A reflection on the possible ending of the Rich Brooks era

The Cats came up short Sunday night as they were defeated by the Clemson Tigers and All-American Running Back, CJ Spiller, 21-13 at a frigid LP Field in Nashville. The three straight bowl win-streak has come to an end, as well as the nation's longest non-conference winning streak. The game started out great for the Cats as they seemed to control most of the first half in time of possession, 1st downs, and yardage. They were also doing a very good job of slowing down Spiller. However, the Cats' offense could only come up with 10 points in the first half, despite moving the ball into Clemson territory in six of their first seven possessions.

In a disappointing loss which could have been the last game of the Rich Brooks era, it should be noted that Clemson should have been placed in a bigger bowl and was a heavy favorite by most experts. If Bobby Bowden didn't get his wish to play in the Gator Bowl for his last game, UK would have played a weaker FSU team instead of Spiller and the Tigers, and probably would have won their fourth straight bowl game. It wasn't fair for Clemson to have hopes of going to an Orange Bowl and lose a competitive game with Georgia Tech to fall all the way down to the Music City Bowl. It also wasn't fair that Coach Brooks didn't get the same special treatment as Bowden with an Outback or Peach Bowl in what could have been his last game. After the game, Coach Brooks said there's about an 80% chance that he will not return but will take some time (as early as 4 or 5 days, but no longer than a week) to reflect with his family before making a decision.

This was a game the Cats could have won and the opportunities to win were certainly there, but I think it's safe to say that the better team won and there is not much shame in losing to a team with possibly the best running back in the country that just missed an Orange Bowl appearance. With the news that Rich Brooks was likely leaving we also heard the news that Derrick Locke is likely returning along with the rest of the Cats' offensive weapons. The team has also found a sense of direction with the Quarterback situation, which is a very positive result of this season. There seems to be no more Quarterback controversy, and Morgan Newton has established himself as the guy while getting some very valuable experience. A seven win season with the invaluable experience that Newton has had this year as a true freshman quarterback, in my mind, is more satisfying than an eight win bowl victory with Hartline still playing under center. Hartline is not our future, and it's good to see that the Cats made a step forward with some progress towards the immediate future this season with Newton at Quarterback.

Hopefully, the young Cats will take this loss and use it as motivation for next season. Maybe, instead of celebrating another 8 win season and mid-level bowl victory, it's best that the Cats think about this loss as they go through off season workouts. Maybe, with this loss in their minds, and the returning talent that we have coming back, this loss will motivate us to reach above and beyond a seven or eight win season next year. Hopefully, our eyes will be on a prize much bigger next season. With the uncertainly of the Florida program, the SEC East is very much up for grabs for anyone to take. I hope that Coach Brooks will be around for what could be a very special season, but I also understand that the timing might be right for Joker to take over. I'm confident that Coach Brooks will unselfishly make the right decision for Kentucky Football, and not for himself, because that is the type of man that he is. We will keep you updated this week on the status of Coach Brooks and whether or not Joker Phillips will be taking over the program in 2010.

The Cats face Hartford on the hardwood tomorrow night in Rupp, and I heard there's a pretty big game coming up on Saturday too. Look no further than WildcatWrap.com for coverage of the football coaching situation and this kinda big basketball game on Saturday.

P.S. Either myself or IT Director, Christian Cox (or maybe both of us), will be providing a write up in the coming days of our experience in Nashville along with pictures from the trip.

Last minute ticket...Nashville bound.

(Photo Courtesy of SECsportsfan.com of the 2006 Big Blue Invasion of Nashville)

I apologize for the lack of coverage for the Music City Bowl. Hopefully Mike Brown, a Clemson grad student, will get on this sometime tomorrow before kickoff like he was supposed to!

Good news out there, however, is that I've managed to unsuspectingly get a ticket at the last minute and will be heading down to Nashville despite having to work until 3:30 in Lexington. I plan to pack up before going to work at 10:30, then I will leave work at 3:30 and head straight to Nashville in time to make the 8:30 kickoff. I already conveniently have Monday as an off day to travel back.

I will have a key waiting for me at the Days Inn, just a short walk away from LP Field. I will then be meeting some friends right in the seats in the lower level endzone of Section 145. This will be my 3rd straight bowl game that I have attended and the 2nd one at LP Field in Nashville. I did not attend the last matchup with Clemson in 2006, but attended the Florida State game in 2007 and the Liberty Bowl last season in Memphis.

I will be giving a full analysis of the whole trip and experience of hopefully what will become the Cats' fourth straight bowl win. This would be the Cats' most impressive bowl win yet under Rich Brooks. They face a Clemson team that was just a win shy from the Orange Bowl if they had won the ACC Championship. They also face potentially the nation's best running back, in CJ Spiller. I will be bringing my new digital camera as well and bring the game to you straight from my seat and all around Nashville!

A Rematch with Clemson and CJ Spiller

A few months ago, when Mike Brown joined the staff here at Wildcat Wrap, we were hoping that he could give a neutral, unbiased outside perspective on national college sports picks. Little did we know that the Erlanger, KY native and Clemson University Graduate Student would give us the perspective of the opposing team in UK's bowl game just a few months after the launch of Wildcatwrap.com! This will certainly be a fun bowl game for our staff and I think I can honestly say that no UK site, anywhere, will give you better coverage of this game. Mike probably knows the most about these two teams than anyone as he is a student at Clemson and also a contributer to this site, so I'm looking forward to what he has to say about the matchup.

Brown's Picks

Last week was a little better for me. I went 3-2 which brings my season record to 10-11. Cincinnati is off this week so I added in my pick for the EKU game. Some good picks for this weekend should put me over .500 for the short time I've been picking games. Let's get to it:


Ohio St. ( -12) @ Michigan
No matter how poorly either of these teams has performed, the Buckeyes and Wolverines bring their A game for this one. Considered one of the best rivalries in all of sports, Ohio St. and Michigan will go at it this Saturday. Ohio St. has been rolling of late, beating Penn St. and Iowa in the last two weeks and clinching yet another trip to the Rose Bowl. After jumping out to a 4-0 record, the Wolverines have left 4 in a row and 6 of their last 7 (with the only win being against Delaware St.) I think this one will be close in the first half, but Ohio St. will eventually pull away and win by 17.

PICK: OHIO ST.

Virginia @ Clemson (-21.5)
-With a win on Senior Day in Death Valley, the Tigers will be heading to Tampa and to their first ACC Championship game. I think the key to this game is going to be the Virginia defense. Clemson has a number of weapons on the offensive side of the ball. By now everyone knows about CJ Spiller, but I think the big game is goign to come from Wide Receiver and return-man Jacoby Ford. It will be interesting to see how the Tigers handle the pressure of trying to wrap up a division title. I think Clemson wins pretty easily but I'm not sure if they cover the spread. I'm actually going to pick Clemson by 20, with a score of 30-10.

PICK: VIRGINIA

Kentucky @ Georgia (-9)
-Both of these teams come into this game with identical 6-4 records overall. One problem UK is going to face this Saturday is the potential lose of Sophomore Randall Cobb. In my opinion, Cobb has been the best offensive threat the Cats have had all year, leading the conference in touchdowns per game. Cobb didn't practice much this week and Coach Rich Brooks said he will be a game-time decision. With starting QB Mike Hartline already out, UK may need to rely on Cobb more than usual. Georgia has their big rivalry game next week against Georgia Tech and I think UK has a great chance to catch the Bulldogs looking ahead on their schedule. I think this one stays close for most of the game, but being between the hedges will prove too much for UK and their injuries. I like UGA by 10.

PICK: GEORGIA


LSU @ Mississippi (-4.5)
-LSU comes into this game at #8 and with hopes of sneaking into a BCS game. Mississippi is favored in this game, but I think they are going to need a big game from their defense to pull this one out. LSU has not been overly impressive on the offensive side of the ball this year, averaging only 25 points a game. On the other hand, Ole Miss is putting up 31 and 400+ yards of offense a game. This is going to be a tough game for the Tigers; Mississippi wins it by 7.

PICK: MISSISSIPPI

Eastern Kentucky @ Jacksonville St.
-On Thursday night Jacksonville St. demolished Tennessee Tech. That plays an important role in this game, because all the Colonels will have to do in order to win the OVC for a third straight year is beat the Gamecocks in Jacksonville on Saturday. Eastern is also trying to extend their streak of consecutive non-losing seasons. EKU is going to have a hard time handling a Jacksonville St. Offense that is scoring 35 a game. This one is going to be close but I like to Colonels to win the game and another conference championship.

PICK: EASTERN KENTUCKY




That's all for my football picks this week. Enjoy the football everyone!


GO TIGERS!
GO COLONELS!

Brown's Picks - College Football Week 11

I knew last week was a potential disappoint for me. I picked some of the right winners, but the spread is what did me in. I went a dismal 2-6 last week, which brings my overall record to 7-9. Hopefully, this week will treat me better. It’s a shorter list of games because I’ll also be doing some of the big College Basketball games for this weekend.

West Virginia @ Cincinnati (-9.5)

Huge Friday night game in the race for the Big East Championship. Sophomore Zach Collaros will be starting again for the Bearcats but Cincy coach Brain Kelly has said Tony Pike will get some playing time. Cincinnati is coming off a nail-biter against UCONN last week, but I expect the Bearcat Defense to show up tonight. This is a game Cincinnati needs to win before the big matchup with Pitt in a couple weeks. I think WVU keeps it close, but the Bearcats pull it out with a 10 points victory, just barely covering

PICK : CINCINNATI

Iowa @ Ohio St. (-16.5)

This is the Big Ten Championship game. Terrelle Pryor looked pretty good last week at Penn St. He was effective running and throwing the ball and looked like the QB Buckeyes fans have been waiting for. On the other side of the field, the Hawkeyes are coming off a crushing loss to Northwestern and will be playing without starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who had surgery on his ankle after injuring it in last week’s loss. Iowa has been in every game this year and I don’ expect anything different this weekend. The Buckeyes win, but not by 17 points.

PICK: IOWA

Clemson (-8) @ NC State

Clemson is in the driver’s seat to win the ACC Atlantic Division and potentially win their first conference championship since 1990. The Tigers’ offense has been rolling, scoring 38 points in four straight games for the first time in the program’s history. Kyle Parker and CJ Spiller should have a big day against an NC State defense that is allowing almost 30 points a game. Clemson shouldn’t have too much trouble with a struggling Wolfpack. Clemson wins this one by 13.

PICK: CLEMSON

Kentucky (-3) @ Vanderbilt

The Wildcats need this one. Kentucky is going into Nashville with a 5-4 (1-4) record. A win this Saturday would make them bowl eligible, and just in time; their last two games are between the Hedges in Athens, GA and at home against an up-and-down Tennessee teams. Those games are winnable for the Cats, but I’m sure they would feel much better going into those games with a bowl already wrapped up. Vanderbilt shouldn’t be much of a test for Kentucky; the Commodores have a scoring margin of -5.8 this year. I think 3 points is a pretty low spread, I see the Cats winning by double digits.

PICK: KENTUCKY

Utah @ TCU (-19.5)

It seems funny to say this about a game in the Mountain West, but this is a big game on the national scene. TCU leap frogged (pun definitely intended) Cincinnati last week to move to #4 in the BCS standings. I had a chance to see TCU earlier this year when they visited Death Valley and handed my Tigers a loss. Let me tell you, they are the real deal. Quarterback Andy Dalton is the real deal and has the HornedFrogs rolling. This game may be in Forth Worth but Utah is very familiar with TCU and ended the Frogs’ hopes at a BCS birth a year ago. TCU will win this game, but not by 20 points.

PICK: UTAH

This is an abbreviated version of Brown’s Pick for Football this week. Check back later tonight for my run-down of some of the big basketball games this weekend.

GO TIGERS!!!

Our Staff

John, Charlie, Mike, and Cox

At this time, I would like to introduce our staff here at wildcatwrap.com. You are already familiar with myself, but to make this thing work and make it big...it will take more than just myself.

Charlie Hunter, Mike Brown, and Christian Cox are also all alumni of Eastern Kentucky University and all have a great interest and knowledge for sports.

It's kind of interesting how I first met Charlie. He started a facebook group called, "Fire Tubby Smith". I was a HUGE Tubby supporter. I would get on the group and bash him and everyone else on it. We ended up having a class together in the spring semester of Tubby's last season and ended up becoming friends. Like many Cats fans, Charlie was frustrated with the job Tubby was doing. Also like many of Big Blue Nation, I was unhappy with the last few years under Tubby but supported him and respected what he had done here and wanted him to stay. The fan base was split and remained split under Gillispie. It's awesome to see now how Calipari has once again united the entire Big Blue Nation. Charlie has been added to the site as a contributor and was going to write about the debate over the black uniforms for the football game on Saturday night (as you can see by his black basketball jersey, he likes black uni's)....but then it was made known by Mitch Barnhart that the uniforms would still be blue for the blackout game on Halloween night....so hopefully Charlie finds something to write about soon, haha.

Mike Brown gives this site a really interesting perspective because he IS NOT A UK FAN. A lot of people say that I am too biased, so...to make this site the best it can be, I've hired my fraternity brother, Mike Brown, to give us weekly college football predictions each Thursday (starting tomorrow). Brown is a big Cincinnati Bearcat fan and now attends graduate school at Clemson. He is currently first place in our Yahoo College Football Pick'em league, so he will be sharing his "non-biased" predictions each week on the site, including UK predictions of course. He will also make weekly pics during basketball season and contribute to national stories as well and follow the NFL, NBA, and MLB on the site.

Christian Cox, an IT Major and my roomate, is the "Director of Information Technology and Advertising" for wildcatwrap.com. He will make this website eventually look a lot better than it already does with his savvy computer skills and figure out the kinks to adding advertisements to the site.