2013 Kentucky Football Preview
Lexington is going through some changes, starting at the top. The resignation of Head Coach and former alum Joker Phillips, after three losing seasons and only one bowl appearance (his first year), it left fans anxious for a winning product in the fall. A rabid fan base was becoming impatient with a losing football team with great success in other sports. The Kentucky Wildcats' basketball team has made three straight Final Four appearances, including a National Championship in 2012.
Known as a basketball school, Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart wanted to change that image. Replacing Phillips wasn't easy, but the administration landed on Kirby Smart. The young and energetic Defensive Coordinator for Alabama was constantly coaching a defense that was one of the best in the nation. Learning under Nick Saban, his knowledge of the SEC is as deep as his tiresome work ethic.
Smart understands the troubling history of Kentucky football. No coach since Bear Bryant has had a winning conference record; only one had an above-.500 overall win percentage (Bryant's predecessor Blanton Collier). So winning and Kentucky football have not been in the same sentence often, minus small stretches of limited success.
Now, both sides of the ball are going through a makeover, all with a very young roster. There are only 8 seniors on the roster, and not all are starters. So the team lacks leadership and experience. The coaching staff expects growing pains, with a defense moving to an aggressive 3-4 scheme and the offense going to a prolific passing attack.
The roster does have talent, although Smart was quick to point out it lacks the athletes that appear on other SEC rosters. His plan is to build Kentucky into a SEC power, similar to the way Alabama has done it: Strong recruiting, a disciplined team, and a top-notch defense.
Many questions linger as to if this season with be a success in terms of the record. After last year's dismal three wins, expectations are low. Plus the schedule sets up with a difficult roads for the Wildcats. The season opener at Louisville and a road game against Arizona are the toughest of the non-conference slate. Florida opens SEX play at Commonwealth, but then three straight road games follow suit (Western Kentucky, South Carolina, and Georgia). The year ends easier than it starts, but three wins could be what the team yields this year. As for the future, Big Blue nation is excited about the future behind Kirby Smart.
Offense
Returning Starters: 5
The Scheme: Kirby Smart brought in Shannon Dawson to run the offense. Dawson had spent the last few seasons with West Virginia and will install an offense similar to what Holgorsen's ran with the Mountaineers. A pass-oriented version of the spread, similar to the Air Raid. Dawson will call plays although the offense will rely on audibling by the Quarterback. It is expected the offense will pass at least 70% of the time. It is centered on West Coast passing philosophies, with short passes and mixing routes to keep defenses guessing.
Star Power: An offense that lacked a punch last season plans on delivering one this year. The passing game is the focus, a big difference from last year. In 2012, they averaged 181 yards through the air and only 29 passing attempts per game. A school that has a history of prolific passing attacks (Tim Couch, Jared Lorenzen, & Andre Woodson) picked from the Hal Mumme coaching tree (by way of Mike Leach and Dana Holgorsen). Yet the talent might lie in the running game, which will be mixed in as well. A healthy
Josh Clemons figures to carry the bulk of the load and see many touches in the goal line and short yardage.
Raymond Sanders, listed at 5'8" is a scatback with tremendous speed and playmaking ability. He factors into the return game as well, as their primary kick returner. Both struggle in pass catching, which is where second year freshman
Justin Taylor factors to see some playing time. The running game is full of capable players who have to get used to a new pass-happy offense. All players plan to make the most of each of their touches.
Impact Newcomers: A young offense will only have one senior starting and two others that factor to get playing time (Raymond Sanders and
Tyler Robinson). The best chance true freshman have to get playing time is in the receiving core.
DeAngelo Yancey starts the season listed as the fifth receiver, but his time will be taken away by another newcomer, junior college transfer
Danny Hurd. Hurd is the only true possession receiver of the bunch, as well as the tallest receiver of the bunch. He was played in a "redzone" package during the spring game and could be a target when the team is looking to score. As for the rest of the newcomers, most are will be redshirted, besides another big target
Darren Dowdell. The third tight end on the roster, Receivers Coach David Nichols like Dowdell and related his style to a player he coached at Arizona, Rob Gronkowski.
Keep An Eye On: The Quarterback battle, that still seems unsettled.
Maxwell Smith was named the starter, but the coaching staff has said he still has lots to prove. A poor spring game and a tough season last year (13 TD, 8 INT, 30 drops), Smith's experience and fit into the new offense gave him the nod in the opener against the rival Cardinals.
Patrick Towles impressed many, as the highly touted signal-caller was named the back-up, but was expected to get snaps. The old adage "if you have two Quarterbacks, you don't have one" might apply, although Towles' inexperience in game action might lead to him being brought in slow. As for
Jalen Whitlow, a redshirt freshman (like Towles) does not quite fit the offense but could see snaps as an option because of his running ability.
Reese Phillips will be redshirted with two young Quarterbacks on the roster ahead of him; but the junior Smith is the one who takes the Wildcats into the '13 season.
Strongest Area: Outside of the backfield, a strength of the offense is the line. Lacking experience last year, now it is the unit with the most experience on the entire team. Starting with the bookends,
Darrian Miller is the team's best pass protector and has the job of protecting the QB's blindside. Miller is a second year starter and the junior is expecting a big season. The entire line wants to limit sacks and will be judged on how they do in that regard.
Kevin Mitchell is the team captain and the only fifth year senior on the offense (one of three on the roster). Inside, they only return one starter with guard
Zach West. West struggled last year in pass coverage, lacking the footwork which he has worked hard on since. He almost lost his spot to
Allen West (no relation), who came in and will see time as a back-up interior blocker.
Zach Myers did not have experience as center, but the staff saw the potential. Myers moves to the anchor of the line and has impressed. The other starting spot came down to
Teven Eatmond-Nared and
Shaquille Love. "T-E-N," at 6'7" an just shy of 350 lbs., beat out the more agile Love. The line wants to limit defenses to less than 35 sacks (less than 3 a game), which seems lofty with a line that does struggle with speedy pass rushers and had a history as being better in the running game. Their play could determine the effectiveness of the offense, especially early on.
Biggest Problem: The problem is definitely an untested receiving core. A bad passing game last year lost the best receivers on the roster (King, Boyd, and McCaskill). Replacing them as starters, the team plans to spread receptions around lacking a standout top option.
Daryl Collins is small for a #1 receiver, but has all the other intangibles.
DeMarco Robinson is a playmaker and much like Raymond Sanders is expected to be a special teams star. A problem for opposing defenses in the open field, he will return punts. The final starting spot at receiver was given to a former All-State long jumper and hurdler
A.J. LeGree. LeGree beat out
Bookie Cobbins and a group of young players. LeGree has a knack for making impressive catches but is inconsistent in his route running and hands. Much like the rest of the unit, catching passes has been shown to be an issue. That is why the receiving tight ends figure to see lots of targets.
Ronnie Shields beat out Tyler Robinson, last year's starter, due mostly to his receiving ability. Shields will see time in four receiver sets and has the athletic ability to stretch the field. If the line holds up and the receiving core plays up to ability and limits mistakes, this could be a special offense.
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Defense
Returning Starters: 6
The Scheme: Kirby Smart has been installing a 3-4 defense that will be the base. Mixing blitz packages and keeping players fresh with constant rotations, it is expected to be a defense that makes plays and dictates the pace of the game. Smart has coached top ten defenses nationally numerous times and plans to do the same at Kentucky.
Star Power: The stars of the defense reside be in the trenches.
Donte Rumph the captain, as voted by his peers, moved to end and has become a run stopping force in the process.
Mister Cobble, now the team's nose tackle, is listed nicely at 335 in the media guide. He looks much closer to 350, but has exceptional footwork for a man of his size. He might not get to the Quarterback, but he is quick to fill gaps and cause match-up problems for the offensive line.
Alvin Dupree will start on the other side and isn't much of a pass-rusher either. The team plans to stop the run up front and force teams to pass without sacrificing extra defenders in the box. On passing downs, it is expected that
Travaughn Paschal will play to put more pressure on the Quarterback. The team features 12 defensive lineman (8 ends), but is also the only unit losing three players to graduation for next season.
Impact Newcomers: The biggest newcomer won't make his impact until next season.
Landon Collins is a former consensus five-star recruit who chose Alabama over LSU. From the Bayou state, a year in Tuscaloosa under Smart and Collins was looking for a change of scenery. Joining Smart in Lexington, Collins is enrolled at UK and is part of the program's scout team. He will have three years of eligibility remaining starting next season.
Keep An Eye On: An athletic linebacking core that is made up of former running backs.
Miles Simpson came to Big Blue as a running back, but switched last fall to the defense. He played a hybrid position last year and now settles in as the weakside linebacker. He is built like a safety, but hits hard and likes playing close to the line. A powerful player, he was the team's leading tackler last season.
Avery Williamson starts again inside, and had another offseason where he gained size and strength. Williamson works great in space, can make open field tackles and even effect the passing game. He played runningback in high school, much like his fellow starter at inside linebacker,
Tre Dunn. His athleticism is trumps Williamson's, along with his versatility. He even played Quarterback before attending Campbellsville University. After transferring to Kentucky, he saw little playing time last year and still has two years of eligibility remaining. The other starter at linebacker was an intense training camp battle.
Khalid Henderson is a playmaker that was a true freshman last year. A speedy and strong player, he beat out juniors
Malcolm McDuffen and
Tyler Brause. Both split starts last year, while Henderson played on special teams. Henderson was a stud on special teams to the point he will still be used, even though he will start on the defense.
Strongest Area: The strength is the defensive line, it also is the only position with depth. The big numbers up front allow for the team to use a rotation of players and keep certain players fresh. Some don't look like three down players (Cobble), so it is the only position that can rely on its' depth a bit. The future also looks bright with four freshman, two who were former team mates that will be redshirted this season (
Caleb Flores and
Scott Wade.
Biggest Problem: A secondary that lost three starters. The only returner is
Ashely Lowery. Lowery hits like a linebacker but can cover a lot of the field with his athleticism. Next to him,
Zack Blaylock will be the starter, but many expect
Glenn Faulkner to see plenty of time. Faulkner is better in pass coverage, especially in zone. Blaylock can help in run support, and could see time as a linebacker to get Faulkner on the field as well. At corner,
Eric Simmons starts and looks like a dependable corner. The fireworks and turnovers might come from redshirt freshman
Cody Quinn. The coaching staff last year almost burned his redshirt to get the confident and athletic corner on the field. A standout on the scout team, Kirby Smart and Willie Martinez both agreed he just has to get on the field. They know he has the instincts to make plays for a defense that struggled to get turnovers last year. This year, an emphasis on scoring defense and takeaways were the difference that led players like Henderson and Quinn to start.
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Report Card: Overall - B // Offense - B- // Defense - B // Special Teams - B-
