Kentucky Wildcats Football: Five Players to Watch Vs. Louisville Cardinals
After eight long months, football is finally ready to make its return to Lexington, KY. The Kentucky Wildcats hope to start the season on a positive note against their bitter rivals, the Louisville Cardinals.
The Wildcats were able to outlast the Cardinals in last year's matchup, but this year's version of the team has a new look and a lot to prove going into this first game.
Not only does Kentucky have a new coach, it also has a number of questions waiting to be answered. Most of these questions center around the team's starters and how they will respond once that first whistle finally blows.
Following is a look at five of Kentucky's starters for Saturday's game who have something to prove. Not only will their performances affect the outcome of Saturday's game, they will set the tone for the remainder of the season.
5. Luke McDermott
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If you're not familiar with Luke McDermott, don't feel ashamed. Most people had never even heard of him until he was named as one of the starting defensive tackles earlier this week.
McDermott is a fourth-year junior walk-on who has earned a starting spot through a combination of hard work and opportunity. The players who began the offseason listed above McDermott have either fallen victim to injury or simply underperformed.
Most expected senior Shane McCord to be the one starting alongside fellow senior Ricky Lumpkin in Week 1. However, McCord's effort on the field has disappointed head coach Joker Phillips thus far, and Phillips hopes that naming McDermott the starter will light a fire underneath McCord.
Regardless, McDermott will be in the starting lineup against Louisville and will be expected to hold his ground against offensive linemen who will easily outsize him. Standing at 6'1", 265 pounds, he is one of the smallest linemen on Kentucky's roster, meaning his technique will have to be almost perfect if he doesn't want to get pushed around all day.
McDermott may not be the starter for long as junior Mark Crawford will soon be returning from injury. However, if the Wildcats want a win against Louisville, he will have to play like an everyday starter.
4. Martavius Neloms
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Filling the shoes left by former All-American cornerback Trevard Lindley is not an easy task. The difficulty is compounded even further when you've only been playing organized football for three years. Such is the case for Memphis, Tennessee native Martavius Neloms.
Neloms didn't begin playing football until his junior year at Fairley High School, but he quickly made his presence known on the field. He established himself as a ball-hawking defender, racking up 14 interceptions in just two seasons. Finally, he was named a Class 4-A All-State selection his senior year after leading the state of Tennessee with eight interceptions.
Despite his impressive play, Neloms flew under the radar as a two-star prospect, and he ended up choosing UK over Arkansas State and Southern Mississippi.
Yet, his low ranking didn't prevent him from making an impact early on in his college career. Then-head coach Rich Brooks praised Neloms for his ball skills and playmaking ability, and Neloms was able to avoid being redshirted. His freshman season saw him getting plenty of time on special teams and some valuable but limited experience on defense.
Neloms was expected to play primarily as a nickel corner this season, but because of Paul Warford's dismissal from the team, he has been forced into the starting lineup alongside junior Randall Burden.
Against Louisville he will be primarily matched up with a much more experienced player in senior Troy Pascley. Neloms has the size and athletic ability to keep up with Pascley, but it remains to be seen whether or not he will be fundamentally sound enough to cover the veteran receiver.
Ball-hawking players are celebrated for their big plays, but are also prone to taking gambles and making bad decisions. If Kentucky hopes to beat Louisville, Neloms will have to minimize those bad decisions.
3. Jordan Aumiller
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Perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the offseason was redshirt freshman Jordan Aumiller.
Nick Melillo was the only tight end on Kentucky's roster with any real experience, so he was quickly penciled in as the starter from Day 1. However, when Melillo went down with an injury, a fierce competition ensued amongst a number of first- and second-year players for the starting spot at tight end.
The announcement that Aumiller had won the spot was surprising because he had spent his entire redshirt season working at linebacker. The move to tight end made sense, however, because he had excelled at the position during his tenure at Boyle County High School.
Head coach Joker Phillips awarded Aumiller the starting job because of his consistency in both his blocking and pass-catching ability. At 6'4", 230 pounds, Aumiller should not only provide a physical presence on the line, but also a very big target in the passing game.
If the Wildcats offense can effectively utilize his combination of size and pass-catching ability, Aumiller could become a serious threat in the red zone. Saturday's game against Louisville should be a good place to start showcasing the offense's newest weapon.
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2. Randall Cobb
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If you're not already familiar with the name Randall Cobb, you probably haven't been watching enough college football. In just two seasons, Cobb has established himself as not only the most explosive player on Kentucky's roster, but also the most versatile.
In 2009, Cobb lead the Wildcats in virtually every receiving category, as well as rushing touchdowns and punt returns. Not to mention, Cobb also started a number of games at quarterback for Kentucky in his freshman season.
Needless to say, the word has gotten out about Cobb over the past year. NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. even went so far as to label him as the best all-around player in college football while on SportsCenter. Fans are even beginning to mention his name and "Heisman" in the same sentence. It's safe to say that no other Kentucky football player has created such a buzz over the past few years.
Yet, the time for hype is over. Production will be the only thing that matters once the season starts rolling. If Cobb wants to live up to all the accolades and carry this Kentucky team on his back, he will have to begin against Louisville on Saturday.
He will find himself facing an experienced Louisville defense, but one that will come nowhere close to the talent of the SEC defenses he will face later on in the season. If Kentucky hopes to have another bowl season, Cobb will have to be the spark plug for an offense that is otherwise pretty pedestrian. The best way to start would be to make some big plays that will help put Kentucky up on top of Louisville early.
1. Mike Hartline
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There was a collective sigh of disappointment in the Bluegrass when it was announced that sophomore Morgan Newton was unable to unseat Mike Hartline as Kentucky's starting quarterback. Hartline has been the lightning rod on a couple of teams that have been good but not great.
Fans have been expecting big things out of the Kentucky football program and likewise the quarterback position after a recent string of successes headlined by former quarterback Andre Woodson. Hartline was the unfortunate heir to Woodson and all of the expectations he left behind.
The senior's performance up to this point has been largely mediocre.
He has shown an ability to keep the team in games, but hasn't yet showcased the ability to go out and single-handedly win games. If Kentucky expects to contend against some of the SEC powerhouses, Hartline will first have to prove that he is able to carry the team when called upon.
Over his career, Hartline has averaged a 1:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio with a completion percentage of just over 56 percent. In order for Kentucky to be considered a contender, he will have to improve these numbers to around a 2:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a completion percentage above 60.
Saturday's game against Louisville should give us an idea of what kind of season performance to expect. If he is unable to dissect Louisville's defense, there is no way he can be expected to do the same against teams like Florida and Georgia. A completion percentage above 60 and an interception-less performance against Louisville would go a long way in helping Hartline silence most of his critics.
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