The Leach Report

by:Tom Leach11/04/13
kemp There was nothing Sportscenter-worthy accomplished here this weekend but it was a pleasing weekend for Big Blue Nation, with the start of basketball season and a feel-good football victory. Let's start with basketball. For a team with four freshmen in the starting lineup to have a slow start to an exhibition game is not a great shock but it gives John Calipari a good teaching tool. The way UK completely shutdown Transy to start the second half was a good sign in that the players responded to the way Calipari surely challenged them in the locker room at halftime. I don't expect the Cats to have any issues with focus for a game like Michigan State, North Carolina or Louisville but that kind of thing can get a team beat in an early NCAA Tournament game. We're a long way from that point in the season but it's the kind of point Calipari can drive home between now and then. Tonight's exhibition game and the two contests next weekend will give Cal a chance to set his rotation for the showdown against the Spartans on November 12 in the State Farm Champions Classic. Guys like Marcus Lee and Derek Willis are making bids to increase their minutes so let's see how others respond to the challenge over the next 10 days. As for the football 48-14 football win over Alabama State, the Cats did what was expected. They seized control early against an outmanned foe and never looked back. I think the most important element of this performance was that it should give Jalen Whitlow and the offense a shot of confidence. Whitlow was especially good on third down, which has been a big problem this season for both QBs. The downside was the injuries suffered by wideouts Alex Montgomery and Ryan Timmons, the extent of which are not yet known. Mark Stoops and his staff are off to a good start in fixing UK football's biggest issue--the need for move talent overall. In the meantime, the Cats are doing some things that bode well for the future--limiting turnovers (none in the last four games, a possible school record), keeping penalties down and being more than solid on special teams. A few more thoughts on the win over ASU: KEY CAT STATS There's one particularly noteworthy stat that came in under the radar. Kentucky has struggled with the passing game on third down but Whitlow had his best performance in that area in this game. For the game, he was 5/7 on third down throws, with four of the completions coming when the Cats needed eight or more yards. Of course, this wasn't an SEC defense but it can give Whitlow some confidence when he's in those situations this week and the game is moving a lot faster. = = = "WILDCAT PAW" HELMET STICKERS Whitlow. He got UK off on the right foot with a school-record 88-yard touchdown run on the second play of the game. OC Neal Brown is pushing Whitlow to do more freelancing and Whitlow was more inclined to do that in this game. For the night, Whitlow was 16/26 for 186 yards and no turnovers while accounting for four touchdowns. Demarco Robinson. He practiced the whole week for the first time since the second week of the season (because of a nagging ankle injury) and he had one of his best games. He had single-handily kept UK's streak of turnover-free games in tact by rescuing two fumbles, one of them for a touchdown. And of his four catches, two came on third downs and another on fourth down. Jo Jo Kemp. 13 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown was a nice stat line but it was more impressive when the news was revealed in postgame interviews that Kemp had played on this game on the day his grandmother was buried. Kemp had returned home recently to say his goodbyes and he told reporters he chose to stay and play because it's what his grandma wanted. --listen to Tom each weekday morning at 9:06am eastern on "The Leach Report" radio network; and follow him on twitter @tomleachky and via "The Leach Report" page on Facebook --check out tomleachky.com for more of Tom's coverage of the Cats

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