Where does UK's football program stand now?

[PowerofPelphrey]

After all the shit you people talked last year after the bowl game it has been really fun this year watching you get slapped back to reality.

Where did this idiot come from... StuperTodd .. we beat Penn St. and Louisville one of those must be your team.

 

[Rembrandt90]

I like your OP and appreciate your analysis. I agree with most of it. Unfortunately on a public message board you don't get to pick and choose your target audience. Everyone can read it and those whom disagree with you can respond and will. If you want like minded discussion, stick to Facebook where you can decide who gets to read and comment.

I never suggested people couldn’t read what I posted. I did indicate who I was addressing, but you are overreacting. Every post that attempts to get personal is a post that isn’t discussing football. Clearly, it is my intention to discuss football.

 

[Phil_The_Music]

I never suggested people couldn’t read what I posted. I did indicate who I was addressing, but you are overreacting. Every post that attempts to get personal is a post that isn’t discussing football. Clearly, it is my intention to discuss football.

Fair enough.

 

[Xception]

I think it’s unfair to make a determination about the program in a season that you lose your starting qb a couple of games in. It’s time to circle the wagons as fans instead of raining criticism all the time. There’s things I’ve not been happy about, I’ve made my points and moved on. We’ve had a considerable amount of bad fortune so far, undeserved and self inflicted.

 

[ChurchHillcat]

A terribly wounded team that looks like it dosen't have much left. That's what Paul Finebaum said today.

 

[JASUN74]

A terribly wounded team that looks like it dosen't have much left. That's what Paul Finebaum said today.

Thanks for bringing that up. I didn’t watch today.
Personally, I like Paul, but we’re about to prove his assessment wrong. We’ve got plenty of talent and players who are hungry and will fight their hearts out. I’m not talking about next year, I’m talking about today. We’re down a little bit for sure, but we’re going to be ready to turn this back around Saturday and this will give our kids some much needed confidence.

I’m still very excited about the future of this program and believe we will definitely be competing for a playoff spot within the next few years. But this year, it’s going to take Smith a couple games to get the feel for his players and the energy of the SEC. It’s a different ballgame at this level, and the quickness of these athletes is something he’s just never had to deal with. He’s going to get better every single game though and in turn we’ll also get better every game as a team.

I look for more excitement from our players this weekend, I look for more focus and look for them to take a huge step in the right direction. Of course it would take anyone in the world time to get going after losing their starting Quarterback in this system , but you better believe this kid can play football, so let’s not blame anyone and like others are saying, support this team and let’s stay optimistic and positive about this program.

I know a lot of people predicted the outcome this year before it started. I saw way too many 6 or 7 wins for my taste. I personally thought we’d go 10-2, losing to Georgia and either one of Florida or Mississippi State(because it’s in Mississippi)!! Well, it just happens we lost two of the three of those Already!! So what?

Nothing has changed for me. I, like most of you understand we don’t have Georgia’s talent level and that’s going to be very hard to win in Athens. I 100% believe we can win every other game on this schedule, and if we even lose another one, it’s still one hell of a season. We have a unbelievable bunch of young men and whole lot of talent on this team. I don’t care what the final record is as long as there’s effort every game, and I guarantee you from this point on we’ll see a different Kentucky Football team.

 

[anon_013cn8yrfncx2]

If the team doesn't quit, then 7-5 should be doable. That's OK considering what's happened.

But they need to hold it together and get to that finish.

 

[PhattyJ4UK]

I still think 8 or 9 is very doable this year.

We just have to have better game plans. Slinging it 41 times isnt our style. And dont say we were behind... we were behind because we came out throwing and threw a pick 6. We could have won that game, even after getting down, by running the ball.

The talents is there.. and we should NEVER go back to the dayd where 2-4 wins was max. Tennessee has taken that role. We need to finish this year out strong and have an east contender next year. I like Terry, but I wouldn't be upset if a stud QB emerged.

 

[ManitouDan]

Prior to yesterday's road game at MS St, I posted a comment addressing the "fork in the road" this weekend for our football team. Now that we are 2-2, this comment is a follow up to that line of thought. All kinds of posters offer their comments on this board. Some were never in Mark Stoops' corner in the first place, and will inevitably default to their negative persona when given that opportunity. Others basically want UK to be successful, but can't appreciate the enormity of the task and don't have the necessary patience to stay positive during challenging weeks. And some just want a patient, cold-blooded, analytical discussion about the foundation and projection curve for our football program. I am in this final group, and that is the target audience for this post.

I do not know what our final record will be. I don't know if we will beat South Carolina in Columbia, Tennessee in Lexington, or Vandy in Nashville. Time will answer those questions. I would like to discuss the overall direction of our football program from a strategic point of view.

All football teams have strengths and weaknesses. The current weaknesses of our football team are the QB and the secondary. That does not mean the QB and secondary will be our team's weaknesses a month from now. Nobody knows that. But there are some clues.

QB- TW and Sawyer Smith are juniors. TW made mistakes and threw some picks in 2018. But TW was surrounded by veterans in 2018, including an All American RG and the most productive RB in UK history. By the time TW was injured two weeks ago, there had been an obvious improvement in his efficiency and mastery of our play book.

But this is Sawyer Smith's team now. Smith has practiced with our first team offense for two weeks and been with the team for only seven weeks. How long will it take Smith to master Eddie Gran's offense? Put another way, will it be Sawyer Smith's team a year from now? Or will TW recapture the starting job when he is healthy again? TW will miss spring practice. That gives a big advantage to Smith.

But in the meantime, Smith is missing opportunities to win football games. When we drill down to facts, his three turnovers cost us last week's UF game. Yesterday, Smith threw a pick-six to MS St LB Willie Gay in the first quarter. That mistake killed an early UK drive and put our football team on its heels. We never recovered. There is nothing wrong with Smith's courage. He has guts. His arm strength is good enough, unless his throwing shoulder is injured. (God help us if it is.) Does Smith have the quick judgment, great vision of the whole field, and leadership ability to become a successful SEC QB? We might not know the answer for another month. But if he does have that level of talent, how long will it be before he gets the big turnovers under control? There is no way to know, but our 2019 football season directly depends on that now.

RB- All will return in 2020. Yesterday proved a lot of people were wrong about AJ Rose last week. They can eat crow now or postpone the inevitable. Kavosiey Smoke did not have a good game yesterday, but he is a solid young RB. Once the current commits are on the roster, depth will be impressive. None of these guys are Benny Snell, but RB will not be a team weakness.

WR- Ahmad Wagner is the only senior. Wagner and Josh Ali are becoming impact receivers. Lynn Bowden needs to get his head straight and stop dropping passes, but is the best athlete on our offense. Bowden might leave early, but not unless he is projected as a significant draft choice. Younger receivers like Allen Dailey and Bryce Oliver are ready to step up. DeMarcus Harris and Tae Tae Crumes will be ready to contribute in 2020. The four current commits are the best group we have brought on board in years.

TE- All will be back in 2020. Rigg is a great blocker who catches passes in traffic. Upshaw is an emerging star who can get downfield into the seams. Bates hasn't played much yet, but has talent. Ognenovic looks like a solid prospect.

OL- Stenberg and Wolfe are the only seniors. Four starters will return in 2020. Watkins, Dotson, Horsey, Lewis, Wilson, Cox, and Pope look like solid young players. The three current commits are highly recruited prospects with impressive offer sheets.

DL- Carter, Taylor, and Hoskins are the only seniors. Bohanna is still learning how to prepare and keep himself in shape, so I don't believe he will leave early. Looney, Abadi-Fitzgerald, Hawkins, Mahone, and McCall are coming along nicely. Gibson and Butler are solid prospects. The three current commits are the best DL class Stoops has recruited so far. Our DL should be a team strength for years to come.

LB- Kash Daniel is the only senior. Paschal and Square are having impact seasons. Oats and Wright look like future stars. The roster is populated by lots of talented, athletic young LBs, so competition will be intense for the foreseeable future. Our LBs will be another team strength.

DB- Jordan Griffin is the only senior. Injured safety Davonte Robinson will be back in 2020. There is no shortage of SEC talent in our secondary. Corker, Ajian, and Brown look like future stars. Douglass could be better than all of them. It's a question of gaining experience. There are three solid commitments, but the best may be yet to come in the recruiting class.

This is not a wasted season. IMO, a minor bowl remains likely. That outcome will bitterly disappoint some fans, but it can't be helped. Our offense suddenly lost its leader two weeks ago. Our new QB will need some time to work with our first team offense in practice and get control of his tendency to throw into double coverages. Working through progressions and finding open receivers does not always come easily or happen right away for some QBs. This will frustrate and anger some of our fans. But it isn't the fault of our coaches, and all the public pontification and misplaced anger in the world will not change this reality. And the reality is that we have a backup QB and an inexperienced secondary that must continue to learn how to win SEC games. We aren't there yet. Nothing can be accomplished by playing the blame game. That just pisses people off. But it's always darkest before the dawn.

Here is the bigger picture. Nine offensive starters, seven defensive starters, and the SEC's best punter will return in 2020 along with more quality depth at almost every position. The current recruiting class appears to be the best of the Stoops era. The overall upward direction of Mark Stoops' football program is intact.

Our coaches and players still deserve your support. They just beat PA St in the Citrus Bowl, and they are working hard now to overcome a season-ending injury to our starting QB. It is time to appreciate the bigger picture and circle the wagons.

My eyes were too tired to red the entire thread last night , but thats a really super post . I can be too hard on the team because of a few individual mistakes that Stoops had nothing to do with .. he cant kick the ball thru the uprights , he cant block for a lineman on a crucial 4th down play . I get irritated with him because I dont like his play calling most of the time .. like last years seemingly refusal to throw to the stud TE , or this year riding Rose while Smoke looks more productive , and the lack of bringing more blitz packages to protect our secondary. ( and mishandling the KD fiasco) .. but in the larger 30K feet view from above we are in pretty good shape , without losing Terry and making 1 simple short kick we could be in position for a second straight historic type year. But we shall play with what we got and hopefully take full advantage of a very favorable schedule . Win this week , take care of business against the 2 Tn teams , beat lil bro's ass and win a mediocre bowl I'd be happy . IF .. IF we get decent QB from SS we should do that , but that kid gotta learn he cant gun sling it into coverage ! C A T S .. I love the Cats .

 

[CatGotMyTongue]

I'll read chapter two tomorrow.

This is definitely a bridge season. Hopefully it will result in a 7-8 win campaign and keep the momentum going into what should be a great year in 2020.

“Bridge Season”. I actually like that term.

 

[ManitouDan]

Really good thread , deserves a bump

 

[Rembrandt90]

My eyes were too tired to red the entire thread last night , but thats a really super post . I can be too hard on the team because of a few individual mistakes that Stoops had nothing to do with .. he cant kick the ball thru the uprights , he cant block for a lineman on a crucial 4th down play . I get irritated with him because I dont like his play calling most of the time .. like last years seemingly refusal to throw to the stud TE , or this year riding Rose while Smoke looks more productive , and the lack of bringing more blitz packages to protect our secondary. ( and mishandling the KD fiasco) .. but in the larger 30K feet view from above we are in pretty good shape , without losing Terry and making 1 simple short kick we could be in position for a second straight historic type year. But we shall play with what we got and hopefully take full advantage of a very favorable schedule . Win this week , take care of business against the 2 Tn teams , beat lil bro's ass and win a mediocre bowl I'd be happy . IF .. IF we get decent QB from SS we should do that , but that kid gotta learn he cant gun sling it into coverage ! C A T S .. I love the Cats .

Yes. Perspectives are like microwave ovens. Everybody has one, and they tend to get heated up quickly. I have always tried to take the long view. Stuff happens in football, and coaches can only control some of it. Coaches can recruit and develop talent. Coaches can participate in fundraising. But coaches cannot make plays. Players have to do that. And coaches cannot prevent injuries. My point is that our coaches have earned our support, and that our 2020 roster is loaded as long as we have a healthy QB who fits our offense and has the skills to make it work.

In the meantime, people can overlook the importance of the injuries and get upset about last week. Or, they can comprehend the larger picture and appreciate how far our roster has come since 2013. The later suggestion still seems to make some people angry, but I think those folks are just incorrigible. In 2018, Mark Stoops was named SEC coach of the year, and College Football News had Stoops at the top of their list of nation’s best coaching performances. That says a lot. The man knows what he is doing. Injuries are unfortunate, but things will get better.

 

[jlkirk]

Prior to yesterday's road game at MS St, I posted a comment addressing the "fork in the road" this weekend for our football team. Now that we are 2-2, this comment is a follow up to that line of thought. All kinds of posters offer their comments on this board. Some were never in Mark Stoops' corner in the first place, and will inevitably default to their negative persona when given that opportunity. Others basically want UK to be successful, but can't appreciate the enormity of the task and don't have the necessary patience to stay positive during challenging weeks. And some just want a patient, cold-blooded, analytical discussion about the foundation and projection curve for our football program. I am in this final group, and that is the target audience for this post.

I do not know what our final record will be. I don't know if we will beat South Carolina in Columbia, Tennessee in Lexington, or Vandy in Nashville. Time will answer those questions. I would like to discuss the overall direction of our football program from a strategic point of view.

All football teams have strengths and weaknesses. The current weaknesses of our football team are the QB and the secondary. That does not mean the QB and secondary will be our team's weaknesses a month from now. Nobody knows that. But there are some clues.

QB- TW and Sawyer Smith are juniors. TW made mistakes and threw some picks in 2018. But TW was surrounded by veterans in 2018, including an All American RG and the most productive RB in UK history. By the time TW was injured two weeks ago, there had been an obvious improvement in his efficiency and mastery of our play book.

But this is Sawyer Smith's team now. Smith has practiced with our first team offense for two weeks and been with the team for only seven weeks. How long will it take Smith to master Eddie Gran's offense? Put another way, will it be Sawyer Smith's team a year from now? Or will TW recapture the starting job when he is healthy again? TW will miss spring practice. That gives a big advantage to Smith.

But in the meantime, Smith is missing opportunities to win football games. When we drill down to facts, his three turnovers cost us last week's UF game. Yesterday, Smith threw a pick-six to MS St LB Willie Gay in the first quarter. That mistake killed an early UK drive and put our football team on its heels. We never recovered. There is nothing wrong with Smith's courage. He has guts. His arm strength is good enough, unless his throwing shoulder is injured. (God help us if it is.) Does Smith have the quick judgment, great vision of the whole field, and leadership ability to become a successful SEC QB? We might not know the answer for another month. But if he does have that level of talent, how long will it be before he gets the big turnovers under control? There is no way to know, but our 2019 football season directly depends on that now.

RB- All will return in 2020. Yesterday proved a lot of people were wrong about AJ Rose last week. They can eat crow now or postpone the inevitable. Kavosiey Smoke did not have a good game yesterday, but he is a solid young RB. Once the current commits are on the roster, depth will be impressive. None of these guys are Benny Snell, but RB will not be a team weakness.

WR- Ahmad Wagner is the only senior. Wagner and Josh Ali are becoming impact receivers. Lynn Bowden needs to get his head straight and stop dropping passes, but is the best athlete on our offense. Bowden might leave early, but not unless he is projected as a significant draft choice. Younger receivers like Allen Dailey and Bryce Oliver are ready to step up. DeMarcus Harris and Tae Tae Crumes will be ready to contribute in 2020. The four current commits are the best group we have brought on board in years.

TE- All will be back in 2020. Rigg is a great blocker who catches passes in traffic. Upshaw is an emerging star who can get downfield into the seams. Bates hasn't played much yet, but has talent. Ognenovic looks like a solid prospect.

OL- Stenberg and Wolfe are the only seniors. Four starters will return in 2020. Watkins, Dotson, Horsey, Lewis, Wilson, Cox, and Pope look like solid young players. The three current commits are highly recruited prospects with impressive offer sheets.

DL- Carter, Taylor, and Hoskins are the only seniors. Bohanna is still learning how to prepare and keep himself in shape, so I don't believe he will leave early. Looney, Abadi-Fitzgerald, Hawkins, Mahone, and McCall are coming along nicely. Gibson and Butler are solid prospects. The three current commits are the best DL class Stoops has recruited so far. Our DL should be a team strength for years to come.

LB- Kash Daniel is the only senior. Paschal and Square are having impact seasons. Oats and Wright look like future stars. The roster is populated by lots of talented, athletic young LBs, so competition will be intense for the foreseeable future. Our LBs will be another team strength.

DB- Jordan Griffin is the only senior. Injured safety Davonte Robinson will be back in 2020. There is no shortage of SEC talent in our secondary. Corker, Ajian, and Brown look like future stars. Douglass could be better than all of them. It's a question of gaining experience. There are three solid commitments, but the best may be yet to come in the recruiting class.

This is not a wasted season. IMO, a minor bowl remains likely. That outcome will bitterly disappoint some fans, but it can't be helped. Our offense suddenly lost its leader two weeks ago. Our new QB will need some time to work with our first team offense in practice and get control of his tendency to throw into double coverages. Working through progressions and finding open receivers does not always come easily or happen right away for some QBs. This will frustrate and anger some of our fans. But it isn't the fault of our coaches, and all the public pontification and misplaced anger in the world will not change this reality. And the reality is that we have a backup QB and an inexperienced secondary that must continue to learn how to win SEC games. We aren't there yet. Nothing can be accomplished by playing the blame game. That just pisses people off. But it's always darkest before the dawn.

Here is the bigger picture. Nine offensive starters, seven defensive starters, and the SEC's best punter will return in 2020 along with more quality depth at almost every position. The current recruiting class appears to be the best of the Stoops era. The overall upward direction of Mark Stoops' football program is intact.

Our coaches and players still deserve your support. They just beat PA St in the Citrus Bowl, and they are working hard now to overcome a season-ending injury to our starting QB. It is time to appreciate the bigger picture and circle the wagons.

How is current recruiting going for those still out there (Tisdale, Drennen, and any others)?

 

[JC CATS]

After all the shit you people talked last year after the bowl game it has been really fun this year watching you get slapped back to reality.

Aw did you get your little feelings hurt because we kicked the shit out of you. Well get ready for another kicking

 

[CB3UK]

Im not going to add anything new, we all know what the issues that need to be addressed are. Ill wait until after tomorrow to stary forming hard opinions about this years team. Even as poor as we looked in Starkville, we are simply better than South Carolina. There isnt any justification for losing tomorrow. Frankly, there wasnt one for the State debacle. I can accept we have an inexplicable clunker every year under Stoops, and hopefully when we look back in December, it will end up being just that. We have a repeat tomorrow, its going to be a long two weeks to Arkansas.

And heaven forbid we lose to Arkansas. They are absolutely RANCID this year. Losing to Toledo would be more forgiveable than the Hogs this season.

But I truly don't believe any of that will come to pass. We're getting a feel good win tomorrow. The Big Blue train is getting back on track and rolling, starting tomorrow night!

 

[UKWinsAgainYep]

Im not going to add anything new, we all know what the issues that need to be addressed are. Ill wait until after tomorrow to stary forming hard opinions about this years team. Even as poor as we looked in Starkville, we are simply better than South Carolina. There isnt any justification for losing tomorrow. Frankly, there wasnt one for the State debacle. I can accept we have an inexplicable clunker every year under Stoops, and hopefully when we look back in December, it will end up being just that. We have a repeat tomorrow, its going to be a long two weeks to Arkansas.

And heaven forbid we lose to Arkansas. They are absolutely RANCID this year. Losing to Toledo would be more forgiveable than the Hogs this season.

But I truly don't believe any of that will come to pass. We're getting a feel good win tomorrow. The Big Blue train is getting back on track and rolling, starting tomorrow night!

I agree that tomorrow is a MUST WIN....No excuse for losing to SC especially if they are on their 3rd string QB like I've heard...

 

[Rembrandt90]

How is current recruiting going for those still out there (Tisdale, Drennen, and any others)?

This is a time in the football season when recruiting generally goes quiet for a couple weeks. Everyone that wanted to commit before their hs football season got underway has already announced. Tisdale will announce in January. Drennen has a lot of Power 5 offers and a lot to think about. There are between 5-8 scholarships remaining for Stoops to give in this class. He will be very selective with them. Joel Williams and Brian George are scheduled to visit Lexington in mid-October for the Arky game. Let's see if they show up. I don't expect much recruiting news until then, but you never know.