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Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the Big Blue Nation, and welcome to the Tuesday Morning Quickies.
Today’s lead story is the Kentucky quarterback situation. Yesterday, Mark Stoops announced that Drew Barker’s back injury would probably sideline him for the game against South Carolina, leaving the starting spot to last week’s hero, Stephen Johnson.
Apparently, Barker has had an ongoing back problem since fall camp:
"He’s had some issues that were lingering, so it’s not just one hit," Stoops said of the injury that sidelined Barker for the rest of the game on Saturday and likely led to his early interception.
Despite that, Stoops reiterated that Barker is #1 on the depth chart, even though getting into practice on Wednesday, let alone the game on Saturday, would require a “miraculous recovery.”
Reading between the lines, a skill which I admit has atrophied somewhat in my new role as blogger emeritus here at A Sea of Blue, it seems that Stephen Johnson II has not sold the coaching staff in general or Stoops in particular on his ability to consistently run the offense. That stands athwart the evidence of all our eyes, which suggested Johnson looked sharper at the helm on Friday than Barker has ever looked in his career, absent the first half against Southern Mississippi.
On the other hand, these are guys that see these players every day in practice. A good game against a poor defensive team does not a star make, but I confess, I appreciated the sound decision-making of Johnson very much, something that Barker has not shown in abundance this season.
I don’t know if Kentucky needs a brash, strong-armed stud or a “game manager” at the helm this season, but we should get a good look at Johnson against a much more talented SEC foe this weekend. A strong performance against USC might begin to bring Stoops around. A weak performance will likely solidify his judgment.
Tweet of the Morning
Stoops: It would have to be a "miraculous recovery" for Barker to return to practice healed and ready to go Wednesday.
— Jen Smith (@jenheraldleader) September 19, 2016
Your Quickies:
Kentucky football
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Drew Barker remains #1 on the depth chart despite the heroic performance by Stephen Johnson II on Saturday. But he’s apparently hurt enough that we won’t be seeing him against USC, so Johnson will be the starter in that game.
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Mark Stoops on defensive adjustments:
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Benny Snell says, “I live and die for football.” For God’s sake kid, don’t die — for football or anything else — we need you!
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The evergreen and predictable, “Is this the make-or-break week for [coach/team name here]?” column, and this time, it’s Mark Stoops.
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This is a bit of a surprise:
SEC most TFL allowed:
— Barrett Sallee (@BarrettSallee) September 20, 2016
1. Auburn 32
2. Kentucky 21
3. Tennessee, Georgia, Miss. St., S. Car. 20 -
The five biggest takeaways from UK’s win over New Mexico State:
I’m not a huge fan of Lachlan McLean, he jumps to too many bold conclusions on too little evidence, and that often results in “stopped clock” success. But he makes some fair observations as well.
Kentucky basketball
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John Calipari met with 2017 6‘5” wing John Petty in Huntsville, Alabama Monday afternoon for an in-home visit.
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2017 shooting guard Gary Trent has opted not to take an official visit to Kentucky.
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Kenny Walker remembers former UK player Charles Hurt, who passed away last Friday, as a “great guy.”
Charles went to Shelbyville city junior high school before it merged with Shelby County, and I knew Charles. He was always a tall kid, but he was polite and generally reserved. He was an eighth grader, I believe, when I was a senior. Charles sure filled out in the eight years after that.
It’s sad to see him leave us so young.
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Which 5-star recruits are most likely to be playing in Big Blue Madness 2017? Ben Roberts looks into his crystal ball.
Other Kentucky sports
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This week in Kentucky Soccer. Taylor Sorrels has been doing a great job covering the fútbol squad for the last couple of years. Show him some love and read his stuff, it’s worth it.
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Leah Edmond gets her second straight SEC Freshman of the Week award after volleyball victories over Louisville (up yours, Cards, that’s four in a row and six out of seven) and Lipscomb.
Links posts
College football
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South Carolina’s bowl hopes could hinge on the Kentucky game, according to Garnet and Black attack. I think that could fairly be said about both teams, if you consider “bowl hopes” a thing afer watching UK’s defense last week.
College basketball
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2017 Four-star point guard CJ Roberts has picked Missouri. That’s very good news for a program that has been struggling to recruit well under their new coach, and hasn’t signed but one 4-star prospect since 2015
Other sports news
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Tim Tebow has arrived at the New York Mets training complex in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and officially begins his new job as a pro baseball player. The guy is one hell of an athlete. He might surprise us all.
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U.S. soccer is not as understanding of the whole “kneeling” thing as the NFL, and Megan Rapinoe may well pay the price. When you play for your country’s soccer team, this sort of protest is far less appropriate than in regular professional sports.
Other news
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Quantum teleportation enters the real world. This is all about the famous “quantum entanglement,” which could have real-world applications for at least faster-than-light communications, similar to the Ansible in Ender’s Game.
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Despite its failure to create the Unified Field Theory, String Theory is still incredibly useful.