GAME 2
WESTERN KENTUCKY HILLTOPPERS (0-1)
COMMONWEALTH STADIUM, LEXINGTON KY
SEPTEMBER 11, 2010 7:30 PM
TV – CSS ONLINE – www.espn3.com
OTHER TV OUTLETS:
INSIGHT COMMUNICATIONS:
BOWLING GREEN – CH 5
EVANSVILLE/HENDERSON – 74 / 503 DIGITAL
LEXINGTON – CH 14
LOUISVILLE 22 / 503 DIGITAL
NO. KENTUCKY – 99/402 DIGITAL
KENTUCKY LEADS SERIES 1-0
RECENT GAME:
2008: KENTUCKY 41 WKU 3
Another week, another in state matchup for Joker Phillip’s Kentucky Wildcats. Not quite as much history (and a lot less venom) this week, as the Cats and Toppers have met just once on the gridiron, a 41-3 Kentucky romp two seasons ago. But in a way, Hilltopper fans can point at that Kentucky game as the moment everything went wrong with their football program.
To put it bluntly, the Hilltoppers have not won a game since that 2008 matchup. That 41-3 loss to the Wildcat was the first in a string of 21 straight defeats for the Hilltoppers. Granted, the Toppers are just in their second season of FBS football, but they know what pulling off an upset of the Wildcats would mean to their program.
OFFENSE.
Kawaun Jakes is in his second season as the signal caller for the Hilltoppers and he pretty much mets the definition of dual threat QB. Passing wise, he is not a lot to get excited about as he has 9 TD’s and 10 INT’s for his career and 1600 yards passing. He was a very anemic 12-22 for 120 yards passing in last weeks game versus Nebraska, but on the ground is where Jakes can make a difference. He had about 400 yards rushing last season, including two games with over 100 yards. The Huskers held him to 0 yards on 4 attempts, but Kentucky knows better than anyone to respect a dual threat QB. The QB position is somewhat a mystery for WKU as JUCO transfer Matt Pelesasa was slated to be the man for the Toppers this year, but he did not get into the season opener. If Pelesasa sees action, expect a more traditional West Coast offense as opposed to the spread offense Jakes will run.
The running game is actually a strong part of the Hilltopper attack with four returning starters on the offensive line. Bobby Rainey had a very impressive 155 yards rushing versus the Cornhuskers and with 30 carries, he can be a workhorse. Rainey does not have breakaway speed but uses his quickness to avoid tackles and get extra yards. Rainey rushed for 939 yards last season, so he is definitely a player to be watched. Freshman WR Willie McNeal will get some carries out of the backfield as he carried four times for 19 yards versus Nebraska.
The aforementioned Willie McNeal was the MVP of the Hilltoppers spring season and was expected to be the primary target of the WR’s but he just caught one pass for eight yards versus Nebraska. Look for McNeal to get substantially more looks this week. Rainey was actually the leading receiver for the Hilltoppers in week one with 3 grabs for 36 yard, but Rainey just caught 13 passes all of last year. Look for Jack Doyle, Marcus Vasquez, and Quinterrance Cooper to get some looks as Jakes looks to spread the field.
DEFENSE
Last year’s defense was horrible as they gave up 478 yards and 39.6 points a game. Gone is the 3-4 scheme and the Toppers will be sporting a 4-3 defense this year. The Toppers have enough returning talent to make the 4-3 approach a better fit for their system. Senior middle linebacker Thomas Majors is the defensive leader and one of the Sun Belt’s top performers. He posted 101 tackles last season, including 14 against Navy. Junior Jared Clendenin, a solid pass-rusher with quickness to the ball, will move to a more natural end position. The playmaker in the secondary is junior safety Mark Santoro, the team’s second-leading tackler last season with 91.
Last week, the Cornhuskers pretty much had their way with this defense, scoring six times on the ground and averaging 8.8 yards per carry for a total of 289 ground yards. The air Huskers pretty much had their way too, as they had 247 yards passing. Kentucky is similar to the Huskers as they have very balanced performers on the ground and through the air.
OUTLOOK
In short, a colossal mismatch. WKU has the will, but unfortunately they do not have the power to pose a serious threat for Kentucky. Look for both Cobb and Locke to amass over 100 yards on the ground and it’s possible that Cobb could reach that mark through the air as well. I hate to dismiss the Toppers completely, but in just their second year at this level, Kentucky has a huge talent disparity at every position. I expect Hartline to have another strong game, and this game should mark the season debut of Morgan Newton and possibly the Wildcat debut of Ryan Mossakowski if things get too out of hand. This will be over early, and look for Kentucky to roll 49-10.
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