Get Ready...

[dukes_of_maggard]

Kentucky 2012

09/02/12 at Louisville
09/08/12 vs. Kent State
09/15/12 vs. Western Kentucky
09/22/12 at Florida *
09/29/12 vs. South Carolina *
10/06/12 vs. Mississippi State *
10/13/12 at Arkansas *
10/20/12 vs. Georgia
10/27/12 at Missouri *
11/03/12 vs. Vanderbilt *
11/17/12 vs. Samford
11/24/12 at Tennessee *

Anyone see 6 wins on the schedule?
Optimist: 7-5 (Joker buys himself 1 more year – maybe two if they finish with 8 wins)
@ Louisville
Kent State
WKU
MSU
Vandy
Samford
@ Tennessee

Realist: 4-8 (Joker is fired, UK hires EscapeGoat)
@Louisville
Kent State
WKU
Samford


For the record I think they win the above 4 games and steal one from the following: Vandy/UT/MSU finishing at 5-7 and getting a new coaching staff next year.

[ukvols]

Why is the game @Louisville being considered a lock? That's more of a toss-up. And, if you steal the Tennessee game, the Dooleys will probably bail out of town overnight and send a resignation via email. It took a combination of poor coaching, injuries, a missed official's call, bad execution, and the law of averages to finally lose to KY. I suppose it could all happen again.

[dukes_of_maggard]

Originally Posted by ukvols

Why is the game @Louisville being considered a lock?

It isn't - I'm a homer and my heart couldn't take the loss

[ukvols]

I think you're right about the overall record of 5-7. I could see them somehow getting there even if they lose to UofL. They will give at least one fan base a very unpleasant weekend with an upset; they always do. If they do win at Louisville, then 6-6 becomes a fair possibility. 3 more wins are pre-scheduled in. Miss. State won't overwhelm them with talent like many of the other SEC opponents will. And, the Vandy game is at least a toss up.

[dukes_of_maggard]

Originally Posted by ukvols

It took a combination of poor coaching, injuries, a missed official's call, bad execution, and the law of averages to finally lose to KY. I suppose it could all happen again.

I could almost buy the excuses if UK had decided to use a quarterback in the game...they instead started a wide receiver so pretty much I don't want to hear it. If you’re UT you need to beat every single UK team QB’ed by a WR – I don’t care if it’s raining turds only on UT’s side of the line of scrimmage UT should NEVER lose to any team starting a WR at QB (except maybe the Saints)

[ukvols]

Originally Posted by dukes_of_maggard

I could almost buy the long list of excuses if UK had decided to use a quarterback in the game...they instead started a wide receiver so pretty much I don't want to hear it. If you’re UT you need to beat every single UK team QB’ed by a WR – I don’t care if it’s raining turds only on UT’s side of the line of scrimmage UT should NEVER lose to any team starting a WR at QB (except maybe the Saints)

You say you don't want to hear "excuses," and then you go on to say that UT should have won.

If you don't want to hear excuses, then you must believe KY won, because they were the superior team.

Instead, you said UT should have never lost the game even if it had been raining turds. I agree with you. I gave you the reasons we lost.

[ukvols]

If Hunter plays, and Bray is 100%, we win. If we don't snap the ball beyond the acting QB in the red zone, we probably win even without Hunter. If the referees give us the ball on the fumble, well, we'll never know; we might have won 7-3, but that's a somewhat biased assumption. And, it cannot be debated that the coaching staff failed to prepare the team. I recall some of the players even admitted to not wanting to be there; that's horrible. As for the Law of Averages, no SEC team can continue to beat another SEC team forever. Luck played a role in the streak stretching as far as it did. The ball was bound to stop bouncing UT's way eventually.

[dukes_of_maggard]

Originally Posted by ukvols

You say you don't want to hear "excuses," and then you go on to say that UT should have won.

If you don't want to hear excuses, then you must believe KY won, because they were the superior team.

Instead, you said UT should have never lost the game even if it had been raining turds. I agree with you. I gave you the reasons we lost.

Sorry, I could have made that post clearer. I was surprised beyond belief (even taking into consideration all the ‘conditions’ you mentioned above – poor coaching, law of averages ect) that UK was able to win. A team who had played poorly all season (with a QB) should not be able to score at all against a team with a (relatively) healthy D (if there were injuries to the defense I didn’t know about them – but then again I don’t follow UT football that closely). I’m glad they won, in fact that was the best UK experience of my life that I witnessed live (also went to the UK Bball game that night which was an awesome doubleheader). That being said if I were a UT fan I could accept losing to UK in the last few years (the 4OT game, the OT game from 2 years ago…) but not this one – not to a team with no QB.

[ukvols]

Kudos for starting the thread. A refreshing change to the endless debate of No 1 Better vs Should Be Vacated.

[ukvols]

Originally Posted by dukes_of_maggard

Sorry, I could have made that post clearer. I was surprised beyond belief (even taking into consideration all the ‘conditions’ you mentioned above – poor coaching, law of averages ect) that UK was able to win. A team who had played poorly all season (with a QB) should not be able to score at all against a team with a (relatively) healthy D (if there were injuries to the defense I didn’t know about them – but then again I don’t follow UT football that closely). I’m glad they won, in fact that was the best UK experience of my life that I witnessed live (also went to the UK Bball game that night which was an awesome doubleheader). That being said if I were a UT fan I could accept losing to UK in the last few years (the 4OT game, the OT game from 2 years ago…) but not this one – not to a team with no QB.

UK really only moved the ball twice the entire game - the opening drive when UT was seeing something they had not prepared for, and the TD drive off of the momentum created by UT's unforced giveaway during what looked like the game-turning TD drive. Other than that, UK's WR-led offense did nothing productive, other than avoid turnovers.

UK won the game with its defense. UT's offense was a shell of the offense that went up and down the field against Cincinnati in September. And, the Cats were well prepared.

[dukes_of_maggard]

Originally Posted by ukvols

If Hunter plays, and Bray is 100%, we win. If we don't snap the ball beyond the acting QB in the red zone, we probably win even without Hunter. If the referees give us the ball on the fumble, well, we'll never know; we might have won 7-3, but that's a somewhat biased assumption. And, it cannot be debated that the coaching staff failed to prepare the team. I recall some of the players even admitted to not wanting to be there; that's horrible. As for the Law of Averages, no SEC team can continue to beat another SEC team forever. Luck played a role in the streak stretching as far as it did. The ball was bound to stop bouncing UT's way eventually.

1st bold: Agree 100% - it wouldn't have been a game after the first 10 minutes.

2nd bold: Not sure, that would have given you poss at UT's 10ish yard line - game would have been totally different that's for sure.

3rd bold: That is on the coaching staff to get them the hell over that...UT fans pay money and go out of their way to be at the road games - you need to show up every game if not for pride at least to earn your scholarship.

[dukes_of_maggard]

Originally Posted by ukvols

UK won the game with its defense.

Agree - they won't have the D to lean on this year...hope the WR corps can progress...so far they look awful. UK's got two pretty good QB's but no one to throw to...

[ukvols]

Really, as a UT fan, if I had to choose, I would rather lose that season's ugly game between two really bad teams, than lose in either 2007 or 2009. The 2007 win meant a trip to Atlanta for the SECT. The 2009 win took the streak to a silver 25. On our side of the stands, we knew we would lose to KY eventually, and it sucked (for us), but at least it happened with the least amount of negative impact for us and the least amount of positive impact for you as possible. Not to be rude, but we're rivals - losing in 2009 would have sent you to the Outback Bowl, sent us somewhere crappy, and blown the streak just before it turned 25.

Your point probably had more to do with a loss in 2007 or 2009 being easier to foresee. That may be true, but losing either game would have been tougher.

[ukvols]

Originally Posted by dukes_of_maggard

1st bold: Agree 100% - it wouldn't have been a game after the first 10 minutes.

2nd bold: Not sure, that would have given you poss at UT's 10ish yard line - game would have been totally different that's for sure.

3rd bold: That is on the coaching staff to get them the hell over that...UT fans pay money and go out of their way to be at the road games - you need to show up every game if not for pride at least to earn your scholarship.

3rd bold: Exactly! The coaches didn't adequately prepare this team. It is shameful to not be able to get a team interested in a big rivalry game. It's not like they were beating Bama and Fla, and the UK game were suddenly beneath them. They barely beat Vandy.

[ukvols]

Perhaps the real reason KY won is that UT's 30-year lease on the stadium finally expired (1981-2011).