Kentucky football wins the Music City Bowl for the second year in a row. This time they beat Bobby Bowden and Florida State. Congrats to Rich Brooks, Andre Woodson and the rest of the team. Great job. And...the SEC is now 3-0 in bowl games this year.
Looking to 2008, it will be tough for the Wildcats to replace Woodson. But, Rich Brooks has UK football headed in the right direction.
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Our 2007 pre-season forecast follows:
Kentucky football has been under the radar for many years. But, after a winning season last year, (and particularly their huge upset of Clemson in the Music City Bowl) the Wildcats are attracting attention. Head coach, Rich Brooks, has definitely brought new excitement to Commonwealth Stadium.
Kentucky had a great (by Kentucky football standards) season in 2006, pulling out an 8-5 record and ranking third in the SEC East. They beat traditional college football powers – Georgia and Clemson. The Clemson win (28-20) in the Music City Bowl was particularly memorable as Clemson was the most heavily favored team in the entire bowl season! It was Kentucky's first bowl bid in six years and first bowl victory in 22 years!
They also made it to the Music City Bowl, the first bowl for the Wildcats in six years, where they defeated Clemson 28-20. The Wildcats had a strong season offensively last year, ranking ninth nationally in passing, the highest of any SEC team. Quarterback Andre Woodson, had a 63% completion record and passed for 3,515 yards.
However, Kentucky's rushing game was lacking, ranked only 101st in the nation. And, their defense was considered one of the weakest in the SEC.
Kentucky's tight end, Jacob Tamme, has been put on the watch list for the John Mackey Award as the top tight end in college football. Tamme was named to the first team All-SEC last year thanks to his high number of pass receptions. The Wildcats had a total of five players named to the pre-season All-SEC team, with Woodson and Tamme being named to the first team.
With fifteen returning starters and a strong offense, the Wildcats look good coming into the 2007 season. Their main concern will be their defense.
New defensive coordinator Steve Brown is implementing a plan this year to focus on attacking, rather than reacting. Some players expected to help put this plan in action are defensive tackle Myron Pryor and defensive end Jeremy Jarmon, who led the team in sacks last season. Linebacker Wesley Woodyard will also be an asset after finishing second in the SEC for tackles.
The bottom line is Kentucky football will likely be "strong" again. They will compete in virtually every game. But….the SEC is just so darn tough. We don't see them finishing any higher than last year.
Fortunately, not all their games are in the SEC. They'll win most, if not all, non-conference games. Thus, another winning season and another bowl game is likely.
Sep. 1 Eastern Kentucky Home
Sep. 8 Kent Home
Sep. 15 Louisville Home
Sep. 22 Arkansas Away
Sep. 29 Florida Atlantic Home
Oct. 4 South Carolina Away
Oct. 13 LSU Home
Oct. 20 Florida Home
Oct. 27 Miss. State Home
Nov. 10 Vanderbilt Away
Nov. 17 Georgia Away
Nov. 24 Tennessee Home
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