Kentucky Wildcats Morning Quickies: UT Martin Skyhawks Edition

The SEC kicked off football yesterday with the South Carolina Gamecocks at home versus the Texas A&M Aggies, and the Aggies got the best of the home team. I guess all these predictions about USC’s defense without Jadeveon Clowney and others just didn’t quite pan out, if you reckon the 52-48 score. Garnet And Black Attack has observations. So does Good Bull Hunting.

The question now: Is USC that bad defensively, or is TAMU that good offensively? Johnny Manziel, your office on line 1.

Tweet of the Morning

Dear Vandy: James Franklin is not walking through that door. In fact, James Franklin took the door. It now has a Nittany Lion logo on it.

— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) August 29, 2014

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• Mark Stoops’ final comments before Saturday:

  Hat tip: John Clay

• Mel Kiper ranks Bud Dupree as 7th-best outside linebacker in the nation. Well, he might be in the top 25 at defensive end as well.

Kentucky basketball

• Recruiting rundown: The status of UK’s top 2015 targets. I hope Jerry Meyers is wrong more than he is right.

• Coach Cal thinks that Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins will be great for Team USA. I think he’s right.

• Diamond Stone’s final five does not include Kentucky. Too bad — great name.

• Cavaliers general manager David Griffin defends his pursuit of Coach Cal this past summer. I don’t think that needs defending.

Other Kentucky sports

• Hoops player Samantha Drake decides to call it a career and forgo her senior season. Injuries are the reason.

• Kentucky Wildcats 2013-14 athletics year in review:

• Kentucky Rifle has new assistant coach.

• Men’s soccer begins regular season today at Wright State.

Links posts

• The Leach Report: Friday Wildcat Links

College football

• The Big Ten is better than the SEC, according to some random Wisconsin player. Okay, fine, you proved you can run your mouth. But can you beat the SEC? History suggests probably not.

• Three things we learned from Texas A&M’s win over South Carolina. Consider:

  Reports of South Carolina’s rise were apparently very exaggerated. While the Gamecocks have talent, they were absolutely obliterated by the Texas A&M offense, allowing 680 yards, the most in school history. South Carolina had no semblance of a pass rush and have shown they’ll need a lot of help to replace three defensive linemen — including Jadeveon Clowney — from last year.

  Well, folks, remember — they have to come to Lexington this season. I think our odds at that game just incrementally improved. Now, we’re no Texas A&M, but the Gamecocks seem to lack a little defensive integrity. So, am I saying there’s a chance? Well…

• Yeah. You had to figure the OBC was going to eject something.

• Alabama finally named a starting QB, at least for their first game.

• How much does the SEC miss football? So much that the SB Nation Florida blog had an open thread for the TAMU-South Carolina game.

• What’s the most shameful football team in America? Good news! It ain’t us!

• Heh. Bobby Petrino deserves this.

College basketball

• Will Kanasas play “small ball” this season?

• Bruce Pearl is the new Bobby Petrino — give me your tired, your criminal, your untrustworthy…

• Lindy’s releases their pre-season top ten. Guess who is at the top?

• Vanderbilt loses to Temple in Nashville. Anchor of Gold has the gory details.

• Tim Tebow imitates Steve Spurrier while he was recruiting him. Very funny.

Other sports news

• Julius Randle has spent some of that rookie salary on some new wheels. Hat tip: Aaron’s blog.

• The Big Cuz is Anthony Davis’ backup. Well, hey, almost anybody other than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Shaquille O’Neil would be AD’s backup. Hat tip: Aaron’s blog.

Other news

• Brittney Spears is single again. Imagine that.

• Grand Jury indicts Covington, KY teacher for providing a drug dealer with cocaine on school property.