"Arrive, Raise Hell, Leave" | Kentucky Wildcats

[Maize]

Kentucky Wildcats 2013 Football Schedule
Game One: vs. Louisville (ESPN2)
Game Two: @ Arizona (Pac-12 Network)
Game Three: vs. Miami Univ. (SEC Network)
Game Four: vs. Florida (Fox Sports Florida/Network)
Game Five: @ Western Kentucky (ESPN3)
Game Six: @ South Carolina (ESPN2)
Game Seven: @ Georgia (SEC Network)
Game Eight: vs. Arkansas (CSS South East)
Game Nine: @ Mississippi State (CSS South East)
Game Ten: @ Vanderbilt (ESPN3)
Game Eleven: vs. Missouri (SEC Network)
Game Twelve: vs. Tennessee (ESPN2)

[Maize]

Athletic Department Unveils #WeAreUK
Athletic Director Mitch barnhart has said that home attendance for football games must increase and he expects that a new Head Coach and a young roster could bring fans in on its' own. The Kentucky Spring Game brought in a solid 8,000 fans, but it was the second lowest of any SEC school (only Vanderbilt had lower Spring Game attendance). This week, only two weeks before kickoff of the 2013 season, students and alumni have a new program for getting tickets.

Called The "WeAreUK" Rewards Program; it is a card that students and alumni can sign up for, free of charge. The card tracks attendance to all Athletic events, giving points to events. Students and alumni can use the number on the card to buy tickets online or swipe the card when they enter athletic events. Those points can be turned into select items at the University's book store and online store, as well as premium tickets to select events.

Those points are most likely going to be used for basketball games. Right away, by attending the first two home football games of the season (against Louisville and Miami University), students and alumni would have enough points to get a ticket to the Kentucky Midnight Madness event.

By rewarding students and former students for attending football games, it should increase home attendance. Since the demand for basketball games is so high, it could force basketball fans to go to football games just to get those premium ticket options. The Athletic Department is making a push for a better home field advantage, planning on upgrading the fan experience. Part of that includes, the new reward program.

[Maize]

Media Day Coverage

2013 SEC Media Day Review
Recent expansion of the Southeastern Conference to 14 members has made the annual media day event in Hoover, Alabama a spectacle. The highlight of the event is the 222 voting media members picking the Pre-Season All-Conference team, Division standings, and conference champion. Since 1992, when the SEC split into divisions and started the conference championship game; the media has correctly chosen the conference champion only 4 out of 21 times. Last year, LSU was the favorite.

This year, coming off back-to-back National Championships, Alabama is the favorite to win both the West and the SEC Championship game. Ranked #1 in the first AP Poll (one of five ranked SEC teams), the Crimson Tide got 77 first place votes in the West Division and 70 of the 222 votes for conference champion.

In the East, votes were bunched at the top between South Carolina, Florida and Georgia. Last year, Florida surprised many going 7-2 in conference. South Carolina is the favorite this year to win the East, receiving 11 more first place votes than second place Florida and 19 more than third place Georgia. On the opposite end, both Vanderbilt and Kentucky received zero first place votes; no members thinking that the Commodores or Wildcats can win the East.

The West, on the other hand, last place Mississippi State received three first place votes in what is considered the toughest division in college football. The votes for the Championship game were more decisive, with Alabama the clear favorite. Receiving 70 votes to win the conference championship, it was almost twice as many as LSU who received the second most (38). South Carolina was close to LSU with 34, followed by Florida with 25, and Georgia at 21. Then Auburn (picked third in the West) with 15, Arkansas got 11, Missouri with 4, and finally Tennessee and Texas A&M with two apiece.

Two new coaches (re)introduced themselves to the media, Kentucky Head Coach Kirby Smart and Arkansas Head Coach Tommy Tuberville. Tuberville returns to the SEC after spending the last three seasons with the Red Raiders of Texas Tech. He had formerly coached Ole Miss ('95-'98) and Auburn ('99-'08), and won 64 conference games in 14 seasons in the SEC. Most notably, he led Auburn to an undefeated season in 2004.

Kirby Smart brings no Head Coach experience, but spent the last six seasons in Tuscaloosa, five as the Defensive Coordinator. Helping build a defense that won two of the last three BCS National Championships; the 37 year-old former Broyles Award winner (Top College Football Assistant) was one of the hottest names in coaching. Taking over at Lexington, he spoke highly of a young and improving roster. Some coaches had to answer questions about their own job security. Coached considered "on the hot seat" include Derek Dooley at Tennessee, Gene Chizik at Auburn, and Dan Mullens at Mississippi State.

SEC East Media Day Prediction
1. #14 South Carolina (69 1st place votes)
2. #23 Florida (58 1st place votes)
3. #25 Georgia (50 1st place votes)
4. Missouri (28 1st place votes)
5. Tennessee (17 1st place votes)
6. Vanderbilt (0 1st place votes)
7. Kentucky (0 1st place votes)
SEC West Media Day Prediction
1. #1 Alabama (77 1st place votes)
2. #13 LSU (60 1st place votes)
3. Auburn (42 1st place votes)
4. Arkansas (28 1st place votes)
5. Texas A&M (9 1st place votes)
6. Ole Miss (5 1st place votes)
7. Mississippi State (3 1st place votes)

[Maize]

Around The NCAA

NCAA Football Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Aug 25, 2013
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Alabama Crimson Tide	0	0	1500
2	2	Virginia Tech Hokies	0	0	1497
3	3	Florida State Seminoles	0	0	1241
4	4	Michigan Wolverines	0	0	1227
5	5	Wisconsin Badgers	0	0	1217
6	6	Texas Longhorns	0	0	1142
7	7	Oklahoma Sooners	0	0	1130
8	8	Michigan State Spartans	0	0	874
9	9	Kansas State Wildcats	0	0	837
10	10	USC Trojans	0	0	811
11	11	Clemson Tigers	0	0	785
12	12	Stanford Cardinal	0	0	671
13	13	LSU Tigers	0	0	667
14	14	South Carolina Gamecocks	0	0	642
15	15	Nebraska Cornhuskers	0	0	639
16	16	Ohio State Buckeyes	0	0	631
17	17	N.C. State Wolf Pack	0	0	614
18	18	BYU Cougars	0	0	570
19	19	Iowa Hawkeyes	0	0	557
20	20	Utah Utes	0	0	487
21	21	Oregon Ducks	0	0	377
22	22	Baylor Bears	0	0	332
23	23	Florida Gators	0	0	289
24	24	Oklahoma State Cowboys	0	0	245
25	25	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	0	0	199

Heisman Watch

NAME	POS	SCHOOL	CHANGE
Marcus Lattimore	RB	South Carolina
Eddie Lacy	RB	Alabama
Michael Holmes	RB	Virginia Tech
Chris Nwoke	RB	Colorado State
A.J. McCarron	QB	Alabama

[Maize]

Saturday, August 31, 2013
Commonwealth Stadium - Lexington, KY

vs.
Cards Contain Cats in Smart's Debut

TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Louisville Cardinals (1-0)	7	10	0	10	27
Kentucky Wildcats (0-1)	7	0	7	6	13

Stat of the Game: Third Down Conversions: Louisville - 7/13 (54%) -- Kentucky - 5/15 (34%)
Player of the Game: Teddy Bridgewater, QB - Louisville - 13/28, 154 yards, 2 TD, 58 rushing yards, 1 TD
______________________________________
1st Quarter
UL: 1 yard run by T. Bridgewater (XP Good) - 12:05
UK: 5 yard pass from M. Smith to R. Shields (XP No Good) - 9:07
-
2nd Quarter
UL: 26 yard Field Goal by J. Wallace - 4:07
UL: 11 yard pass from T. Bridgewater to C. White (XP Good) - :51
-
3rd Quarter
UK: 9 yard run by J. Clemons (XP Good) - 3:49
-
4th Quarter
UL: 17 yard pass from T. Bridgewater to M. Harris (XP Good) - 14:51
UL: 27 yard Field Goal by J. Wallace - 1:12
_______________________
Passing Stats
Teddy Bridgewater, QB - 13/28, 154 yards, 2 TD, 58 rushing yards, 1 TD
Patrick Towles, QB - 7/15, 71 yards, 1 INT
Maxwell Smith, QB - 4/19, 28 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Stats
Josh Clemons, RB - 10 carries, 84 yards, 1 TD
Dominique Brown, RB - 9 carries, 45 yards
Raymond Sanders, RB - 8 carries, 97 yards
Receiving Stats
Michaelee Harris, WR - 5 receptions, 64 yards, 1 TD
Darryl Collins, WR - 5 receptions, 42 yards
DeMarco Robinson, WR - 4 receptions, 43 yards
Chris White, TE - 3 receptions, 34 yards, 1 TD
Ronnie Shields, TE - 2 receptions, 14 yards, 1 TD
Kicking Stats
John Wallace, K - 2/2, Long of 27, 3/3 on XP
Joe Mansour, K - 0/1, 1/2 on XP
Defensive Stats
Hakeem Smith, FS - 3 solo tackles (7 total), 2 for loss, 1 sack
Lorenzo Mauldin, DE - 1 solo tackle (7 total), 2 for loss, 1 sack
Avery Williamson, MLB - 2 solo tackles (6 total)
Alvin Dupree, DE - 1 solo tackle (6 total)
_______________________________
Injury Report
- No Injuries -
* - Injury occurred during game
_______________________________

Next Game: @ Arizona (1-0)

[Maize]

Around The NCAA

NCAA Football Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Sep 1, 2013
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Alabama Crimson Tide	1	0	1496
2	3	Florida State Seminoles	1	0	1311
3	4	Michigan Wolverines	1	0	1239
4	5	Wisconsin Badgers	1	0	1207
5	6	Texas Longhorns	1	0	1147
6	8	Michigan State Spartans	1	0	1058
7	9	Kansas State Wildcats	1	0	1013
8	2	Virginia Tech Hokies	0	1	1009
9	10	USC Trojans	1	0	982
10	12	Stanford Cardinal	1	0	891
11	15	Nebraska Cornhuskers	1	0	752
12	16	Ohio State Buckeyes	1	0	710
13	19	Iowa Hawkeyes	1	0	585
14	20	Utah Utes	1	0	544
15	11	Clemson Tigers	0	1	511
16	22	Baylor Bears	1	0	474
17	14	South Carolina Gamecocks	0	1	438
18	NR	Georgia Bulldogs	1	0	422
19	NR	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	1	0	402
20	23	Florida Gators	1	0	389
21	NR	North Carolina Tar Heels	1	0	387
22	7	Oklahoma Sooners	0	1	309
23	24	Oklahoma State Cowboys	1	0	282
24	25	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	1	0	242
25	13	LSU Tigers	0	1	231

Heisman Watch

NAME	POS	SCHOOL	CHANGE
Marcus Lattimore	RB	South Carolina
Eddie Lacy	RB	Alabama
Michael Holmes	RB	Virginia Tech
Spencer Ware	RB	LSU
A.J. McCarron	QB	Alabama

[EmpireWF]

Room for improvement with your freshman QBs or is it going to be a loooong year?

It was a close game well into the 4th before UK ran out of time. If the team can play that close despite poor QB play, gotta like the potential there.

[Maize]

Towles Named New Starting Quarterback
The Louisville "did not go as planned," said Head Coach Kirby Smart; who lost his debut as coach of the Wildcats with a tough 27-13 loss to the rival Cardinals. After going three-and-out on their first drive, the Wildcats offense was quick to score on their second drive of the game. From there, the offense looked out-of-sync. The new offense installed by Shannon Dawson will look to pass about 70% of the time, but the passing game struggled mightily.

After completing 3 of his five passes on the team's first quarter scoring drive, Quarterback Maxwell Smith looked lost at time. After winning a heated Quarterback battle, Smith's experience was what separated him from freshman Patrick Towles and Jalen Whitlow. After the team's scoring drive, Smith completed only one of his 12 pass attempts. The team entered half time looking to make a change. A struggling Quarterback was holding back an offense that was having some success (surprisingly running the ball). So Patrick Towles led the team out of the locker room, and started the second half under center.

Towles led the team on a long scoring drive in the third quarter, helped by mixing in the running game. Towles' control and comfort in the shotgun, not taking snaps from the center, was evident. Towles' only mistake came on a 4th down throw with only three minutes remaining in the game. A deep throw was picked off, but it was clear, the Wildcats might have found their Quarterback.

Towles was 38-1 as a starter in high school and has never lost back-to-back games in his football career. Towles doesn't mind making changes at the line pre-snap and definitely is more used to playing in the shotgun. In the week leading up to the team's road game against Arizona, the Quarterback battle had heated back up. Shannon Dawson was the first to announce the change, naming Towles the starter.

"Patrick has done a great job, we went with Maxwell because of his experience and leadership, but there is no doubt now, who deserves the starting job." said Offensive Coordinator Dawson, words echoed by Head Coach Kirby Smart. The team will be looking to upset their Wildcat opponents Saturday, searching for their first win of the year.

[Maize]

Room for improvement with your freshman QBs or is it going to be a loooong year?

It was a close game well into the 4th before UK ran out of time. If the team can play that close despite poor QB play, gotta like the potential there.

It might be a long year, we still probably aren't ready to compete in the SEC. I went with Towles because I think he fits the offense better. The run game was better than I expected, and the passing game got better, but I had a stretch where I completed one of about 15 passes. Thanks for following.

[Maize]

Saturday, September 7, 2013
Arizona Stadium - Tucson, AZ

vs.
Kentucky Breaks Out in Tucson, Smart's 1st Win

TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Kentucky Wildcats (1-1)	10	7	0	10	27
Arizona Wildcats (1-1)	0	14	3	0	17

Stat of the Game: Turnovers: Kentucky - 1 -- Arizona - 3
Player of the Game: Patrick Towles, QB - Kentucky - 15/42, 255 yards, 3 TD, 36 rushing yards
______________________________________
1st Quarter
UK: 35 yard pass from P. Towles to D. Robinson (XP Good) - 10:31
UK: 51 yard Field Goal by J. Mansour - 2:17
-
2nd Quarter
UA: 26 yard pass from J. Allen to M. Cooper (XP Good) - 13:14
UK: 2 yard pass from P. Towles to D. Collins (XP Good) - 8:58
UA: 3 yard run by K. Carey (XP Good) - 2:21
-
3rd Quarter
UA: 37 yard Field Goal by L. Brooks - 9:19
-
4th Quarter
UK: 35 yard Field Goal by J. Mansour - 13:40
UK: 25 yard pass from P. Towles to R. Shields (XP Good) - 5:07
_______________________
Passing Stats
Patrick Towles, QB - 15/42, 255 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 36 rushing yards
Javelle Allen, QB - 11/27, 156 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 42 rushing yards
Rushing Stats
Ka'deem Carey, RB - 27 carries, 150 yards, 1 TD
Josh Clemons, RB - 8 carries, 46 yards
Receiving Stats
Darryl Collins, WR - 7 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD
Richard Morrison, WR - 4 receptions, 59 yards
Ronnie Shields, TE - 4 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD
DeMarco Robinson, WR - 3 receptions, 102 yards, 1 TD
Michael Cooper, TE - 2 receptions, 42 yards, 1 TD
Kicking Stats
Joe Mansour, K - 2/3, Long of 51, 3/3 on XP
Lance Brooks, K - 1/2, Long of 37, 2/2 on XP
Defensive Stats
Miles Simpson, OLB - 6 solo tackles (11 total), 3 for loss, 1 sack
Rob Hankins, MLB - 1 solo tackle (9 total), 2 for loss, .5 sack
Donte Rumph, DE - 5 solo tackles (7 total), 2 for loss, 1 sack
Sione Tuihalamaka, DT - 2 solo tackles (5 total), 2 for loss, .5 sack
Mister Cobble, DT - 3 solo tackles (4 total), 3 for loss, 1 sack, 1 FF
Jonathan McKnight, CB - 1 solo tackle (2 total), 1 INT
Eric Simmons, CB - 1 solo tackle, 1 INT
_______________________________
Injury Report
Darrian Miller, OT - Kentucky - Broken collarbone - 7 weeks*
* - Injury occurred during game
_______________________________

Next Game: vs. Miami Univ. (1-0)

[Maize]

Around The NCAA

NCAA Football Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Sep 8, 2012
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Alabama Crimson Tide	2	0	1501
2	3	Michigan Wolverines	2	0	1382
3	4	Wisconsin Badgers	2	0	1316
4	5	Texas Longhorns	2	0	1274
5	6	Michigan State Spartans	2	0	1199
6	7	Kansas State Wildcats	1	0	1142
7	9	USC Trojans	1	0	1031
8	8	Virginia Tech Hokies	0	1	977
9	11	Nebraska Cornhuskers	2	0	940
10	12	Ohio State Buckeyes	2	0	889
11	13	Iowa Hawkeyes	2	0	838
12	14	Utah Utes	1	0	774
13	2	Florida State Seminoles	1	1	646
14	15	Clemson Tigers	0	1	633
15	18	Georgia Bulldogs	2	0	588
16	17	South Carolina Gamecocks	1	1	555
17	19	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	1	0	545
18	20	Florida Gators	2	0	515
19	21	North Carolina Tar Heels	2	0	461
20	23	Oklahoma State Cowboys	2	0	393
21	22	Oklahoma Sooners	0	1	344
22	10	Stanford Cardinal	1	1	325
23	NR	TCU Horned Frogs	2	0	262
24	NR	Oregon Ducks	1	1	203
25	24	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	1	1	193

Heisman Watch

NAME	POS	SCHOOL	CHANGE
Marcus Lattimore	RB	South Carolina
Eddie Lacy	RB	Alabama
Andrew Maxwell	QB	Michigan State
Spencer Ware	RB	LSU
Michael Holmes	RB	Virginia Tech

[Herm]

I just found this, keep up the good work. I can live vicariously though this with a Kirby Smart coached team.

[Maize]

I just found this, keep up the good work. I can live vicariously though this with a Kirby Smart coached team.

I really like Kirby Smart, I started this dynasty with him in mind. I'm glad you found this, nice to have some followers. Posting the Miami game right now.

[Maize]

Saturday, September 14, 2013
Commonwealth Stadium - Lexington, KY

vs.
Redhawks Hang Around, Fade After Half

TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Miami Univ. Redhawks (1-1)	7	3	7	0	17
Kentucky Wildcats (2-1)	7	10	10	3	30

Stat of the Game: Total Offense: Miami Univ. - 255 yards -- Kentucky - 528 yards
Player of the Game: Patrick Towles, QB - Kentucky - 25/52, 377 yards, 3 TD, 23 rushing yards
______________________________________
1st Quarter
MIAU: 5 yard run by R. Williams (XP Good) - 10:55
UK: 26 yard pass from P. Towles to A. Legree (XP Good) - 6:56
-
2nd Quarter
UK: 44 yard Field Goal by J. Mansour - 10:35
UK: 30 yard pass from P. Towles to R. Shields (XP Good) - 2:12
MIAU: 41 yard Field Goal by M. Krysinski - :08
-
3rd Quarter
UK: 48 yard Field Goal by J. Mansour - 12:34
MIAU: 24 yard pass from D. Kummer to L. Swift (XP Good) - 7:04
UK: 2 yard pass from P. Towles to R. Shields (XP Good) - 2:29
-
4th Quarter
UK: 26 yard Field Goal by J. Mansour - 6:58
_______________________
Passing Stats
Patrick Towles, QB - 25/52, 377 yards, 3 TD, 23 rushing yards
Drew Kummer, QB - 8/25, 134 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Stats
Erik Finklea, RB - 16 carries, 82 yards
Raymond Sanders, RB - 12 carries, 82 yards
Robert Williams, RB - 7 carries, 24 yards, 1 TD
Josh Clemons, RB - 5 carries, 40 yards, 2 receptions, 39 yards
Receiving Stats
Ronnie Shields, TE - 10 receptions, 145 yards, 2 TD
Darryl Collins, WR - 6 receptions, 93 yards
DeMarco Robinson, WR - 5 receptions, 66 yards
Nick Harwell, WR - 3 receptions, 64 yards
A.J. Legree, WR - 2 receptions, 34 yards, 1 TD
Luke Swift, WR - 2 receptions, 27 yards, 1 TD
Kicking Stats
Joe Mansour, K - 3/4, Long of 48, 3/3 on XP
Mason Krysinski, K - 1/1, Long of 41, 2/2 on XP
Defensive Stats
Sam Camiener, DE - 2 solo tackles (8 total), 4 for loss, 2 sacks
Miles Simpson, OLB - 2 solo tackles (6 total)
Robert Harris, OLB - 3 solo tackles (5 total), 2 for loss, 1 sack
Zack Blaylock, FS - 4 total tackles, 1 INT
Cody Quinn, CB - 1 solo tackle (2 total), 1 for loss, 1 sack
_______________________________
Injury Report
Darrian Miller, OT - Kentucky - Broken collarbone - 6 weeks
* - Injury occurred during game
_______________________________

Next Game: vs. Florida (2-1)

[Maize]

Around The NCAA

NCAA Football Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Sep 15, 2012
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Alabama Crimson Tide	3	0	1502
2	2	Michigan Wolverines	3	0	1422
3	3	Wisconsin Badgers	3	0	1362
4	4	Texas Longhorns	2	0	1304
5	7	USC Trojans	2	0	1133
6	8	Virginia Tech Hokies	1	1	1041
7	9	Nebraska Cornhuskers	3	0	1025
8	10	Ohio State Buckeyes	3	0	988
9	12	Utah Utes	1	0	871
10	13	Florida State Seminoles	2	1	818
11	6	Kansas State Wildcats	1	1	788
12	5	Michigan State Spartans	2	1	768
13	17	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	2	0	749
14	14	Clemson Tigers	1	1	726
15	16	South Carolina Gamecocks	1	1	634
16	20	Oklahoma State Cowboys	3	0	505
17	11	Iowa Hawkeyes	2	1	402
18	22	Stanford Cardinal	2	1	398
19	21	Oklahoma Sooners	0	1	385
20	23	TCU Horned Frogs	3	0	355
21	25	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	2	1	334
22	24	Oregon Ducks	2	1	304
23	19	North Carolina Tar Heels	2	1	289
24	15	Georgia Bulldogs	2	1	209
25	NR	Boise State Broncos	2	0	196

Heisman Watch

NAME	POS	SCHOOL	CHANGE
Marcus Lattimore	RB	South Carolina
A.J. McCarron	QB	Alabama
Spencer Ware	RB	LSU
Taylor Martinez	QB	Nebraska
B.J. Catalon	RB	TCU