OPEN SHOT: Governor's Cup (Louisville Vs. Kentucky)

by Truzenzuzex on Aug 7, 2008 9:32 AM EDT in Football Comment 15 comments

From now until the day of the big game, I will try to post a daily open thread containing links to stories and commentary on the Governor's Cup game. This year, the annual meeting has received the lowest hype I can remember, and it's time for both fan bases to get fired up.

Louisville has been much better than Kentucky over recent years in appreciating their football program, and it's about time the Big Blue Nation got up to speed. I know that we all love basketball, but if Kentucky is ever to elevate itself above the "slightly better than Vanderbilt" category in the SEC, we are going to have to take our football a lot more seriously. I'm going to do my part, and I know you will, too.

So then, to the news. Rich Brooks was very pleased with what he saw yesterday in practice yesterday. Brooks was particularly excited about the freshman receiving corps UK signed. Regarding my personal favorite, Randall Cobb, Matt Jones at KSR had this comment:

The media fell in love today with Randall Cobb again, as the coaches once again praised his ability. Rich Brooks has said that he expects Cobb to get more looks at QB and it may be the case that this becomes his future. But whatever the case, Cobb is an athlete that the Cats are THRILLED to have. He told the media today about Tennessee’s attempt to recruit him after his commitment to UK and the absurd nature of their comments that they "hadnt seen enough of him" when he went to school in Alcoa, 10 minutes from UT’s campus. He saw through those lines and clearly holds a grudge against the Vols….could he help lead the first victory since 1985 during his career…..sure would be nice. [SIC]

Amen. Cobb leading us to a victory over the Vols anytime during his tenure here would be magic, indeed.

USA Today takes note of Louisville's defensive issues last year:

Then the season started, and the wheels came off. After crushing Murray State in the opener, Louisville gave up 120 points in its next three games, two of which were losses, including a stunning 38-35 setback to a Syracuse team that was a 37-point underdog.

Louisville was 84th in total defense last year, surrendering an average of 416 yards/game against the 51st toughest schedule. Compare that to Kentucky, who came in at 67th, surrendering 397 yards/game against the 17th toughest schedule (stats courtesy of cfbstats.com and the Sagarin ratings). Louisville was particularly putrid against the pass, clocking in at 87th in that stat. Kentucky was a respectable 25th against the pass.

Some other links of interest:

Mike at Card Chronicle says that fans of UK or U of L who say other games are more important to them are being disingenuous. I think he is correct.

Tom Heiser at the C-J U of L fan blog says that UK's defense was "little more than a speed bump against the Big Blue's traditional foes." I won't quarrel with that except to give you these 2007 statistics:

Team	Statistic	In conference rank	Teams	Conf. SOS
Kentucky	Total Defense	10	12	1
	Scoring defense	12
	Rushing defense	10
	Passing defense	7
Louisville	Total Defense	7	8	3
	Scoring defense	7
	Rushing defense	7
	Passing defense	6

In the Big East, 1-6 Syracuse was at the bottom defensively. That single win came against Louisville last year in PJCS. Make of that what you will. Conference SOS courtesy RealTimeRPI.com.

ESPN ranks Steve Kragthorpe the 5th best coach in the Big East.
Louisville's backfield looks a lot younger (Courier-Journal)
Louisville continues to get more respect from SEC bloggers than Kentucky (Garnet and Black Attack)
Big Blue Primers: Special Teams Edition (4th and Blue)
Chris at the C-J UK fan blog has a look at both teams' quarterbacks
Multi-threat freshmen get passed around (Courier-Journal)
UK quarterbacks lining up for a shot at #1
Big Blue Primers: Tight End Edition (4th and Blue)

24 days and counting.

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Great idea, Tru

From someone who loves UK football just as much as UK basketball I appreciate the “Open Thread” idea.

Instead of surfing, we now have the good and bad one click away.

It looks like Kentucky is going to have to win a few games, especially the first game, to get any positive ink. What’s new?

by Ken Howlett on Aug 7, 2008 3:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yes

I really like the one click to all the links w/o leaving this site.

I am getting very excited about Randall Cobb playing either b/u quarterback or wr. This guy is a true gem for UK and only a freshman. What a get from TN!

by kykat51 on Aug 7, 2008 3:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

What's ESPN Know About Coaching!

Fifth is way to high for Louisville’s coach. This is if they don’t slip up and beat us. Then he’ll be coach of the year.
And everyone knows Brooks is much better that tenth in the SEC.
He’s better than MIles, heck, we beat them. And Suppier is just lucky against us. And that guy at Alabama. Or the fat guy at Tennessee, and who in the world did Arkansas get? Auburn, hah! And Ole MIss got a loser. What if he won there division three times while at Arkansas. Croom at Mississippi State, just lucky last year. Georgia’s coach, heck, we wouldn’t take him on a bet.
We wouldn’t interview a one of them when Brooks leave. That’s all ready a done deal. We’ve got Joker! You all know he’s going to continue that winning tradition they’ve built over the last two years.
“Hello, Georgetown College? We’ve moved the Louisville game again so we can get better prepared for them. Would you be interested in being our opener?”
Hey, its a probable win and we know thats what is all about.

by Paris on Aug 7, 2008 10:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Jurich, is that you? I knew Paris wasn't a UK fan.

by Ken Howlett on Aug 7, 2008 11:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nope, Its me

But now that you bring him up. Is he a terrible athletic director or what? He can’t compare to Barhart. No way.
And to think they can compete with the Cats, no way!
See, I’m learning.
I just keep saying over and over-
a win is a win
a win is a win
a win is a win
Maybe we ought not pick Gtown to play. They’ve had some good teams in the past.
Hello, Tates Creek? We’ve moved the Louisville game ——-

by Paris on Aug 7, 2008 11:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This act ...

... is getting old, Paris—to me and everyone else. It’s fine to be critical of the entire UK athletic administration, but enough is enough. You have made your point … over and over and over and over again. Redundant badgering is the same thing as baiting, and we don’t allow that here.

Please move on to something more constructive. This is a fan site, not a place to constantly air grievances with the Athletics Director and coaches. That’s what newspaper sites are for.

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on Aug 8, 2008 6:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Alright Paris... I'll bite

Barnhart hasn’t always been my favorite of AD’s either, but I think he’s done a fair job.

I’ve seen you repeatedly complain about Brooks’ hiring. At the time, I was a big fan of hiring Doug Williams. I thought it would be a big move. He was an up and coming coach at the time with a reputation for an exciting offense and Super Bowl credentials. Additionally, this was pre-Sylvester Croom and it would have given Kentucky the distinction of being the first SEC school to hire a black head football coach (at the time, I think there were four black head coaches in all of Division 1-A) and that would have given us some good press that could have gotten us in the public eye with some recruits. Obviously, that didn’t happen and I don’t know that Williams would have done as well with the team in retrospect as Brooks has done. Knowing who was available at the time, who would the all-knowing Paris have made a pitch for?

Same question, different sport. Gillispie. We swung for the fences on Billy Donovan coming off of two straight championship seasons. He turned us down. Pelphry and Ford didn’t (and still don’t) have the credentials to sit in the big chair. Who would you have gone for after Billy Donovan turned down athletic director Paris?

I really am curious to know if you have a coherent thought in your brain, or if you just like to complain. Its easy to be that guy in the meeting that sits around and tells everyone why their ideas won’t work… its hard to be someone that actually has a better idea. Which guy are you?

Of course its difficult, its a shortcut... if it was easy it'd just be "the way."

by chirop1 on Aug 8, 2008 7:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

They wasn’t anyone available. Never is. We had to get a coach out of retirement because the picking were so slim. Wonder how Florida State got Jimbo Fisher? He was just the offensive coordinator of LSU. We don’t need to look at those kind of guys. Just because they’re a step from head coach at a successful school doesn’t qualify them fo a look from Kentucky. Ole Miss stepped so low as taking the coordinator from Tennessee. He ended up with some kid named Manning playing there. He has an older brother who plays for him at Tennessee and is now with the Colts. Wonder why the younger didn’t follow the older at Tennessee? It wasn’t the coach I’m sure.
And to end on a happier note.
Let’s all hope real hard that our current coach sets a new personal best by having another winning season. I’m sure you know he hasn’t had three winning season in a row. He’s been coaching since 1977.
A win is a win.
I want Kentucky to be the best it can be. I want them to go after the best coaches in the country and not settle for anything but the best. Right now we aren’t doing that.
Example-going all the way to Morehead to fill the woman’s basketball coaching position. Do you think their might have been an assistant at some of the woman’s power house progams who would loved to have a chance to coach in the SEC?
I’m not a Louisvile fan by any means.
But its sorta hard to diss their athletic director when they been to the Final Four, The College World Series and the Orange Bowl in the past few years. Little Brother is doing something right. whether we want to accept it or not.

by Paris on Aug 8, 2008 9:00 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Still didn't answer my question

I suppose in a roundabout way you answered the Brooks question, so I’ll give you a pass there.

What about in basketball? I’ll admit, I never thought Donovan would turn us down… so I spent the next few days in shell shock while Barnie was lining up coach G. Who would you have lured away from their school? Izzo? Crean? Self? Barnes? Few? Calipari?

Louisville made it to the Orange Bowl playing in the Big East. If the toughest game we had to play every year was West Virginia, I think UK could make it to a BCS game once a decade also. I don’t think that’s a major issue. UofL did a great job making it to the CWS; baseball has been on the upswing at both schools in the state. The Final Four is obviously a sore subject around here… if I’m not mistaken, you have been an ardent Tubby defender in your posts; you’ll find that many people don’t blame Barnhart or Gillispie for the fact that we haven’t been to a Final Four in ten years.

Of course its difficult, its a shortcut... if it was easy it'd just be "the way."

by chirop1 on Aug 8, 2008 9:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I am a Tubby defender. You got that right.
And the coaches I would have tried to lure away, All of the above. I think Crean is now at Indiiana in one of the worse messes ever but hewas too smart to come into the mess we’ve got here.
Do you think maybe the coaches’ who were friends of Tubby saw what Kentucky has as an athetic director and said if he would do that to a guy who has kept the program clean, turned out NBA players and is averaging 26 wins is getting heat, why in the hell would I go there?
Gillispie has shown so much respect for the program he hasn’t signed his contract yet has he?

by Paris on Aug 8, 2008 9:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You must have missed it

Gillispie signed his contract about a month ago.

Of course its difficult, its a shortcut... if it was easy it'd just be "the way."

by chirop1 on Aug 8, 2008 9:43 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Crean

I think Crean would have lept at the chance to come to UK but I would much rather have Billy G.

I dont follow your logic that he was too smart to fall into our mess at UK when he so willingly walked into the mess at Indiana.

DEEETROIT BASKETBALLL!!!

by davw83 on Aug 8, 2008 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good

Well, I feel better now.

by Paris on Aug 8, 2008 9:49 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Crean

Wonder if Barhart discussed the opening with Crean?
Honestly, I don’t follow other coaches that aren’t in our area, played at Kentucky, or against Kentucky.
Until Gillispie’s team played against Louisville in Lexington I’d never heard of him. Coaches that make the Sweet Sixteen, you know there are 16 of them every year don’t jump out at me like apparently it does all of you. Therefore I have to go on what I”ve seen so far. Enough said.

by Paris on Aug 8, 2008 5:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Coaches

If you dont follow coaches that arent in our area or played against UK then you obviously dont follow much basketball at all. Maybe you should leave the commenting to those that do then.

DEEETROIT BASKETBALLL!!!

by davw83 on Aug 9, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs