The Orlando Sentinel has been doing a countdown from 120 to 1 of all the College Football teams in the Nation. The Kentucky Wildcats have landed at #65. Here are some excerpts front the article along with some of my thoughts as well.
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Key losses: CB Trevard Lindley (32 tackles, one interception), LB Micah Johnson (105 tackles, one sack), OL Zipp Duncan (Two-year starter on offensive line), LB Sam Maxwell (80 tackles, six interceptions), DE Corey Peters (38 tackles, four sacks)
Top returnees: WR/RB Randall Cobb (Combined 1,020 yards, 14 touchdowns rushing/receiving), QB Mike Hartline (79-of-133, 802 yards, six touchdowns), RB Derrick Locke (907 rushing yards, six touchdowns), LB Danny Trevathan (80 tackles, two forced fumbles), DE Dequin Evans (38 tackles, six sacks)
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I believe our losses definitely outweigh what is returning, but Randall Cobb is the key to the team. I know it is easy to say that, but if Cobb gets hurt early in the season, it could be a very dismal year.
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Strengths: If the quarterback positions becomes settled, the Wildcats could be an offensive force once again. Cobb is one of the conference’s biggest talents, and Locke provides stability to a running game behind an inexperienced line. Hartline is battling for the starting quarterback job with Newton and Ryan Mossakowski. This offense should improve last year’s eighth-place finish in the league in red-zone conversions. UK’s secondary has talent behind FS Winston Guy, who recorded 60 tackles as a junior.
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I like the running game a lot more than the passing game this year. The Cats will have depth at the running back position and the more guys you can run out there the fresher they will be in the grind in a 4th quarter.
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Weaknesses: Kentucky must compensate for losing four starting offensive linemen, but at least junior guard Stuart Hines, a potential All-SEC candidate, is one of seven returning lettermen. The interior defensive line is weak after the departure of Corey Peters. The Wildcats need Shane McCord and Mark Crawford to emerge at that position. The UK defense gave up 183.2 rushing yards per game last season, second-to-last in the conference, and without new leaders, that number could get worse because of all the defensive leaders now gone.
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With all of the great running backs in the SEC, it will always be a test to stop the run. When teams can run the football, they control the pace and ultimately everything else. The defensive line definitely has a scary outlook and I just hope the early practices show promise.
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Outlook: The Joker Phillips era begins with plenty of promise, but the Wildcats aren’t dynamic on either side of the ball – good, just not dynamic. They have just enough talent for another six- or seven-win season, which is still impressive considering Kentucky’s struggles historically
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If everything goes well and the Cats stay injury free, I agree with the assessment that the Cats win make it back to another bowl. I would like to be optimistic and say they could win 8 games, but it will take a lot of improvement on the defensive side of the ball to make that happen.
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