I get the sense that there is one thing that Kentucky and Louisville fans can agree on going into the game tomorrow. If we don't know who or what we are, and they don't seem to have any idea of who or what they are...then nobody can put a finger on what the game will look like; I expect the team that makes the least mistakes will win which isn't exactly profound...but kind of where we're at isn't it?
The matchups:
* I've tired of quarterback debates and I don't know if Kentucky's is so much settled as they just had to pull the plug on Towles: we seemed to run the ball better with Bolin under center or more specifically Radcliff did. But UK struggles so mightily with mobile quarterbacks seemingly regardless of opponent being just as likely to get carved by Eastern as they would a running game of renown in Georgia. So the solution is obvious isn't it? Play them all
* The team that can run the football with any success is probably your winner despite that not being the barometer last season. I understand the UK fan lament with Boom Williams and will even go one step further by asking the practical question...if you have a kid with that kind of all-purpose talent in the backfield behind a quarterback as wildly inconsistent as Towles became don't you want to increase the touches for the one just to get the ball out of the hands of the other? My fear is that the luxury afforded a quality running game will finally be realized by the UK staff. If Louisville gets a running game comparable to the Syracuse or UVa games they'll win and barring a turnover margin like last season I'd say reasonably comfortably; if the running game resembles that against Auburn...probably the same thing. But I'm a little concerned about run defense because...
...Louisville got trucked last week. Flat run over reverting back to the base scheme of a 3-4 with JHC back on a hash and the intent I think was to have more and bigger bodies on the field against a pretty physical Pitt running attack. It was a disaster and I'd submit in those circumstances you'll see a defense that either shows up having their pride challenged or the realistic alternative of--gulp--having a number of defensive upperclassmen cash it in peaking ahead to the Draft Combines. We've seen it before during Chris Redman's freshman year, Dewayne White's last season under John L. on an upperclassmen dominated defense that called it quits in late September that year and given the results of the last two weeks and the consistent breakdowns from specific underclassmen I'm fearful that's what we're seeing.
This isn't insider information by any stretch but I'm surmising it's going to be Lamar Jackson tomorrow for Louisville; that is of less importance with all due respect to those in Kyle Bolin's corner as the return of Kenny Thomas at an OT from injury and a healthy Jamari Staples. We rarely seem to have carryovers of strengths this season from one game to the next offensively so it will be interesting to see if we finally see a mesh of Radcliff getting running yardage out of sets with Jackson because outside of Auburn that hasn't happened all season and Lamar doesn't seem to use the tight end weaponry we have to the extent Bolin does. So there you have it...I just talked myself into starting Bolin instead.
Such is life trying to figure out the 2015 version of the Louisville Cardinals...so you'll have to forgive me when I say I haven't figured out just what Louisville has and can't take on figuring out other schizo programs.
I'll agree with UKErik in saying it looks like a 24-17 Louisville win; I doubt it will be in any way artful and honestly there is little I will be surprised with tomorrow. If Kentucky wins big...I won't be that surprised coming off of the consecutive defensive efforts we've seen; If Louisville wins big I won't be too surprised because we do have some talent throughout the receiving corps (and I'm factoring in the tight ends as a big part of that plus Staples and Quick who has been quiet lately).
The matchups:
* I've tired of quarterback debates and I don't know if Kentucky's is so much settled as they just had to pull the plug on Towles: we seemed to run the ball better with Bolin under center or more specifically Radcliff did. But UK struggles so mightily with mobile quarterbacks seemingly regardless of opponent being just as likely to get carved by Eastern as they would a running game of renown in Georgia. So the solution is obvious isn't it? Play them all
* The team that can run the football with any success is probably your winner despite that not being the barometer last season. I understand the UK fan lament with Boom Williams and will even go one step further by asking the practical question...if you have a kid with that kind of all-purpose talent in the backfield behind a quarterback as wildly inconsistent as Towles became don't you want to increase the touches for the one just to get the ball out of the hands of the other? My fear is that the luxury afforded a quality running game will finally be realized by the UK staff. If Louisville gets a running game comparable to the Syracuse or UVa games they'll win and barring a turnover margin like last season I'd say reasonably comfortably; if the running game resembles that against Auburn...probably the same thing. But I'm a little concerned about run defense because...
...Louisville got trucked last week. Flat run over reverting back to the base scheme of a 3-4 with JHC back on a hash and the intent I think was to have more and bigger bodies on the field against a pretty physical Pitt running attack. It was a disaster and I'd submit in those circumstances you'll see a defense that either shows up having their pride challenged or the realistic alternative of--gulp--having a number of defensive upperclassmen cash it in peaking ahead to the Draft Combines. We've seen it before during Chris Redman's freshman year, Dewayne White's last season under John L. on an upperclassmen dominated defense that called it quits in late September that year and given the results of the last two weeks and the consistent breakdowns from specific underclassmen I'm fearful that's what we're seeing.
This isn't insider information by any stretch but I'm surmising it's going to be Lamar Jackson tomorrow for Louisville; that is of less importance with all due respect to those in Kyle Bolin's corner as the return of Kenny Thomas at an OT from injury and a healthy Jamari Staples. We rarely seem to have carryovers of strengths this season from one game to the next offensively so it will be interesting to see if we finally see a mesh of Radcliff getting running yardage out of sets with Jackson because outside of Auburn that hasn't happened all season and Lamar doesn't seem to use the tight end weaponry we have to the extent Bolin does. So there you have it...I just talked myself into starting Bolin instead.
Such is life trying to figure out the 2015 version of the Louisville Cardinals...so you'll have to forgive me when I say I haven't figured out just what Louisville has and can't take on figuring out other schizo programs.
I'll agree with UKErik in saying it looks like a 24-17 Louisville win; I doubt it will be in any way artful and honestly there is little I will be surprised with tomorrow. If Kentucky wins big...I won't be that surprised coming off of the consecutive defensive efforts we've seen; If Louisville wins big I won't be too surprised because we do have some talent throughout the receiving corps (and I'm factoring in the tight ends as a big part of that plus Staples and Quick who has been quiet lately).
