Category Archives: Football

Braden Nevius 7:40 pm on August 19, 2017
Tags: ,   

Football: Who Needs to Step up after Dorian Baker Injury?


(picture courtesy of UK Athletics)

If you haven’t heard already, Dorian Baker came down with a servere injury and it doesn’t look good. It seems as if it’s going to be an injury that will take the senior out for the year. Baker has always had potential and people thought this would be the year he could finally break out. With this injury, Stoops said he now expects to play four freshman wide receivers this season. Now it’s time to raise the question, who’s going to step up?

Kayuane Ross

After an impressive first half in the Southern Miss game last season, Ross fell off tremendously and rarely saw the field after that game. Hopes are back up for Ross after an impressive spring game and he’s had a great fall camp. I put Ross first on the list mainly because he has the same play style as Dorian. With a staggering height of 6’6, Ross should be a red zone threat and he’ll be able to go up and make a spectacular catch like Dorian Baker. It’ll be interesting to watch how much he improves and if he can step up in Dorian’s place.

Tavin Richardson

Tavin’s story is almost exact to Kayuane Ross’. After an impressive game from him in the Southern Miss game, he also fell off and never really got back to how he played in that game. Richardson may have the best hands on the team as he showcased multiple times last year he can go up and make an impossible grab. When he gets on the field this season, it’ll be up to him to show everyone how great he can truly be. I was already expecting a big year for Tavin and this makes me believe that even more now.

Garrett “Juice” Johnson

This one may seem like a stretch but with Dorian out, Juice becomes the sole number one wide receiver and the larder of this group. Johnson has always been a top guy but he’s always had someone to help him lead out there with him. Guys like Javess Blue, Dorian Baker, Jeff Badet, etc. have always been able to help out Juice with the responsibility with leading the wide reciever corps and now it’s all on him to lead. Blake Bone should help out a little bit but Bone hasn’t played in game changing plays like Juice has. It shouldn’t be an issue for Juice to step up in being the number one reciever but it’s time to find out he’ll take the role of being the leader.

Blake Bone

This is it for Blake Bone. If he doesn’t succeed this season then his dreams of playing in the NFL will most likely be up. I really want him to succeed and he now has a great chance to do so. Bone has a lot of potential and now it’s time for him to go to the next level. I really hope he does well this season!

Kentucky has a lot of guys who can step up but I believe these guys need to step up the most for our reciever group to succeed. Guys like Lynn Bowden, CJ Conrad, Josh Ali, and Isaiah Epps should take the load off for these guys which should result in a successful season for the wide reciever group. Stephen Johnson or whoever ends up playing impact in how they succeed of course. I hope for full and speedy recovery for Dorian! Get well soon! 

Advertisements
Braden Nevius 9:57 pm on August 18, 2017
Tags: , , , , Marvin Alexander Jr., ,   

Football: Ukfansallday’s Exclusive interview with WR commit, Marvin Alexander Jr.


(image courtesy of 247 Sports)

Q: When did you start playing football and when did you realize football was something you wanted to commit to?

Marvin Alexander Jr: “I started when I was five years old. I realized that it was something I wanted to commit to when I missed it so much during the off-seasons when I was younger.”

Q: Who in the NFL would you compare yourself to?

Marvin Alexander Jr: “I’m not sure but who I try to model my game after is AJ Green (of the Cincinnati Bengals).”

Q: Next up I got a fan question from Ty Buck, what made you want to come to Kentucky?

Marvin Alexander Jr: “The coaching staff, the players and I like the message that they’re giving out to us recruits.”

Q: Another fan question from Ty Buck, what is your favorite pregame pump up song or songs?

Marvin Alexander Jr: “Before every game I listen to “Go Crazy” by Young Jeezy.”

Q: Kentucky has recently had great success with getting guys out of Chaminade-Madonna, getting guys like Akeem Hayes, Davonan Hawkins, Keontra Smith (2019 class), and yourself. Why do you think Kentucky has been able to get so many guys out of there?

Marvin Alexander Jr: “I think because we all come from the same program so our mindset is all the same and since visiting UK, we’ve all fell in love and decided that’s where we want to spend our next 3-4 years. Trust me , if we had other players with Kentucky offers we would have many more commits.”

Q: The final question I got for you is what is your message to the BBN and tell us what we can expect from you in the next 3-4 years.

Marvin Alexander Jr: “I can’t wait to be apart of the family! What you can expect for the next 3-4 years is touchdowns on Saturdays.”

I really enjoyed doing this article and getting to speak with Marvin! Please follow our site on twitter which is @ukfansallday  If you want to follow me on twitter, please do at @BradenNeviusBBN Once again I want to thank Marvin for taking the time to do this interview for us! Go Cats!

Braden Nevius 7:05 pm on August 17, 2017
Tags: , , Jamari Brown, , , Stanley Garner, ,   

Follow up Article: Jamari Brown commits to Kentucky


(image courtesy of 247sports)

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, Kentucky picked up another commitment for its 2018 class, Jamari Brown. The 3 star DB out of South Florida is the second secondary commit in two days, the other being 4 star DB Stanley Garner. This commitment is huge litteraly and figuratively, standing at 6’3, Brown is another South Florida guy Kentucky has gotten and that area is usually dominated by Louisville, Florida, Florida State, and Miami. Prying these past two commits away from there is a huge boost for our recruiting. With this commitment, Kentucky now has the 16th ranked class in the nation according to 247 sports! Another great day to be a cat! Welcome to the BBN, Jamari!

Braden Nevius 8:54 pm on August 15, 2017  

Football: Predicting the Winning Percentage for each Game

NCAA Football: Georgia at Kentucky

(picture via Mark Zerof- USA TODAY Sports)

Week 1: at Southern Miss- 80%

Playing on the road is never an easy task no matter where you play, playing on the road in the season opener is even tougher. If this game was at home, I’d have this game in the 90-95% range but playing on the road is a whole new animal. However, in this game I value Kentucky’s overall talent and depth over the home field advantage which lead me to the 80% mark.

Week 2: vs Eastern Kentucky- 98%

This isn’t the same team that came into Commonwealth Stadium (now known as Kroger Field) two years ago and nearly beat the cats in OT. Kentucky’s recent success in home openers (besides last year) should go well for cats to. This game shouldn’t be too much of an issue and should be over by halftime.

Week 3: at South Carolina- 53%

This game will be an early indicator for how the season will go. I give Kentucky the slight edge right now based on formed SEC football players and how the last three seasons have gone. In one of the most intriguing games early on in the season, this game should decide who the true SEC east dark horse will be.

Week 4: vs Florida- 41%

Will the streak end? It very well may but in giving my honest winning percentage opinion, I would have to give Florida right now. If the Gators can find a formidable QB to lead the offense, they could very well be a dark horse playoff contender. If the game was in “The Swamp”, I would put the percentage in the 33-37% range meaning once again home field advantage is taking into account. This game should be one of the most exciting games to watch this season and hopefully it ends in a streak breaking win for Kentucky.

Week 5: vs Eastern Michigan- 99.9%

Depth, talent, coaching staff, and strength of conference. Moving on.

Week 6: vs Missouri- 67%

Kentucky has had recent success in the series and this year should be no different. You have to give Mizzou a good chance just because of that deadly offense. Kentucky’s secondary and great linebacker corps should be able to at least slow down the offense enough to win. Last year the defense did a great job against the offense and if they can do it again that would help tremendously. Our offense should have a field day against the Mizzou defense and home field advantage will come into play once again.

Week 8 ( week 7 is bye): at Mississippi State- 47%

This game is a tough one to predict. I would say Kentucky has a bit more talent than Hail State but going off last year’s game and the fact that Mississippi State is the home team with those annoying cowbells, I would give the slight edge in win percentage to Mississippi State.

Week 9: vs Tennessee- 55%

The Josh Dobbs era is over in Rocky Top and I couldn’t be happier. Dobbs scorched UK’s defense in his years with the Vols and his graduation may mean Kentucky can overcome Tennessee and win the game. I give Kentucky the slight edge based on proven players and having the game in Lexington. But of course we do have to take into consideration that it is a Tennessee vs. Kentucky football game which means you have to give the Vols some respect. At the end of the however, I still give Kentucky the edge!

Week 10: vs Ole Miss- 57%

Like the Mississippi State game, this one is tough to put a number on. I believe Ole Miss is the more talented team and any other year I would probably give them the slight edge however, this year is different. With their bowl ban and pending investigation by the NCAA, I believe  Ole Miss will have nothing else to fight for and lose to the cats at Kroger Field.

Week 11: at Vanderbilt- 61%

Vanderbilt is building something very nice but Kentucky is a year ahead of them in rebuilding which I believe the talent and experience will be too much for Vandy. Also, Vanderbilt isn’t the most intimidating place to play and I wouldn’t be shocked if there was just as much or more blue and white in the crowd than black and white. But playing on a different always has a little impact which brings my win percentage to 61%.

Week 12: at Georgia- 21%

In what I believe is the most difficult game of the season, I give this game the lowest amount of winning percentage out of the 12. Georgia is considered the most talented team in the east and playing between the hedges is no easy task. Jacob Eason showed last season that he is 1st rounder potential and has a cannon for an arm. Also, the defense should improve from last year and they may have the best linebackers in the east although Kentucky’s may be the best. This game will test the toughness of this team and the young guys and it should be interesting to watch how they respond.

Week 13: vs Louisville- 43%

A lot of factors go into this game, the most notable being the result of last year’s game. Lamar Jackson should be in the Heisman race once again after almost fumbling it away last year against the cats. While I don’t think last year was a fluke, I believe Louisville will be very motivated heading into this game and that along with talent and of course, Lamar Jackson makes me give the slight edge to Louisville. I believe Kentucky wins this game but when putting percentage on it, I will give the edge to Louisville.

Don’t forget to follow @ukfansallday on twitter! You can also my my twitter handle which is @BradenNeviusBBN

 

 

 

 

Braden Nevius 8:11 pm on August 14, 2017  

Football: What does the Cole Mosier injury mean going forward?

The simple answer, nothing. What I mean by this is although Cole is a great player and I wish him a speedy recovery, the offensive line will still be a top 5 SEC line when it’s all set and done. John Schlarman and co. have done a great job of taking guys out of their comfort zones and making them rotate to different positions on the line. I believe this is crucial because Landon Young (who I presume will be the starter) can still get rest throughout the games as other guys will rotate to his position when needed.

Another reason why this won’t have a huge impact is depth. Kentucky’s offensive line isn’t know as a top 5 O line in the SEC for their talent, it’s depth that really makes this group special. The depth will allow guys like Mason Wolfe to get some action with Mosier out for the season. The depth also means the line shouldn’t skip a beat as long as the guys behind him can come in and play as they are expected to as we went from nine deep to eight deep meaning there are still three capable guys on the bench who can come in. Depth will end up playing a huge factor in why the O line won’t skip a beat.

To conclude, we will be fine this season without Cole Mosier”s services available. Rotating lineman has shown to work and will be crucial to the O line’s success and I believe it will. Depth is always great to have at any position and now with this injury it will show to be good news for Kentucky. Once again I want to extend my prayers and best wishes to Cole on his road to recovery. Thank you for all the great memories, Cole!ColeMosier uk athletics

(picture courtesy of UK athletics)

Braden Nevius 9:21 pm on August 11, 2017  

Football: Describing each game in three words

Week 1: at Southern Miss                                                                                                                    Revenge. Revenge. Revenge.

Week 2: vs. Eastern Kentucky                                                                                                        Over by halftime.

Week 3: at South Carolina                                                                                                                  Keep the streak.

Week 4: vs. Florida                                                                                                                                End the streak.

Week 5: vs. Eastern Michigan                                                                                                            Cats by 90.

Week 6: vs. Missouri                                                                                                                              Run the ball.

Week 7: BYE                                                                                                                                        Get some rest.

Week 8: at Mississippi State                                                                                                           Contain Nick Fitzgerald.

Week 9: vs. Tennessee                                                                                                                          Repeat of 2011?

Week 10: vs. Ole Miss                                                                                                                            Shootout in Lexington.

Week 11: at Vanderbilt                                                                                                                        Stephen Johnson’s revenge.

Week 12: at Georgia                                                                                                                              Battle for east?

Week 13: vs. Louisville                                                                                                                         41 to 38.img_3768

 

 

 

Braden Nevius 2:44 pm on August 9, 2017  

Football Recruiting: Three guys to watch out for this month

Stanley Garner, CB                                                                                                                             

Kentucky has recently been targeting a lot of guys out of Florida and Garner is no exception. Set to make his decision on August 16th, Garner will be deciding between Kentucky, Louisville, Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, and Tennessee. While all six are still in the race, many people seem to believe it will be Kentucky or Louisville who end up getting the 3 star prospect out of Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Shocky Jacques-Louis, WR

Formerly committed to Kentucky, Shocky’s final five list of schools includes Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Michigan, Tennessee, and Missouri. While he hasn’t yet announced a commitment date, he’s probably someone you need to keep your eyes on throughout this month of August. As of now it seems Tennessee and Michigan are the front runners however, he committed to Kentucky for a reason the first time and hopefully he’ll be thinking about that when he’s getting ready to decide.

L’Christian “Blue” Smith, ATH                                                                                                          

Definitely the most talked about target of Kentucky’s, Blue will be choosing between Kentucky, Ohio State, Minnesota, Penn State, Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, and Michigan. Right now the front runners seem to be Kentucky and Ohio State and if we were able to pull one of the top kids of Ohio from Ohio State, it could possibly be one of the most important commitments in UK football history. He is considered a 4 or 5 star recruit and will make his commitment announcement on August 27th on ESPN when his high school (Wayne) plays its season opener. Wayne is the same high school that current UK commit, Alex Regielsberger and 2019 CB target Justin Harris play and it may help get Blue to Lexington.

whos next