Computer Crashed!

I apologize for the lack of posts by myself the last few days, but we are experiencing technical difficulties at wildcatwrap.com with my laptop. Hopefully, IT Director Christian Cox can get on this immediately.

Anyway, here's my belated thoughts on the game Saturday. Make no mistake, it was a very big game and tough loss. If we had been able to come out with a win, we would likely have a 5 game winning streak going into the Georgia and Tennessee games and have a chance to play for a New Years Day Bowl Game. We still have a slim chance at that, but now we have a very little margin of error and will have to win at least one of those last two games. But consider this: Kentucky has an identical overall and conference record as Tennessee and has the same overall record as Georgia. Those last two games ARE very winnable games, and if the Cats won just one of them (or both) along with a 4th straight bowl win....would this season be a failure? My point is that there's still a lot to play for and it appears that Mike Hartline was actually the best choice all along at Quarterback and should be back for those last 2 games.

Don't get me wrong though, Morgan Newton will be a very good Quarterback in a few years and I'm very glad that he has been able to get some quality experience this year. He is a true freshman who looks at least on par with the level that Andre Woodson was playing as a redshirt freshman and sophomore. Woodson didn't blossom until his junior year which was his fourth year in the program, while Newton went to his high school prom 6 months ago.

I do, however, agree with Charlie on the strange play calling late in the game. How does Randall Cobb not touch the ball in any capacity in the 4th quarter while in the redzone twice? If you're going to run two straight quarterback drawls, than why run it with Morgan Newton instead of Randall Cobb? Cobb has the ability to win a Heisman Trophy in a few years if the coaching staff utilizes him to his full potential but they have not done that so far this season. In the Auburn game, the staff actually made ALL of the right moves. Using Fidler (more mature and experienced than Newton) and Cobb late in the game was brilliant and won the game for us. My question is, if it worked late against Auburn, why not do the same against Mississippi State? Or for that matter, why not use Cobb more often throughout the game in the Wildcat?

After the 2 point loss to South Carolina, Steve Spurrier made remarks about how he was glad they waited so long to put Cobb at quarterback. Cobb marched the Cats right down the field midway through the 4th quarter and there's no telling what he could have done under center all day long. Last season, Cobb played quarterback the entire game against a top 10 Georgia team and put over 30 points on the board. Until someone proves that they can stop him, we should utilize him the most we can without putting too bad of a beating on his 180 pound body.

But that is enough criticism for now. Next week the Cats face my alma mater, the Eastern Kentucky University Colonels, and then Vanderbilt. These are two games the Cats should win to improve to 6-4. Like I said earlier, there is still a chance to have a very good season this year and I'll wait until the season concludes to make judgements on the direction of the program. EKU is currently celebrating 100 years of football and we'll have a nice tribute to the EKU program later on in the week.

Tonight, the Cats hit the hardwood and face an opponent for the first time this season as exhibition play opens up without John Wall against Campbellsville at 7:00 in Rupp. Hopefully, I can get on a working computer again tonight and give you the official "Wildcat Wrap" of the very first exhibition game in the Calipari era.