Will the football Cats, be successful this year!? If so how!? If not why?
- Thread starter Bryo72
- Start date
Nope.....too many frosh on the two deep. Front seven is a who's that?
Swapped a historically weak AUBURN for the defending champ. Tennessee back to being Tennessee. Vandy with a defensive guru of a coach that is putting his stamp on the team.
Can't have much faith until this crew shows some discipline on the field......including the head coach.
When that happens, seven wins.
Until that happens, four.
Swapped a historically weak AUBURN for the defending champ. Tennessee back to being Tennessee. Vandy with a defensive guru of a coach that is putting his stamp on the team.
Can't have much faith until this crew shows some discipline on the field......including the head coach.
When that happens, seven wins.
Until that happens, four.
Hell we had 5 the last 2 seasons, I am going to say 6 wins but really hoping for 7
what is wrong with bryo? he only answered himself once in this thread
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Drew Barker.
He plays great, we go bowling.
He plays average or worse, we win 5 or less again.
Since Coach Stoops is a defensive Head Coach, we have to play better on that side of the ball this season, don't we?
He plays great, we go bowling.
He plays average or worse, we win 5 or less again.
Since Coach Stoops is a defensive Head Coach, we have to play better on that side of the ball this season, don't we?
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Uh....OK....Tenn/GA competing for the East....this yr. Vanderbilt strong def, no off...FL...I really don't know....(I'll, look at the crystal ball on this one) SC, "dumpster fire"....Missouri (see Vandy)
depends on your definition of successful,6-6 and a bowl trip is a success for this team.If we have expectations beyond that (based on what we think we know right now) we are likely to be disappointed. We will be better at some positions(LB's,WR's DB's and probably OL) there are question marks at others(QB,DL and special teams) if we have a healthy Boom and Kemp we should be at least as good as last year.
We have enough reason to believe that coaching will be improved,Gran and Stoops should be a better mix than Dawson and Stoops were hopefully this will give Stoops more time to make better in game decisions than some we saw last year
The Kentucky job has destroyed better coaches than Stoops has proven to be thus far,but he is still here and has a chance to get over the hump and buy himself enough time to grow into a decent head coach
We have enough reason to believe that coaching will be improved,Gran and Stoops should be a better mix than Dawson and Stoops were hopefully this will give Stoops more time to make better in game decisions than some we saw last year
The Kentucky job has destroyed better coaches than Stoops has proven to be thus far,but he is still here and has a chance to get over the hump and buy himself enough time to grow into a decent head coach
What is the definition of success? Improve on 5-7 and stop the streak of losing seasons? Yes they will. Climb up the SEC ladder? Not yet sure. Win a championship? Doubt it.
I'm in the wait and see or show me something camp. Until I actually see the Cats play better (finish games they should have won and get stronger during the 2nd half of the season) it's tough for me to get overly optimistic (done that too many times now just to be disappointed). If we do well, it might be because the offense becomes so impressive that it covers up other weaknesses. If we don't do well, it might be the big questions we have concerning our DL and lack of depth on defense. First game should give us a big clue as to which way it might go this season.
As bad as last year was we were still a win away from bowling. The offense was absolutely atrocious, and the defense...well what defense. The offense put the defense on the field far too often which I believe contributed to worse play down the stretch. If this years offense can stay on the field, which I believe they will do a better job of with the changes made to the staff, then the defense will get more rest and be fresh longer.
A lot has been talked about scoring offense and scoring defense, but not much mention of time of possession. If this team can split time of possession or better in each game then we could be surprised. If the defense is left on the field for 32+ minutes a game then it will be hard to get to 6-6.
Better offense due to Gran/Hinshaw, RB's, WR's (t.b.d.) size alone and Lamar Thomas give me hope that things will be better. Offensive line, just good, but not great.
Defense will show signs of improvement, but be overshadowed by youthful mistakes/inexperience. They will gamble a lot this year with the blitz, and leave the DB's on an island which shouldn't be feared with the size we have back there. Stopping the run will be the problem unless we sell out for the run every game and leave it up to our DB's to decide the outcome.
Special teams, I expect the Kick-off return game to be better as well as the coverage to be better based on experience and coaching changes.
Punt return team...some improvement but needs more.
I'm not liking what I'm hearing about the punting duties, and worry that if it comes down to it our kickers could cost us a game or two, hoping that isn't the case.
I see no reason this team can't be successful (6-6) and start making strides next year up the ladder.
A lot has been talked about scoring offense and scoring defense, but not much mention of time of possession. If this team can split time of possession or better in each game then we could be surprised. If the defense is left on the field for 32+ minutes a game then it will be hard to get to 6-6.
Better offense due to Gran/Hinshaw, RB's, WR's (t.b.d.) size alone and Lamar Thomas give me hope that things will be better. Offensive line, just good, but not great.
Defense will show signs of improvement, but be overshadowed by youthful mistakes/inexperience. They will gamble a lot this year with the blitz, and leave the DB's on an island which shouldn't be feared with the size we have back there. Stopping the run will be the problem unless we sell out for the run every game and leave it up to our DB's to decide the outcome.
Special teams, I expect the Kick-off return game to be better as well as the coverage to be better based on experience and coaching changes.
Punt return team...some improvement but needs more.
I'm not liking what I'm hearing about the punting duties, and worry that if it comes down to it our kickers could cost us a game or two, hoping that isn't the case.
I see no reason this team can't be successful (6-6) and start making strides next year up the ladder.
I predict 6 - 6. I don't know if you can call that successful. They should have been 6 - 6 the past 2 years. IMO if UK can stay injury free at key positions, they will get to the 6 wins. But if Barker, Boom, or anyone on the D-Line go down, then I think it might be a 3 - 4 win season. I don't think this team (like most UK teams) has the depth to absorb losses to starters.
My thought is UK finishes 6-6, MAYBE 7-5, gets to a bowl game, and is 4th in the SEC East. I see 3 non-conference wins along with Vandy, Mizzou, and South Carolina .... and a possible win vs Miss State. 'Cats could lose one of those, but could also upset UGA or Louisville.
Success changes dependent on a multitude of things, it's never a constant. This season, success could and probably will be defined by reaching a bowl game.
This UK offense should be better than 2015, but I am afraid the defense is significantly more challenged. If Barker is superb, some wins could be a function of "outscoring the opponent". On the other hand, if Barker is only "good" (50% to 55% completion rate), USC jr, Vandy and Missouri could be losses that could have been wins.
I bet over 5 wins for UK and laid a -130 price on it (which means over is the favorite). It's hard to imagine a USM win and not getting to 6 wins (which is only reason I hedged the season bet worth USM +7 in opener) - rooting for a UK win by 3 or 4 of course.
Easy call on the team - strength is in the skill people on both sides and weakness in the big people. Front 7 has 2 kids total that were 4 star recruits and they play like it - just not enough talent up front to be a team in top half of league but too much skill talent to not win 6 games.
Easy call on the team - strength is in the skill people on both sides and weakness in the big people. Front 7 has 2 kids total that were 4 star recruits and they play like it - just not enough talent up front to be a team in top half of league but too much skill talent to not win 6 games.
YES! Stoops and Eliot put top defenses on the field at every stop uk front 7 has athletes FINALLY!
There are forty-five bowl games this year. All you have to do to be invited is go 6-6. So, success is measured by mediocrity.
Now I understand that measurement is relative, but we're really only talking about a ONE game improvement over the last two seasons.
You really have a low threshold for what success is.
Kentucky fans have a battered spouse syndrome.
I understand that you expect results in football as fast as they come in basketball. I'm sorry that you don't understand the differences between the two sports and Kentucky's standing in both within the SEC.
It takes several different things to fall into place to BUILD a good football team. Kentucky is slowly checking off things on that list.
If you hate Kentucky football that much, then just stick with basketball. Cal will Kentucky to have the top recruiting class in the country, only to break hearts by bowing out of the tournament with the more talented team...hmmmm...is that success?
SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY IMPROVEMENT was that easy enough to read and comprehend?
I can give you several examples of SEC teams that have become successful in three years or less.
Too slowly. Anyone who accepts the glacial pace Barney has us on doesn't understand that we'll never reach success because we're still last in conference.
I don't hate Kentucky football, but I will note that you made the classic mistake of getting personal instead of sticking to the merits of the argument. I don't have to "stick" to basketball. I like both sports. Apparently you are a "football only" fan because you just blasted the basketball program. How sad.
That's pathetic. Improving from 2-10 to 5-7 is not success, all it is is improvement. But thanks for illustrating my point that Kentucky fans have been battered for so long, any increase in wins from 2-10 will be hailed and ballyhooed as "success." You made my point.
You asked what progress is, and I told you and you got snarky and bitchy with the truthful answer, hell grab a dictionary and take a look, I'm not lying.
Please provide that list of SEC schools that have reached and maintained success in three years or less, I want to see all the similarities that they have with UK.
Yeah, Cal and the basketball program have been a disappointment. 1 title in 8 years with the amount of talent that he brings in every year....that's failure. I still enjoy watching them, but for people to expect ANYONE to walk into the football program and turn it around as fast as Cal did the basketball program...lol...get a clue.
No, that's false. I did not ask what "progress" is. I asked what "success" is. If you can't even keep your facts straight, you've got zero room to take personal jabs, champ.
I note that you again move the goalposts, adding the phrase "and maintained." I said there's a list of schools that have become successful in three years or less. And you changed the rules. Nice try, fail. And you can look crap up yourself, I'm not your librarian.
Speaking of bitchy...lol...The fascinating thing about your post is that YOU are the one who brought up basketball...not me. And now you're harping on it. Are you incapable of staying on topic without wandering around aimlessly in search of a thought? And by the way, Cal hasn't been here eight years. Get a clue yourself.
You are correct, you did say success not progress. Success this season would be a bowl game. Improvement is success.
What schools would those be? So you don't want maintained success you would rather have a great season then fade away, only to return years later?
I only bring up basketball because it's a Kentucky basketball mentality to expect instant (2-3 years) results for the football program. Barney has been slow to give to football, but with the new facilities we can finally attempt to keep up with the jones's.
I'm just as frustrated as anyone else with how things have been. I get the disappointment just as much as the next guy. I also see signs that we are heading in the right direction, and see proof that things are improving.
Sorry for losing my cool and snapping on you...see, we all hate the way things have been.
I disagree. Success is winning four or more games in the SEC in one season, and beating Florida for the first time in many fans' lifetimes.
Vandy, MSU, Ole Miss, just to name a few. I can name more. And yes, teams are up and down from time to time. But UK is always down.
That's Barney's talking points right there: Microwave Fans. That's nonsense. UK has been mediocre and weak in football for fifty years. And meanwhile other schools have passed us by and he gives Stoops a six year extension in the middle of what turned out to be a 5-win season. It's just more of the same.
We can politely disagree on that one. I don't see Stoops learning anything. And our recruiting is still last in the SEC.
Don't worry about it. I'm not under any illusions that my posts are sweetness and light. But somebody's gotta do it.
I know as much as you do, I say they won't be good.
I disagree. Success is winning four or more games in the SEC in one season, and beating Florida for the first time in many fans' lifetimes.
Vandy, MSU, Ole Miss, just to name a few. I can name more. And yes, teams are up and down from time to time. But UK is always down.
That's Barney's talking points right there: Microwave Fans. That's nonsense. UK has been mediocre and weak in football for fifty years. And meanwhile other schools have passed us by and he gives Stoops a six year extension in the middle of what turned out to be a 5-win season. It's just more of the same.
We can politely disagree on that one. I don't see Stoops learning anything. And our recruiting is still last in the SEC.
Don't worry about it. I'm not under any illusions that my posts are sweetness and light. But somebody's gotta do it.
Vandy, most years years they are below us. In my 37 years of breathing, they have (more times than not) been penciled in the win column. At best they are our equivalent and the only team we can compare ourselves to thus far.
Ole Miss and MSU, two schools located in the heart of SEC country, talent rich areas all within 150 miles. Both schools Ole Miss more than MSU have had a history better than UK. Both schools place an emphasis on football that we have never seen.
It's not really nonsesne, Prime MF. Think about it, we have had decades of success in basketball. What down years we have had were quickly followed by success again. We have tradition, facilities, titles, everything you need to bring in recruits. We have had NONE of that with football. We finally have the facilities. Think about this...do you know what the recruiting room looked like three years ago? It was two folding chairs setting in a room with a curtain separating it from everything else. The weight room was worse than a lot of big high schools. We were in bad shape, man.
I see Stoops different, and that's fine. Last year he didn't get the guys he wanted so he settled with Dawson. This year he has HIS guys and I think it will show on the field. He is building quality depth, and we have guys now that we never could have got before he arrived...even Brooks couldn't bring this caliber of talent in. Our recruiting will never rival Bama, UT, UF, or LSU. We can move up, but it takes time...kids are just gonna come because we want them to. We have to improve and show that it's here to stay, not just a flash in the pan. We have to fight our history and that means building something sustainable.
Good point. UK could go 6-6 and if they get blown out by 40 points by Bama, UGA, UF and UT and they barely squeak out wins against everyone else and for USC, Vandy, and others ending up being far, far worse than expected, calling that type of season a success could be a debatable thing. Also if UK could go 5-7 but Vandy, USC, Miss St and Mizzou end up being a lot better than expected and UK may drop one or two there by a field goal and UK has 4th quarter leads or is tied with UGA, UF and UT but ends up losing close games. They lose but are in all of the games with the top teams. That type of 5-7 could be called a success.
Is it only the W/L record regardless of how the team looks and competes or is it totally in how well they play, such as losing some close games but standing toe to toe with top teams?
The term "success" isn't a fixed thing, success can be measured several different ways.
Vandy faded because Franklin left. Period. But they did whip us 40-0 when he was there. That's something we will NEVER live down. Getting destroyed by Vandy.
And next year after we go 5-7 this year you'll be saying, just give him a few more years blah blah blah.
It's a repeating cycle and I've been saying this since Joker: As long as Barney is here we won't have a program like Ole Miss, MSU, or even Oregon for that matter. Barney just doesn't care about football. He had to be dragged across the finish line to agree to the improvements. He had to be talked into hiring Cal for crying out loud.
I'm sick of hearing "It just takes time" when other schools are proving that it DOESN'T. And improvements mean nothing when a) Recruiting is still ranked last in the SEC and b) the coach proves he doesn't have what it takes to "coach them up." I can do the math, and it's not going to work out. I correctly predicted that Joker wouldn't last more than three years. I got the same nonsense back then too - "it just takes time, give him time, we need time, blah blah blah." I stuck to my guns and I was right. Joker was a failure.
I'm telling you Stoops ISN'T going to be successful. That doesn't make me happy. But somebody's got to say it. I'm not going to sit quietly and be gaslighted.