by Kyle
With the lack of football news right now, I figured it would be a good time to start a new series of posts that could get football fans ready for the upcoming season. I’ll break down each game and tell you why Kentucky will win, and why they might not.
September 25 – @ Florida
We all know that it’s been a long time since UK beat Florida last and this is a game that most Kentucky fans would take any way they can get. The Gators will be in for a tough road on Defense this year after losing Coordinator Charlie Strong to the Head coach position at Louisville. Then the two team leaders graduated in Linebacker Brandon Spikes and Quarterback Tim Tebow. There were plenty of other key players that left to take their careers on to the NFL notably leading receivers Aaron Hernandez and Riley Cooper, Top offensive Lineman Maurkice Pouncey, and defensive standouts Carlos Dunlap, Joe Hayden, and Major Wright. Despite sending several players to the NFL, the Gators return another talented and fully stocked roster of hyper-speed athletes for the 2010 season and should be he early favorite to win the SEC east. Kentucky will come into the Florida match up off of three home games that they should be favored in and a likely three game winning streak.
Kentucky will lose if…..
The Gators take control of the game early and force Kentucky to pass the ball playing catch-up. If Kentucky gives up special teams touchdowns to Brandon James, Jeff Demps, or Chris Rainey, it will be hard to stay in the game with the more talented Gators. If John Brantley proves to be the gun slinging QB that Tebow was not and Kentucky’s inexperienced defensive backs cannot cover the speedy Florida receivers. As long as Florida considers Kentucky a worthy opponent and doesn’t look on to higher profile game, the Gators should have enough talent to beat the Cats. If Kentucky turns the ball over, and the inexperienced defense gives up easy scores this could be a long game for Joker.
Why Kentucky will win…..
This is not the Kentucky teams of Bill Curry or Hal Mumme. If Kentucky can go into this game with the confidence that they CAN win this game, it can make as big of a difference as anything done on the field. While Florida still has the edge in team speed, the gap is miles closer than it has been in years past and there is no reason for Kentucky to just roll over. The Kentucky ground game should prove to be effective against Florida’s completely new corps of linebackers and this could be one of Derrick Locke’s best chances to show what he can do against an elite defense and improve his draft stock. The Quarterback (whoever it is by this point) will have three games of experience under his belt and will have had enough time to hit his rhythm with the receivers. The Defense will need to stop a finesse attack of speed rushers stretching the field and a new type of passing team, but Kentucky has done well against these types of offenses in the past. The Gators are just replacing too much talent on the field and the new players are bound to make some mistakes. If Kentucky can capitalize off of these mistakes and avoid making their own, The Cats should emerge victorious.
For a breakdown of the Louisville game, go HERE
For a breakdown of the WKU game, go HERE
For a breakdown of the Akron game, go HERE
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