustard]

No injuries from anywhere other than RB Rose but he will be just fine with a neck stinger.

Fall can't get here soon enough. Most exciting offseason since 2007 and across the boards we have a stronger a roster than that team.

Cant Wait!

 

[ZZZZCat]

Expected/hoped to see more from Bonner/Bannerman. A door may have been opened for an incoming freshman or two.

Boogie kicked it open

 

[Blouman]

There has been a lot mentioned about Hoak and for good reason. To put it simply
I liked that he looked like he knew what he was doing out there.

 

[3kidsandme]

Boogie kicked it open

Two star with limited offers. This staff has found some hidden gems at backer.

 

[THE_OAK]

Three words I never thought I'd get to hear when referring to our roster "We Have Depth." While we are still not at top tier depth, we are making strides and climbing that ladder. The future looks bright for our squad.

 

[matt_man]

We have the talent to field a good team for 2-3 years, even if we have a couple of bad classes come in.
We're gonna see a team full of guys who doesn't think it's okay to lose.

 

[CastleRubric]

CAN NOT WAIT to tee it up.......need to check out the schedule --- I only recall us picking up Ole Miss from the West --- hopefully we get another shot at S Miss

 

[TBCat]

How did the 1st team and back up offensive linemen look specifically?

Any injuries along the O Line yet?

The OL will not be a problem. Nor will depth. Most positions there was noticeable gaps between the starters and backups. That wasn't true of the OL. We can sub out all 5 starters and not lose much.

 

[CastleRubric]

The OL will not be a problem. Nor will depth. Most positions there was noticeable gaps between the starters and backups. That wasn't true of the OL. We can sub out all 5 starters and not lose much.

OH MOMMA



OH MOTHERRRRRRRR!!!

 

[Madcat62]

i just hope they open up the QB job johnson looked no better then last year have to add a passing game this year last year only game with a real passing game was ul and that was because they sold out with 11 players on the line of scrimmage can not depend on your RB's to get 400 or 500 yards a game all season

 

[Blue Decade]

I'm no RV, and those others who have the 85 (or is it 86 now) scholly players penciled in at their respective spots and positions on the depth chart.

Like most, a few names took me by surprise . . . . usually I could strain my memory on some of the names that popped up during the Spring Game and sortta' remember their recruitment.

Still, throughout the game, I saw lots and lots of youngsters that looked like college and SEC football players running around that still have "freshman" or "sophomore" attached to their resume.

Looney was a bit of a surprise to me. Kid has size and moves well with it.

There were many other pleasant surprises to me, as well.

I guess most old timers on here remember the days of green jerseys on O-linemen so they could play both sides of the ball . . . .

And two-deep players who were such obvious step-downs from the first string. . . .

And walk-ons manning many second string positions . . . .

Things are achangin, my friends.

Good news: Quality depth is improved at every defensive position, and seriously improved at some defensive positions. Quality depth is also improved at the receiver positions and on the offensive line. Gunnar Hoak is the real deal.

Bad news: Punting problem has not yet been solved. Jordan Jones not taking care of his business. The limitation that held back Stephen Johnson's performances at times last fall (slow to visualize of the field and pick out receivers) is still a struggle for him. This is a surprise since Johnson looked so good against Louisville, and maybe he will always be a guy who only performs at his best under extreme pressure.

 

[K_TIME]

i just hope they open up the QB job johnson looked no better then last year have to add a passing game this year last year only game with a real passing game was ul and that was because they sold out with 11 players on the line of scrimmage can not depend on your RB's to get 400 or 500 yards a game all season

Stephen Johnson's last 7 games were pretty strong after a rather shaky start to last year

Miss St 17-33 292 yards 2 TD
Mizzou 14-23 209 yards 2 TD 1 Int
UGA 10-20 103 yards 1 Int (off of Badet's shoulder which should have been a TD)
UT 12-29 192 yards 1 int
Austin Peay...had to come in 2nd qtr to go 5-9 101 yards and 2 TDs
UL 16-27 338 yards 3TD 1 Int
Ga Tech 19-34 175 yards 1 TD

And I'm not even counting his rushing stats which add to his value at QB. Johnson more than showed his worth not just in UL game but all 7 games down the stretch. His biggest need is to lower the fumbles. I think we'll see his short passing game improve and he'll be just fine at QB...plus in a real game he'll be able to run the ball which he wasn't able to do in spring game.

 

[CastleRubric]

I don't have any problem with Johnson starting personally - like his experience, like how he handled himself coming in unexpectedly in his first year with the pgm

I trust the staff to handle the competition and evaluation with the backups -- I have a sense they know what what they're doing and when to substitute etc

Should be a really good year -

keeping up the momentum against teams like South Carolina and Missouri will be critical

can't wait to see them travel to SO MISS and hopefully come out RABID

 

[Poetax]

I don't have any problem with Johnson starting personally - like his experience, like how he handled himself coming in unexpectedly in his first year with the pgm

I trust the staff to handle the competition and evaluation with the backups -- I have a sense they know what what they're doing and when to substitute etc

Should be a really good year -

keeping up the momentum against teams like South Carolina and Missouri will be critical

can't wait to see them travel to SO MISS and hopefully come out RABID

Yeah you have to allow Johnson to show what he can do, especially with him having the whole summer to work on his weaknesses. But I do hope the staff show that they are only willing to go so far in a game if a starter is just stinking up the place. And no knock to the linebackers who left, but Davis and Watson were all over the place on the field, and they didn't look lost doing it.

 

[3kidsandme]

Spring game was not an indication of who Johnson will be. He played like he wanted to put on show. There is no qb comp

 

[Jbapp1978]

Three words I never thought I'd get to hear when referring to our roster "We Have Depth." While we are still not at top tier depth, we are making strides and climbing that ladder. The future looks bright for our squad.

I see 4 wins. I have been on record All off season. We will be favored in only 4 games and i believe we win 4 however, USM is no where near a lock. We have only won 1 or 2 SEC away games in like 10 years. Being a fan doesnt mean you have to be unrealistic. It upsets posters here if you dont see things there way. I hope and pray for a break out season._._7-6 is not a good year, its just not. But if we do well il be glad, im not rooting against us.

 

[deuces r wild]

Two star with limited offers. This staff has found some hidden gems at backer.

My nephew played at the same school as Boogie Watson and stated that Boogie would have been a much more highly recruited had he played football, as his main sport. Boogie was a hooper until his junior year of high school and has only played football for 3 years.

 

[un4getables]

I see 4 wins. I have been on record All off season. We will be favored in only 4 games and i believe we win 4 however, USM is no where near a lock. We have only won 1 or 2 SEC away games in like 10 years. Being a fan doesnt mean you have to be unrealistic. It upsets posters here if you dont see things there way. I hope and pray for a break out season._._7-6 is not a good year, its just not. But if we do well il be glad, im not rooting against us.

Ha ha. 4 wins. Now that's funny This is U.K. Not little Brudder down for h road

 

[bigbluewildcat84]

UK is getting to the point where it needs to be competitive with the rest of the SEC. QB isn't our strongest point on the offense but in combination with the running attack and a protective offensive line, those weak points are covered up.

The real weakness I see on defense is NT and MLB. Pringle will be effective in the NT role but Elam will struggle when Pringle needs a break. Unless he improves more, Love is ok, but the position can not be considered a strong point. I look for Kash to pass him on the depth chart this year.

 

[UKSanders]

Yeah you have to allow Johnson to show what he can do, especially with him having the whole summer to work on his weaknesses. But I do hope the staff show that they are only willing to go so far in a game if a starter is just stinking up the place. And no knock to the linebackers who left, but Davis and Watson were all over the place on the field, and they didn't look lost doing it.

I know Laster, Firios and Kobie Walker left, but wasn't Laster the only LB who played significant snaps left this past offseason? That's probably even a stretch b/c it seems like he was injured a good bit during the season. Other than that, Firios played a lot on ST.

 

[9FFrodo]

Only real issue I saw in the Spring game was DL. Our edge rushers will be fine, but the big bodies are just not that good. The younger guys may continue to improve.

Once we add in a few of the true frosh contributors, all other positions will be pretty darned good. Especially for UK historically.

 

[THE_OAK]

I see 4 wins. I have been on record All off season. We will be favored in only 4 games and i believe we win 4 however, USM is no where near a lock. We have only won 1 or 2 SEC away games in like 10 years. Being a fan doesnt mean you have to be unrealistic. It upsets posters here if you dont see things there way. I hope and pray for a break out season._._7-6 is not a good year, its just not. But if we do well il be glad, im not rooting against us.

I don't know why you quoted my post to go on your 4 wins rant, but okay.

 

[jauk11]

We have the talent to field a good team for 2-3 years, even if we have a couple of bad classes come in.
We're gonna see a team full of guys who doesn't think it's okay to lose.

And if this talent live up to expectations we will have even better talent following them.

A sleeping giant, a great FOOTBALL fan base, a great State University in the SEC, coaches that treat their players right, a very nice campus and city.,new facilities, and now coaches that look like they can both recruit, AND coach.

A lot of truth in all those statements, I love it, but we are still a few years behind a lot of teams in the SEC, improvement yes, take over the SEC right away, no..

 

[Poetax]

I know Laster, Firios and Kobie Walker left, but wasn't Laster the only LB who played significant snaps left this past offseason? That's probably even a stretch b/c it seems like he was injured a good bit during the season. Other than that, Firios played a lot on ST.

So the youngsters didn't impress you, l'm shocked.

 

[jauk11]

I don't know why you quoted my post to go on your 4 wins rant, but okay.

But he is

I see 4 wins. I have been on record All off season. We will be favored in only 4 games and i believe we win 4 however, USM is no where near a lock. We have only won 1 or 2 SEC away games in like 10 years. Being a fan doesnt mean you have to be unrealistic. It upsets posters here if you dont see things there way. I hope and pray for a break out season._._7-6 is not a good year, its just not. But if we do well il be glad, im not rooting against us.

He is a huge fan, right, just trying to set us straight, right? And we know this because he told us so.

 

[jauk11]

I see 4 wins. I have been on record All off season. We will be favored in only 4 games and i believe we win 4 however, USM is no where near a lock. We have only won 1 or 2 SEC away games in like 10 years. Being a fan doesnt mean you have to be unrealistic. It upsets posters here if you dont see things there way. I hope and pray for a break out season._._7-6 is not a good year, its just not. But if we do well il be glad, im not rooting against us.

You are a funny guy, you need to be on a stage somewhere.

 

[Jbapp1978]

You are a funny guy, you need to be on a stage somewhere.

Why because our opinions are different? Because i dont say we are gonna win 10 games and win the east? Why cant we peacefully share how we feel? You think im a troll for saying 4 wins, how many do you think we win? If you say a high number i will feel thats totally unrealistic but at least i wont persecute you for feeling that way.

And then like i said, im not rooting against us, i want to go undefeated. Im just being honest so if we do win 5-10 games its not like il be angry, il be very happy.

 

[Jbapp1978]

But he is


He is a huge fan, right, just trying to set us straight, right? And we know this because he told us so.

im not trying to change how you feel. All i can say is i love my team i refuse to be a sunshine pumping hypocrit by pumping us up saying we are the best and getting mad when people dont agree but being the first to say we suck when we lose to teams like USM like hundreds of posters here do. Im realistic, and il always be honest and you will never stop me or change me so you best ignore me because im not a follower. Its amazing how people like you get when someone differs in opinion with you. How you feel about us is reciprocated but i refuse to try to make you look stupid. At the end of the day how you feel is your right and it just isnt a big deal.

 

[Jbapp1978]

I don't know why you quoted my post to go on your 4 wins rant, but okay.

I guess i was talking to you, but you got your butt wet and thought you were superior than me for daring to speak to you. You showed me.

 

[TNTUK]

The OL will not be a problem. Nor will depth. Most positions there was noticeable gaps between the starters and backups. That wasn't true of the OL. We can sub out all 5 starters and not lose much.

Most? Which positions did you see a big drop off?

 

[TNTUK]

I see 4 wins. I have been on record All off season. We will be favored in only 4 games and i believe we win 4 however, USM is no where near a lock. We have only won 1 or 2 SEC away games in like 10 years. Being a fan doesnt mean you have to be unrealistic. It upsets posters here if you dont see things there way. I hope and pray for a break out season._._7-6 is not a good year, its just not. But if we do well il be glad, im not rooting against us.

Lol. We return 17 starters, and 38/44 on the two-deep from last year, not including red shirts that will play this fall and incoming freshman like Paschal and Bowden coming in this fall, and you throw out 4 wins?

 

[Jbapp1978]

Lol. We return 17 starters, and 38/44 on the two-deep from last year, not including red shirts that will play this fall and incoming freshman like Paschal and Bowden coming in this fall, and you throw out 4 wins?

laugh away! While i really hope we have a great, special year, il be here when posters start tearing this board to shreds after every loss, calling for Stoops head, why isnt gunnar hoak playing blah, blah. You probably think USM is a lock too huh? Lol smh. Yeah i throw out 4 wins cuz beyond those 4 games we will be underdogs in every last game after those 4.

 

[Poetax]

Spring game was not an indication of who Johnson will be. He played like he wanted to put on show. There is no qb comp

I hope you're wrong, because if Johnson is having a bad day, our backup better be prepared to play because we won't beat the top teams staying in the wildcat every play in every game.

 

[Deeeefense]

Im realistic, and il always be honest

you say you're realistic but to predict 4 wins for a 7 win team that is returning 85% of it's two deep and adding more talent via JUCO and redshirts, and is arguable the deepest most talented team top to bottom that we have had since the late 70s is, by any measure very unrealistic. None the less you have a right to articulate your opinion and call it realistic if you choose, but others have the right to disagree or even laugh at you for doing so - as long as everyone keeps it respectful and civil.

 

[TNTUK]

laugh away! While i really hope we have a great, special year, il be here when posters start tearing this board to shreds after every loss, calling for Stoops head, why isnt gunnar hoak playing blah, blah. You probably think USM is a lock too huh? Lol smh. Yeah i throw out 4 wins cuz beyond those 4 games we will be underdogs in every last game after those 4.

How many games were we favored to win in 2016? (Hint: it wasn't 7 games).