clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Wildcat Quickies: Underdogs Edition

Kentucky is a big underdog this weekend, ASOB Podcast, 'Cats in the NFL, Social Media fans suck, and all your random quickies

By Keith Garrett
Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Big Blue Nation's Football Wildcats will be leaving the Commonwealth this weekend for a showdown with the Mississippi State Bulldogs.  The 4-2 (2-2) Wildcats are a hefty 11.5 point underdog to the 5-2 (1-2) Bulldogs.

header

Mississippi State has scored the least amount of points in conference games (50) but they have also given up the least amount of points in conference games (60) in the SEC.  All signs point to an ugly game that will likely be won in the trenches.

The Bulldogs biggest advantage is clear and he will be the man that will touch ball on every offensive play for State.  Dak Prescott is the proverbial Kryptonite to Kentucky Football... he is a mobile Quarterback.

Last Season the Bulldogs came to Commonwealth and dropped 45 on UK with Prescott throwing for 216 yards, running for another 88 and accounting for three touchdowns. In 2013 as a Junior, Prescott threw for 270 yards and a touchdown as well.

To have any chance to win the game, UK must not miss opportunities like they did in both losses, otherwise the 11.5 points they are getting will seem like a gift.  Containing Prescott and winning the ground game while avoiding turnovers will be the only recipe that leads to a win.

We will have to put together a big time effort to win, but I have an unconventional take on one advantage I think we will have: We are not playing at home.  Weird, I know, but the logic I am taking is this team wants nothing more than to please BBN.  When they are playing in front of 63,000 desparate fans, they want to win for us so badly I think they press and try too hard.

Being away from Commonwealth is going to allow them to play with their backs against the wall, from a significant underdog position and I think we may see them play their best because of that.

TWEETS OF THE DAY

*

YOUR QUICKIES

  • Our Editor Will Marshall and guest contributor Xs and Os guru Todd Greenwell recorded a solid podcast to discuss the Auburn game and the rest of the season, check out their work HERE.
  • Get your roundup of bowl predictions right here, Brett McMurphy likes UK to take on Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl, Mark Schlabach and Jerry Palm both like UK to take on its northern neighbor the Cincinnati Bearcats in the Birmingham Bowl.

I am coming more around to appreciating what we have in Patrick Towles.  With us having the last two Saturdays off, I have been able to watch more college football than before.  I have concluded that the QB play in the SEC is simply not good.  While Towles has some massive flaws, I would still rather have him than almost anyone in the SEC.  Here a is a quick test, these are the current SEC starting QBs

  • Florida - Treon Harris
  • Georgia - Grayson Lambert
  • Tennessee - Josh Dobbs
  • Missouri - Drew Lock or Maty Mauk
  • Vanderbilt - Johnny McRary
  • South Carolina - Perry Orth
  • Alabama - Jacob Coker
  • Ole Miss - Chad Kelly
  • Auburn - Sean White or Jeremi Johnson
  • Texas A&M - Kyle Allen
  • Arkansas - Brandon Allen
  • LSU - Brandon Harris
  • Mississippi State - Dak Prescott

If you could pick someone to replace Towles who would you take?  Honestly for me there is only two on that list I think would do a better job; Dak Prescott of course, and Chad Kelly.  I would possibly lean toward Brandon Allen too but I have not seen him play enough.  I still feel like we should have given Barker opportunities, but I also think we do have a QB that is one of the top three in the SEC.

  • It is becoming nationally understood, but there is no better recruiter than John Calipari and he uses any and every platform to get his message out there.

You all know that playing at Kentucky is about being on the biggest of big stages. Playing here is like performing at Carnegie Hall. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.

Most importantly, they have to have more fun than any other team in the country, playing together and growing together, IF they want to be the last team standing. I believe in this group. From Pat Riley, Louie Dampier, Dan Issel and Kenny "Sky" Walker. Jamal Mashburn, Tony Delk, Tayshaun Prince and Rajon Rondo.

John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, MKG and Anthony Davis. Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein. Who wants to be next? This team wants to be next! And hopefully some other people in this building.


Not so subtle Coach, but then again when has Cal ever been subtle.  He may as well come out to every game with the below .Gif that someone created.


  • Henry Clay's Davonte Robinson is one of Coach Stoops top recruits for next season and the top programs in America want him.  Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Alabama are among the teams vying for Robinson but he has officially closed his recruitment because he is "all-in" for wearing blue and white.
  • The Number One Basketball player in America, Harry Giles, visited UK for Big Blue Madness and had a great time.  He has also decided to not take an official visit to North Carolina.  While that is a great thing for UK, he is considered a Duke heavy lean so it may not matter, but you can never count out Coach Cal.  It also helped that he sat with UK's likely next commit, #1 Point Guard De'Aaron Fox.
  • Mychal Mulder is willing to do whatever is asked of him.  I love his attitude, it is great to have players on the team who realize what it means to play at UK.
  • The Mens Soccer team made a 1-0 lead hold up against #17 South Carolina to take over the lead in Conference USA.
  • The Soccer shutout was goalkeeper Callum Irving's 23rd of his career, setting an all-time UK record.
  • Kentucky Womens Volleyball took its first SEC loss to Florida. The 'Cats won at Florida and Florida won at Kentucky.
  • Kentucky Basketball once again used the entire basketball floor as a screen for the Madness festivities and introductions.  It was one of the coolest thing I had ever seen a few years ago and Friday night was just as good:

*
RANDOM QUICKIES

  • The Michigan Punter Blake O'Neill is actually receiving death threats and people saying he should kill himself.  It is unreal how people act on social media to KIDS.  There is almost no appropriate time to interact with player on social media even in a positive sense.  There is absolutely NO TIME when it is appropriate to interact with a player and criticize them.  If you are a person who bashes a kid on Twitter or Instagram and it is directed at him/her then you need to reevaluate your life because you are a grade A piece of crap, period.
  • Ian Rapoport is reporting that three NFL coaches are connected with the USC (California) job opening. Baltimore coach John Harbaugh, Philly coach Chip Kelly and Super Bowl winning coach Sean Payton.
  • What an awesome statue of liberty play by the Miami Dolphins to open the scoring against the Titans


  • Walker Woodyard is going to make you smile folks, just watch the kid do work below, guarantee you smile.




  • THE. WALKING. FRIGGIN. DEAD. The best show on TV has come out STRONG in the first two episodes of the new season.  Spoiler Alert: how bad is Carol, I love her character.  Pulling off the wolf outfit was a stroke of genius in that situation and Carol would definitely have pulled that off.


More From A Sea Of Blue