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.
October 9 – Auburn
The shock of the 2009 season might have been Kentucky going into Auburn and beating their highflying offense with a true freshman QB in his first real game. Very few fans or talking heads gave the Cats much of a chance, but UK rallied behind the legs of Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke as they rushed their way to 235 yards on the day. This season, the Tigers will be replacing Kentuckian Chris Todd with JUCO transfer Cam Newton as their QB. Newton is the overwhelming favorite to win the job and some fans might remember that he served as the #2 QB at Florida behind Tebow for a season before heading to junior college. While Auburn lost several of their big name players from last year, they will return plenty of talent for this year.
Kentucky will lose if…..
They think that their win last year means anything. The Tigers will come into the UK game this year ready for the Wildcats and fully aware of how talented the Cats are. The Tigers will need to establish a running game early and hope to catch the Kentucky defensive backs sleeping on play action passes. The Tigers will return four of their starting offensive linemen from last year and will boast one of the most physically imposing lines in the SEC this season and Kentucky’s smaller defensive line will struggle to keep from being overpowered. The UK offense will have to protect the football against an Auburn defense that is always opportunistic in trying to force turnovers. The UK Quarterback will also need to be aware of where pressure is coming from and be wary of Mike Blanc’s ability to collapse to pocket from his DT position. As always, keeping the special teams in check will be a must, but this game is dangerous in particular. Speedster Demond Washington has the chance to take a return to the house at any time and Kentucky might need to kick away from him to minimize the damage.
Why Kentucky will win…..
Beating Auburn on the road is quite the accomplishment and the Wildcats proved up to the task last year. Getting the Tigers out of the hostile Jordan-Hare stadium is going to help from the get-go. Kentucky will need to focus on attacking one of the smallest defenses in the SEC and use their running attack to wear down the Tigers. If the QB can get into a rhythm, the defense should be susceptible to long passes that catch the defense in single coverage while blitzing. The defensive line should be able to clog up holes and force RB Onterio McCalebb to stretch the play outside, giving Kentucky’s speedy linebackers an opportunity to make tackles in the backfield. The defensive backs will have an opportunity to prey on their third first-year starter in a row. If Kentucky can limit turnovers, establish a consistent rushing attack, and capitalize on botched coverages, this game might not even be close.
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
For a breakdown of the Florida game, go HERE
For a breakdown of the Ole Miss game, go HERE
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