Tipping the Scales: Charleston Southern


This is the cutest way to describe this weekend. Don’t say I don’t do anything for the ladies

In a season where things aren’t exactly how we expected them to turn out, it’s nice to sit back and take a look at things that we know will happen. Danny Trevathan will be a monster, Randall Cobb (may his blessings be upon you) will levitate at some point, and the Cats will beat Charleston Southern. The Bucs are just coming off a narrow 41-21 loss to Stony Brook (Go Seawolves! What?) and are looking to make a statement against a D-1 opponent. It’s hard to really say that any part of this will be a balanced match up, but let’s check out some things that the Bucs (How many pirates were in Charleston to decide that was appropriate?) do well and see how the Cats can counter it. My only wish is that the game had come after next week’s match against the Presbyterian College Blue Hose. The jokes would come so quickly I wouldn’t even have time for an article (hey, there’s one right there!).

UK’s focus v. CSU’s mindset– The Cats are looking towards the final stretch of their conference schedule, the Bucs are just looking to make it a game. But if the Pirates of the Caribbean manage to catch Joker’s company in their usual first quarter sleep state and jump an early lead, they could gain some momentum and make it a game. Admit it, this team starts slower than a Rand Paul election campaign and we can’t depend on the tea party to help us out if we dig a huge hole to start. Now if this was basketball they would look like Billy Gillispie’s premade job with losses to Gardner Webb and VMI. I couldn’t stand the thought of getting Gardner Webb’ed on the football field.
CSU’s Quarterback Committee v. UK’s pass defense– ESPN doesn’t have their stats, and their athletics page is harder to navigate than Karen Sypher’s laundry pile (Sypher jokes are still funny, right?), but it appears that sometime during the Liberty game, starting QB A.J. Toscano went down with an injury after having a solid first few games (1066 yds,9 TD’s, 4 INT’s). Backup senior QB Andre Trudnowski has been having a bit rougher time (875 yds, 6 TD’s, 6 INT’s) and looks to be their best hope. The reason I called this tilting point a committee is that the Bucs seem to have employed their 3rd string QB, Richard Mounce, a few times in the season to little effectiveness, but have used a WR throw option more than once this season. Truth is, their pass offense is much better than their run, who is only averaging 89.9 yards per game. Hopefully the SEC’s worst run defense can contain that sort of power.
Injuries v. Time– Derrick Locke is expected to be back this week, but Raymond Sanders is still hampered with an abdominal strain and will play a limited role if any. TE Tyler Robinson is out and Dequin Evans’ wrist is still a minor concern. Weeks like this, younger guys should get in the game early and build experience for the future. Don’t expect to see the levitation abilities of Randall Cobb this game, I would much rather see him seated on the bench with a pair of headphones and a Snuggie made of of angel’s hair . What am I saying? Snuggies are stupid. But you get my point. The starters should bet some time off this week to heal the bumps and bruises, and time is what we need for the developing players. One player where time is hurting him is Matt Roark, who is done with his one game suspension but could and should be benched for this game.
In any case this week represents a breath of air for the Cats, who need to sweep the rest of the season to find a decent bowl game. While this game could represent a trap game for the Big Blue, remember that the only other D-1 team they have played beat the bandannas off them in a 59 point victory in Hawai’i (wonder why they chose that away game). Still this game should be a road grading for the home team and a good tune-up for the Battle for the Southland. UK 56-CSU10.

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Schedule

Schedule