Everyone saw the game. We played without 5 starters and some key backups, and we beat a team that was ranked #2 in the country at its high water mark earlier this season. At times, it wasn't pretty. I thought we missed Dare Rosenthal a lot. Will Levis was sacked 6 times but still managed to pull the game out of the fire in the 4th quarter. It has been called a gritty win. I thought it was one of the gutsiest football performances I have ever seen.
I have to give IA some credit. The Hawkeyes' defense was really tough, and their offense was better and more opportunistic than I expected. But at the end of the day, UK is 10-3 and Mark Stoops is rightly being hailed across the country as a brilliant program builder. Thank goodness for Stoops, Marrow, and Barnhart.
My family was in section 106, right behind UK's bench, surrounded by a sea of great UK fans. Blue everywhere. Coach Charlie Bailey's son and his family were seated in our section, as well as some players' families. A UK law student was the cheerleader for our section.
Josh Paschal, Octavious Oxendine, Clevan Thomas, Moses Douglass, Paul Rodriguez, and RJ Adams were in shorts on UK's sideline. OO was wearing a heavy leg brace. KD McDaniel, Jared Casey, and Nick Scalzo were suited up even though they are in the transfer portal. Scalzo was wearing a headset and communicating with our coaches. McDaniel actually played in the game. (Maybe he will stay?)
After the game, Austin Dotson spent a few minutes standing near the sideline looking up into the throng of UK fans in the stands, and I had the distinct feeling that the realization of having just played his final game in blue and white was hitting him hard.
To the eye, DeMarcus Harris, Quintin Wilson, Jamarius Dinkins, Martez Thrower, Trevon Morgan, and Justice Dingle appear larger than their listed heights and weights. Wandale, Oxendine, Adams, Kenneth Horsey, and Luke Fulton appear smaller than listed. Bully McCall, Luke Fortner, Darian Kinnard, and Jeremy Flax are huge human beings. Overall, our football team was noticeably bigger than IA's players. We were also faster. It is amazing what Stoops and Marrow have done with our roster.
It was really hot, sunny, and bright. Beautiful day for sure, but sweltering. The sunshine reflected off our players' silver helmets so brightly that it was sometimes difficult to look directly at them. The game time temperature in Orlando was 84, but the temperature on the field was >100. I have never been hotter at a football game, that's for sure. Now and then, the sun would pass behind a cloud and there would be a minute or two of relief. But I can't imagine how the players got through the game in that intense heat.
Now Coach Stoops has won four consecutive bowl games. Our coordinators just booked big raises, and it seems that our coaching staff is as stable as an SEC coaching staff can realistically get although Coach Sumrall must still be replaced. We are losing at least eleven senior starters, maybe thirteen, and we have not heard from Wandale or Rosenthal yet about their future intentions. A big retooling job lies ahead in the spring, and a big wave of transfers is bound to be incoming. Here we go again.
I have to give IA some credit. The Hawkeyes' defense was really tough, and their offense was better and more opportunistic than I expected. But at the end of the day, UK is 10-3 and Mark Stoops is rightly being hailed across the country as a brilliant program builder. Thank goodness for Stoops, Marrow, and Barnhart.
My family was in section 106, right behind UK's bench, surrounded by a sea of great UK fans. Blue everywhere. Coach Charlie Bailey's son and his family were seated in our section, as well as some players' families. A UK law student was the cheerleader for our section.
Josh Paschal, Octavious Oxendine, Clevan Thomas, Moses Douglass, Paul Rodriguez, and RJ Adams were in shorts on UK's sideline. OO was wearing a heavy leg brace. KD McDaniel, Jared Casey, and Nick Scalzo were suited up even though they are in the transfer portal. Scalzo was wearing a headset and communicating with our coaches. McDaniel actually played in the game. (Maybe he will stay?)
After the game, Austin Dotson spent a few minutes standing near the sideline looking up into the throng of UK fans in the stands, and I had the distinct feeling that the realization of having just played his final game in blue and white was hitting him hard.
To the eye, DeMarcus Harris, Quintin Wilson, Jamarius Dinkins, Martez Thrower, Trevon Morgan, and Justice Dingle appear larger than their listed heights and weights. Wandale, Oxendine, Adams, Kenneth Horsey, and Luke Fulton appear smaller than listed. Bully McCall, Luke Fortner, Darian Kinnard, and Jeremy Flax are huge human beings. Overall, our football team was noticeably bigger than IA's players. We were also faster. It is amazing what Stoops and Marrow have done with our roster.
It was really hot, sunny, and bright. Beautiful day for sure, but sweltering. The sunshine reflected off our players' silver helmets so brightly that it was sometimes difficult to look directly at them. The game time temperature in Orlando was 84, but the temperature on the field was >100. I have never been hotter at a football game, that's for sure. Now and then, the sun would pass behind a cloud and there would be a minute or two of relief. But I can't imagine how the players got through the game in that intense heat.
Now Coach Stoops has won four consecutive bowl games. Our coordinators just booked big raises, and it seems that our coaching staff is as stable as an SEC coaching staff can realistically get although Coach Sumrall must still be replaced. We are losing at least eleven senior starters, maybe thirteen, and we have not heard from Wandale or Rosenthal yet about their future intentions. A big retooling job lies ahead in the spring, and a big wave of transfers is bound to be incoming. Here we go again.
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