Kentucky Football: An In-Depth Look and Prediction for the 2011 Season

Joker Phillips has his hands full heading into the 2011 season. The losses of Randall Cobb, and a host of other talented offensive players, will make reaching a sixth straight Bowl a challenging proposition.

Rich Brooks was brought to the University of Kentucky to take over a football program that was in shambles and attempt to restore them to a competitive level. Riddled by probation, the talent level was at an all-time low and the Kentucky faithful were watching their football program fall further behind the growing powers within the Southeastern Conference.

Brooks completed his task, and after reaching four consecutive bowl games, decided it was time to retire and hand the reins to his protégé, Joker Phillips.  Coach Phillips inherited a ton of offensive talent from Brooks and rode the back of the aforementioned talent to a fifth consecutive bowl game. However, much of that talent has departed, including Randall Cobb, Derrick Locke and Mike Hartline, leaving the UK program at a crossroads.

The Kentucky football team has lived and died by a dominant offense throughout the years, but with the heavy losses on the offensive side of the ball, a defense returning ten starters will be looked upon to take a more prominent role.  However, they will also be under the tutelage of a new defensive coordinator, Rick "Nuclear" Minter, whom was brought in to replace the under-performing and, at times, overwhelmed Steve Brown.

If the Kentucky program wants to follow the path of South Carolina and rise to a higher level in the SEC East, they must perform better on the defensive side of the ball, and that is the hope that Coach Minter brings to the table. Minter has instituted and coached successful defenses at Cincinnati and Notre Dame and will be implementing a hybrid 4-3 in his first year at Kentucky, which fans hope will bring creativity and pressure to the defense, one that has been extremely vanilla under the tutelage of Brown. An improved defense will go a long way toward the Wildcats achieving a sixth straight bowl appearance and continuing the status quo developed by Rich Brooks.

QUARTERBACKS

Mike Hartline was a lightning rod for criticism throughout his time on the roster at Kentucky. During his sophomore year, the fans were calling for Randall Cobb to play the quarterback position and the last two season the chants were for Morgan Newton and Ryan Mossakowski; however, Hartline persevered and established himself as a quality starter and put together a solid career during his four years.

With Hartline officially out of the picture, the time is now for Morgan Newton. Newton entered the Kentucky program as a highly touted prospect out of Carmel High School in Indiana and immediately made an impact. He was forced into duty as a true freshman and performed admirably, even beating the Auburn Tigers on the road—showing a natural ability to be a winner under difficult circumstances. He enters his junior campaign as the clear-cut starter, even after a terrible performance in the Compass Bowl due to the transfer of Mossakowski out of the program. The fan base has tempered expectations for Newton, but they are hoping for an improvement similar to one  Andre Woodson experienced between his sophomore and junior seasons. If Newton can play at a much higher level in 2011, it will go a long way toward offsetting the skill position losses for the Wildcats.

Behind Newton will be a true freshman, Maxwell Smith, and two walk-ons, Michael Burchett and Ryan Phillippi.  Smith enrolled in January and has quickly been tabbed the quarterback of the future for the Wildcats. The 6'4", 225 pound gun-slinger comes equipped with a cannon for an arm and the intangibles needed to play the quarterback position. He will transition in nicely following the departure of Newton.

This unit will struggle to put up the excellent numbers of Hartline a year ago, but many believe Newton to be a natural winner—a stat that cannot be placed on paper.

RUNNING BACKS

Derrick Locke served the Kentucky Wildcats well during his tenure. The speedster from Oklahoma came to Kentucky as a ballyhooed track star and developed into one of the more quality running backs in school history. His senior season was one of injury and strife, but he still produced close to 900 yards and ten touchdowns and was one of the better backs in the conference, when healthy. When Locke was on the shelf, Mr. Do-it-All, Randall Cobb, tried to insert some flash and dash into the running game from the Wildcat formation and contributed 430 yards and five rushing touchdowns, to an already strong running game.

However, the two aforementioned players have since departed, leaving Raymond Sanders as the most likely replacement. Sanders played sparingly throughout his freshman year and showed some flashes of a bright future. He combines a low center of gravity with quick burst and decent vision to be a dangerous ball carrier. He must improve on taking contact, as he often went down after an initial blow, but that will improve with time in the weight room. Sanders will have the luxury of running behind one of the most talented and veteran lines in the SEC, which will provide him with plenty of room to run.

Behind Sanders, Kentucky possesses one of the most talented young backfields in the SEC. Jonathan George, Coshik Williams, Brandon Gainer, Josh Clemons and Marcus Caffey provide the Wildcats with enough depth and talent to successfully run the ball for years to come. Clemons, specifically, has appeared to make quite an impression early in camp and has an opportunity to see action early and often. Gainer, while he has been a bit disappointing to date, is the most naturally gifted tailback in the group and it will be hard to keep him off the field for too long.

RECEIVERS

Heavy losses at the top of the receiving corps have the Wildcat faithful wondering who the hell is going to catch the ball. Absorbing the losses of Cobb and Chris Matthews (61 receptions, 925 yards) will be a difficult task for a unit that has been a problem for the last several seasons. La'Rod King has been appointed the immediate successor, and a ton of pressure is being placed up on the young man to produce at an extremely high level. King (36 receptions, 478 yards) showed flashes throughout last season, but one has to wonder how he will handle the constant pressure applied upon the team's number one receiver. Other members of this unit must produce to alleviate this pressure on King.

Matthew Roark, Brian Adams, Gene McCaskill, Jordan Aumiller and E.J. Fields are all capable of being SEC caliber receivers and have the ability to produce at a high level. Roark, a 6'5" beanpole, is a veteran that has been in the system for several years and has all the natural gifts needed to be a quality receiver.  He showed signs of progression throughout his junior campaign and his height should be utilized more on goal-line fades and in the red zone.

Brian Adams and E.J. Fields are the two receivers most likely to break out and enter the territory of play-maker for this offense. Adams, who also is a member of the baseball team, is blessed with athleticism and natural athletic ability that all great receivers possess.  Adams is an excellent leaper and has 4.4 speed that can make him an immediate factor in the passing game.  Fields is a former high-school track star that has speed for days and could develop into an all-purpose threat for the receiving corps.

Jordan Aumiller is the most likely target at the tight-end position, but Tyler Robinson and Nick Melillo are both quality targets that provide the Wildcats with excellent depth at the position.

Replacing Cobb, Matthews, and Locke in the passing game will be a challenge, and this season's group may not produce quite as often, but they have the potential to be a better unit over the coming seasons.

OFFENSIVE LINE

The most talented unit on the field in 2011 for the Kentucky Wildcats may be their front five, a talented veteran group that is ready and willing to lead this Kentucky offense through the growing pains. Led by Larry Warford and Stuart Hines, the Kentucky offensive line has the ability to protect the passer and pave the way for a plethora of running backs.

Warford, a 6'4", 340 pound monster of a man, has the ability to be an All-American type talent and is an NFL prospect at the guard position.

Chandler Burden and Billy Joe Murphy will man the tackle positions, with Matt Smith handling the center duties.  Burden has improved dramatically since moving over from the defensive side of the ball and the coaching staff really expects big things from him in 2011.

Sam Simpson, Kevin Mitchell, Jake Lanefski and Teven Eatmon-Nared will provide quality depth for one of the SEC's premier offensive lines.

DEFENSIVE LINE

As mentioned earlier, the UK defense was a struggle throughout the 2010 season, and improvement is necessary if this program wants to take a step up the ladder in the SEC.  The defensive front four was a major part of the struggles last season. They struggled to negate the run and were even worse at bringing pressure upon the quarterback. Much of the struggles could be attributed to the lack of a quality scheme, but talent is currently an issue with this group.

Collins Ukwu and Taylor Wyndam will start the season at the end positions, but there has been talk of using the speed of Ridge Wilson as a quality pass rusher off the edge. Wydnam and Ukwu struggled throughout 2010, but Ukwu began to show signs of improvement as the season progressed.

On the interior, Mister Cobble, Luke McDermott, Donte Rumph and Mark Crawford will all be competing for repetitions as the season progresses. Cobble and Rumph are the future of the defensive line for Kentucky, if they can stay on track in the classroom and on the field. McDermott, an undersized tackle, has shown an unbelievable willingness to work and a motor that is unmatched on this defensive unit. He uses his extremely low center of gravity to keep his position against larger offensive lineman and has produced at a level that many thought impossible.

This unit should improve upon the terrible numbers they produced a season ago. They are much more experienced and will be playing in a defense that highlights their abilities instead of putting them in a position to fail.

LINEBACKERS

The linebacker corps for Kentucky has been blessed with one of the most talented players in school history, Danny Trevathan.  Trevathan, who passed up an opportunity to enter the NFL draft, will be a candidate for the Butkus award and a preseason All-American. He is an absolute monster that can cover the entire field with tremendous speed and tackling ability. He was the one bright spot on a terrible defense in 2010, amassing 144 tackles and 13 tackles for loss.

Trevathan will be joined by Ronnie Sneed, a solid middle linebacker. Sneed, who doesn't provide the speed or flash of Trevathan, is a solid linebacker that always manages to be in the right position.  He finished third on the team in tackles a year ago and will be looking to improve upon those numbers in his senior campaign.

A large change in the Minter defense will be bringing the talents of Winston Guy down closer to the line, and allow him to attack with the linebackers. Guy is an extremely gifted safety that has struggled at times with making the right play in coverage. The hope is to utilize his excellent pursuit and tackling ability to alleviate the problems with the run defense.

Ridge Wilson, Qua Huzzie, Avery Williamson, Malcom McDuffen and others will also see plenty of time at the linebacker position, depending on the set and formation that Minter is running.

The most important thing for Wildcat fans to remember is the coaching style of Minter is the complete opposite of his predecessor. Minter will bring different looks and pressure from all positions. A sight that the faithful have been clambering for over the past several years.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

The defensive backfield has the opportunity to be one of the most improved units on the defensive side of the ball. While they were often left on the proverbial island by Brown, this group has garnered valuable experience over the last couple of seasons and are now one of the most experienced and quality units in the conference.

Guy, whom was mentioned earlier, will still be using his 4.35 speed in the secondary to fly around and make plays. He has struggled at times between making the safe play and going for the large hit, leading to big plays, but there is hope that he has matured past that and will harness his god-given abilities. Guy will be listed among several early season award lists and should provide some big plays for a maturing secondary.

Guy will be joined by Mychal Bailey and Martavius Neolms at the safety positions.  Bailey, who struggled at times in 2010, will need to improve his decision-making and coverage skills to provide the unit with a solid safety net.

Randall Burden and Anthony Mosely will earn the roles of starting corner-backs for Minter and have the ability to be a dynamic duo. Burden, who was tabbed early and often as the next Trevard Lindley, showed continued improvement throughout 2010 and has the ability to be a shutdown corner for the Wildcats secondary. Cartier Rice, Taideo Smith and others will be fighting for playing time when the 'Cats slip into the dime and quarter packages.

FINAL SYNOPSIS

Many folks around the country like to write off the Kentucky Wildcats as a basketball school. That has become the common perception, and while it may be somewhat true, this program supports their football team as well as any in the country. They have stuck by them through the worst of times and continued to show up every Saturday and fill Commonwealth Stadium.

This is a program that deserves the good karma, a quality bowl, a couple of upsets and finally beating Florida and Tennessee. Will it happen this year? Who knows; however, the talent gap is not nearly as large as it was throughout the past decade and the Wildcats are on the verge of something special.  Coach Phillips continues to bring in talented recruiting classes and this program will eventually get the victories it needs to take the next step.

The schedule is manageable, once again, as the Wildcats get Louisville, Florida, Tennessee and both Mississippi schools at home—a huge advantage in SEC play. The Cats appear to be headed for a 6-6 season, but if they can steal a victory versus Florida, Tennessee or Mississippi State, they will have the chance to reach 7 or 8 wins and fight for an Outback or Chick-fil-A bowl bid. By golly, I believe this is the year they finally snap the Tennessee embarrassment and continue their progression.

Last Year's Record: 6-7

Projected 2011 Record: 7-5