Cody Quinn shined in the Swamp

During Saturday's Florida game live blog, a commenter asked, "Why is La'Rod King playing defense?!" The defensive back he was referring to wasn't King; it was freshman cornerback Cody Quinn, who also wears No. 16 for Kentucky. Quinn made his first career start in place of the injured Cartier Rice in the debacle in the Swamp. Ben Griffin Hill Stadium isn't the ideal place to throw a freshman out there for the first time, but Quinn was one of the few bright spots from the day. Yesterday, Joker Phillips was asked about the freshman from Middletown, Ohio, and he praised Quinn for his how he handled the start. "He played as well as any freshman I've ever been around," Phillips said in his Monday press conference.  "The guy challenged receivers, made a huge play in the first series.  He drove on a quick screen that he took on a blocker and ran through the blocker and made the play. We're excited about him.  And all three of those true freshmen that played out there on the perimeter.  It's not an easy place to play in this league as a true freshman.  And those guys, I thought those guys held up well, especially him." With so much negativity surrounding Kentucky football these days, we can at least hold our heads high about the young talent on the team. Guys like Khalid Henderson, DeMarcus Sweat, and now Cody Quinn give us hope that it'll all be better in just another year or two.