LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Braxton Kelley has heard it more than once over the last eight months.
Sometimes it comes from friends. Other times he sees it in a newspaper, magazine or Internet message board.
When the Kentucky linebacker hears talk about the Wildcats' recent rise out of the Southeastern Conference cellar, too often Kelley doesn't hear reasons, but excuses, as if posting consecutive 8-5 seasons and Music City Bowl wins was a fluke.
``People think it was just a certain group of players like (quarterback) Andre Woodson or (wide receiver) Keenan Burton,'' Kelley said. ``But I feel we've got the same amount of talent out here now. When those guys went down, we had guys that came in behind them and still made the plays.''
Kelley knows last year's supporting cast will have to step up if they don't want Kentucky to slip back into the mediocrity that defined the program for decades.
``I believe we have become a better team over the last three years and I don't see us going back downhill to where we were,'' Kelley said. ``We're not going to go back to the bottom.''
From here, it would be a pretty steep drop, but not an unprecedented one for the Wildcats. Kentucky hasn't made it to three straight bowl games since Bear Bryant was the head coach nearly 60 years ago. The last time the Wildcats were coming off consecutive bowl appearances, they plummeted to 2-9 in 2000.
Yet the players say that was all long ago, well before coach Rich Brooks arrived on campus and changed the way the Wildcats practiced, prepared and played. There are billboards of the soon-to-be 67-year-old coach sprinkled across the state. The ads show Brooks bundled up in a blue parka with the phrase ``experience matters'' splashed across it.
The Wildcats think the experience of last year, of beating eventual national champion LSU, rival Louisville and perennial power Florida State will pay off this fall.
``We know what it's like to win now,'' said wide receiver Dicky Lyons Jr. ``It's like, when you get a taste of it, all you think about is wanting more.''
Winning this year might look a little different for the Wildcats than it did the last two. The high-powered attack led by Woodson will likely be replaced by a slightly more conservative gameplan that will rely heavily on a talented stable of running backs and a steady offensive line.
Mike Hartline will begin the season as the starting quarterback, the de facto winner in a duel with Curtis Pulley that ended before it began when Brooks dismissed Pulley on Aug. 5 for a violation of team rules. Hartline, a redshirt sophomore, lacks Woodson's accuracy and experience, though he's nimble afoot and has shown flashes in practice of making the right play if not the spectacular one.
``He's a tough guy, he's mobile,'' Brooks said. ``For the most part he makes really good decisions. That hopefully will continue to improve with more reps.''
The Wildcats don't really have a choice. The top three quarterbacks on the depth chart Hartline, Will Fidler and freshman Randall Cobb have a grand total of six career pass attempts, all by Hartline in mop-up duty last season.
``Mike's ready,'' said offensive coordinator Joker Phillips, who agreed in January to become Brooks' eventual successor. ``He's trying to do the right things and he's made significant progress.''
Some of Hartline's biggest strides have come off the field. Hartline's teammates have praised his leadership during offseason workout programs, and he's become the team's social coordinator, often meeting with new players in an effort to create a family like atmosphere.
``I just want to connect with them, let them know that I'm there for them, that they can call me for anything,'' Hartline said. ``It makes everybody very, very comfortable.''
Hartline might be most comfortable handing off to a quartet of running backs that Brooks called the ``deepest'' he's had in his coaching career. Tony Dixon, Derrick Locke, Alfonso Smith and Moncell Allen will split time in the backfield, and they'll likely be active in the passing game as the Wildcats try to take the pressure off an inexperienced wide receiving corps.
It's a challenge Dixon said the backs are up to, no matter who is on the field. After two years of standing in the shadow, they're eager to step into the spotlight.
``With big names people felt like we relied on (them) to get the job done,'' Dixon said. ``But now I feel like everybody feels they are involved and are going to get a piece of this pie.''
There should be plenty to go around, particularly on defense. A liability at times the last few seasons, this year the defense could be the team's strength. Defensive end Jeremy Jarmon was fourth in the SEC with nine sacks, linebackers Kelley and Micah Johnson could be among the best in the conference and cornerback Trevard Lindley is already hearing NFL buzz.
``Maybe our offense isn't going to be scoring 37-38 points a game this year, but we don't plan on giving up a lot of points to where they have to score 38 points,'' Jarmon said. ``We feel like the pendulum has swung a little bit back around to our side of the ball.''
The Wildcats hope the same can be said of the program. The schedule includes the usual stiff tests against SEC powers Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. They're used to it. They're past the part where winning seven games a year is enough. They want more, and they know there's only one way to get it: win.
``We need to continue to climb the ladder and knock off some teams we haven't had some success with,'' Brooks said. ``We need to continue to try and climb up the pecking order. ... For some years we were a patsy and that's no longer true.''
Friday
October 25th, 2024
8:18AM
