Now that spring practices and fall camp are out of the way, the depth charts should all be just about straightened out. A couple of positions are still up in the air, but we have a general idea of who will be playing and what types of looks we can expect. With the upcoming game against Louisville only two days away, it’s time to take a look at each position and see where Kentucky ranks against this week’s opponent.
QUARTERBACK
Both schools announced their starters on August 23rd and neither announcement was really a shocker. Froman got the nod over Lexington native Justin Burke in Louisville and Mike Hartline beat out highly rated youngsters Morgan Newton and Ryan Mossakowski.
This one is actually close when you look at last season. Statistically speaking, Froman is the better passer, but upon a closer look, the competition might have had a little something to do with that. I’ll give QB to Hartline because despite the fact that both are seniors, Hartline has been in UK’s system for four years and Froman will be entering his second as a JUCO transfer.
Edge: KENTUCKY
RUNNING BACK
Derrick Locke returned to Kentucky this spring for his senior season to help boost his NFL draft stock and to help take the program to the next level in the SEC. Victor Anderson will return for his junior season hoping to bounce back from the shoulder surgery that cut his campaign short last year.
The edge here has to go to Locke on an individual basis. Anderson is still not a lock to beat out Bilal Powell and couldn’t stay healthy for more than eight games last year. As a unit, Louisville would have an advantage based on the combined experience of Anderson and Powell. The youth of Locke’s backups Jonathan George and Donald Russell could be considered a weakness, but the natural talent trumps experience at running back and that leans back to Kentucky (and that’s before you consider freshmen Brandon Gainer and Raymond Sanders).
Edge: KENTUCKY
WIDE RECEIVER/TIGHT END
The Cardinals return electric athlete Doug Beaumont for his senior season, but that is about it at receiver. Louisville will rely heavily on true freshmen and inexperienced upperclassmen to compliment Beaumont. Tight end Cameron Graham will return for his senior year hoping to build on his 27-catch season. Kentucky brings back their entire corps of receivers including senior Chris Matthews and standout Randall Cobb. The Cats did lose their top three tight ends from last year though and will be expecting several young players to fill the job.
This one is pretty easy. Kentucky has the better unit and it’s not even really that close. Sure, Louisville has some young guys with a lot of potential, but so does Kentucky. The difference makers are the two projected starters for UK. Cobb is one of the most talented all-around athletes in the country, and Matthews is miles ahead of whoever eventually takes over the #2 WR spot for Louisville. Louisville wins by default at tight end, but it’s not enough to overcome the Cat’s advantage at receiver.
Edge: KENTUCKY
OFFENSIVE LINE
The good news for the Cardinals is that they will return four seniors and their returning starter at center this year. The bad news is that it’s the same line that couldn’t keep anyone off of the quarterback and running backs last year. Kentucky will have to replace four starters at first glance. BUT, Warford will wake over for Johnson, who he split time with last year. Durham will take over for Jeffries, who he also split time with last year. Chandler Burden is expected to win the LT job and despite him not playing offense last year, he was a key member of the defensive line rotation and has plenty of game experience. So their players are older. I’d rather have a unit full of good young players than bad old ones.
Edge: KENTUCKY
DEFENSIVE LINE
This is where things start getting really ugly. The Cardinals defensive line will feature four players that are all under-sized, under-experienced, or under-talented. The unit is not very deep and should struggle to keep the massive Kentucky offensive linemen from bowling them over on every play. Kentucky will return senior leaders DeQuin Evans and Ricky Lumpkin to their group and add several talented younger players to rotate in.
Edge: KENTUCKY
LINEBACKER
Louisville will bring in a group of linebackers that didn’t play very well last year. There isn’t a real bright spot amongst the projected starters and all would probably be recruited over in the coming years if they weren’t already junior or seniors. On the flip side, Kentucky faces an unknown. Danny Trevathan played well last year trough a hand injury, but replacing Micah Johnson and Sam Maxwell will be tough. The Wildcats have several options between talented young players and veteran backups to fill in. As bad as Louisville’s linebackers are, this one is closer than expected. I guess it’s better to be Kentucky and not know if you suck than it is to be Louisville and know exactly how bad you suck.
Edge: KENTUCKY
DEFENSIVE BACK
This one is kind of tough. The Cardinals have Johnny Patrick, who is actually a pretty consistent cover guy despite not really picking off many passes. He’s surrounded by some good role players, but no real stars. Kentucky doesn’t have a player without a flaw. Guy misses tackles, Burden gets burnt deep at inopportune times, Neloms is only in his fourth year of organized football, and the starting strong safety will probably be a JUCO newcomer. As an individual, Patrick is probably the best overall player. As a group, Kentucky’s team has more talent and depth without a stand out guy. I’m going with Kentucky here because I think Winston Guy puts the Cats over the top in terms of talent and I think he gets it together and wraps up on tackles this season.
Edge: KENTUCKY
SPECIAL TEAMS
Louisville takes the kicker position by default as Kentucky will likely start a true freshman. The Wildcats take the punter position by default as the Cardinals will be starting a new punter. I’m giving the Cats the edge in the return game because, as explosive as Anderson, Beaumont, and Patrick are, they’re no Locke and Cobb. Adding the freshmen Priester and Sanders to the mix is just gravy.
Edge: KENTUCKY
COACH
This one looks closer than it actually is. Both Joker Phillips and Charlie Strong are first year head coaches that held previous assignments as coordinators at the SEC level. Joker
wins this one over Charlie and his championship rings at Florida because he’s coaching the players he recruited in the same systems they’ve been playing in for their entire careers and he’s been prepared for this job for three years. Strong just has too many obstacles to overcome cleaning up Kragthorpe’s mess.
Edge: KENTUCKY
So there you have it. Kentucky has the edge in every position group and should beat Louisville mercilessly in every facet of the game. I want to remind everyone that I wrote this article as objectively as possible.
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