Wildcats hope to gain ground in 2011
USC vs. KENTUCKY WILDCATS on 10/8
Coach: Joker Phillips (6-7 in one season at UK)
Last Season: 6-7 (2-6 SEC), lost to Pittsburgh in BBVA Compass Bowl
Last Meeting with USC: 2010 (UK 31-28)
All-Time Series vs. USC: South Carolina leads 14-7-1
The Wildcats enter the 2011 season with a chip on their shoulder.
Kentucky couldn’t overcome costly mistakes by its special teams unit against Pittsburgh in the BBVA Compass Bowl, with the resultant 27-10 loss marking a disappointing conclusion to Phillips’ inaugural season as head coach.
The Wildcats are determined to put the bowl game behind them, as Phillips looks to return Kentucky above .500 and compete in the SEC East on the strength of an overpowering offensive line.
“We are doing a lot of things to elevate this program to the next level,” Phillips said at SEC Media Days. “The thing we have to do, and I’ve told this football team, the teams that are successful in this league are the teams that have discipline, teams that are physical, teams that are tough, have toughness. Those are the things that we’ve got to strive to get back to.”
Offense: Although several key pieces of Kentucky’s offense have departed, including running back Derrick Locke and receiver Chris Matthews, the Wildcats boast arguably the strongest offensive line in the SEC, led by guard Stuart Hines.
“It’s a great group of guys,” said Hines at SEC Media Days. “We’ve really come together as a unit and started working hard this off-season, especially to continue to get better. We’re really looked at as the strong point of the team this year and we’re trying to live up to those expectations. We want to be the group on the team that everybody relies on.”
With 24 starts under his belt, Hines is the most experienced offensive lineman of the bunch, but juniors Larry Warford and Matt Smith will also help take the pressure off quarterback Morgan Newton.
“We’ve got guys on the line who have a lot of experience and experience is a huge part of being a good player and being a good group on the team,” Hines said. “We’ve all played together for two years now and we’re really starting to come together and be able to rely on each other and trust each other.”
Newton is not entirely new to the starting role, having been thrown into that position for the bowl game following Mike Hartline’s suspension, but the junior has put extra effort into his preparation for this season, spending time at the Manning Passing Academy to learn from the nation’s top quarterbacks.
“It feels great coming into this year knowing that I’m the guy, but I also have to prepare that way,” Newton said at SEC Media Days. “I’m really excited to take on the challenge.”
Defense: Kentucky has lost a number of players from the defensive side of the ball, but besides having a group of new faces, newly hired co-defensive coordinator Rick Minter has also introduced a number of new schemes. In the midst of these changes, Kentucky will rely on the leadership of its seniors to carry the defense.
“Our challenge to our players, our veteran players and our young players, our new players, is to try to fill the void of some of the departure players we just lost,” Phillips said. “We lost a lot of production out of this past class. We have challenged our present players, our new players, to make sure that they are filling that void.”
One notable returning starter is linebacker Danny Trevathan, last year’s SEC leader in tackles. He will be joined by fellow senior Ronnie Sneed and junior Taylor Wyndham.
“I’m not really worried about the defense,” Trevathan said at SEC Media Days. “We have been through so much together that we don’t have room to make mistakes that are going to be so costly. We are still going to make mistakes but we are going to try and capitalize off of them, turn it around and have a great season this year.”
Special Teams: Kentucky’s special teams will be looking for redemption after an error-plagued performance in last year’s bowl game. The Wildcats return placekicker Craig McIntosh and punter Ryan Tydlacka, but will look to fill the gap of their lost punt returner. Raymond Sanders, who had a few kick returns last year, may be the best candidate for that position.
Schedule Analysis: Kentucky opens its season with three nonconference games before hosting Florida in a showdown that could determine the course of the Wildcats’ season. A pair of challenging road games will follow, with trips to LSU and South Carolina. Kentucky avoids facing Alabama, but must travel to Georgia in week 12. The Wildcats close out the season at home against Tennessee.
The final word: “How tough is it for us to get over the wall? We’re very, very close. We’ve been competing in this league for the last six, seven years where we have been in a lot of games, lost a lot of close games. The thing that’s going to get us over the hump is being the most disciplined team, being the most physical team, and also having mental toughness.” — Phillips
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