Can we do it?

by:Thomas Beisner10/25/08
This ended well the first time, right? The Cats, sitting at 5-2, should be the apple of every Wildcat fan's eye, but they don't seem to be on the receiving end of much love these days after a pooper of a game against South Carolina and 56 minutes of poor offense against a bad Arkansas team.  The offense looks awful and it seems like they're never going to hit a rhythm and it's a hard detox from the offensive high we've been on for two years. But, don't be too down on a Kentucky team that still has a better record than you predicted before the season (don't lie to me!!!) - even with that putrid offense.  Despite playing bad football and running the fans out of the building on Saturday, there were still numerous good things for the Cats to take away from the game against the Hogs as they move into a big showdown this week.  Unfortunately, I poorly chose to attend Game 6 of the ALCS and missed it, so you'll just have to google "Kentucky-Arkansas positives" or something similar and hope for the best.  Good luck with that.  Anyway, now that we got that out of the way, let's try to break down the game with that SEC Goliath... It's not a good draw in the SEC bracket this week for our heroes in blue, who go on the road as 24 1/2 point underdogs.  They're faced with the daunting task Saturday of heading to The Swamp to take on the 5th-ranked Fighting Tebows and the sweaty sea of jorts and mullets that the homecoming crowd is sure to offer.  Adding to the trouble for the Cats is that Florida had an entire week to prepare for the super-powered, Hartline-led Kentucky offense that is now missing its best wideout and its best running back.  Things could get ugly for the Cats then, right? Not so fast my frie....oh, wait.  Yeah, it's going to get bad.  Really bad.  And it hurts me deep inside to say so. The only reason that Kentucky has been able to stay competitive in every game this year with such a poor offense is the outstanding play of their defensive unit, which has never put the offense in a position to have to put up huge points.  Unfortunately for the Cats, that trend likely stops here as Florida brings the most high-powered offense that they'll see all year and it will be in a formation that has haunted them for years.  Against virtually the same defense last year, the Fighting Tebows torched Kentucky and - if I remember correctly - scored on every possession in the second half.  Basically, Spread Offense + Florida Talent = We're S.O.L. Kentucky can't go point-for-point with Florida like they were hoping to last season.  They're only hope is to control the clock and keep the Florida offensive playmakers on the sideline - something they've not shown an ability to do.  If Mike Hartline and Co. come out with three-and-outs all day, then it's going to get ugly early for our heroes in blue.  Florida isn't just a great offensive team, they're a HUGE play waiting to happen on every snap and that puts a lot of pressure on the defense to keep this whack UK offense in the game.  But, don't massacre me my Kentucky brothers and sisters.  Remember that I was the one that picked us to beat Alabama and everyone hated me for it.  I'd like to use that pass here.  I wish I could say otherwise, but I just don't see an upset in the works today.  But, remember, that doesn't mean you can't let me mooch off of your tailgate. Go Cats. ***KSR PSA****  Just another note.  If you're going to Gainesville for the game, be aware that you've entered the anal cavity of America and you're going to be surrounded by people like this.  Be careful.

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