Brooks says Kentucky's defense needs to improve

[WildcatRick]

Few college football teams could touch Rich Brooks’ Kentucky squad last season in terms of high-scoring, adrenaline-flowing theatrics.

The Wildcats quickly revved up their entertainment value last Sept. 15 by winning a 40-34 thriller against rival Louisville on national TV.

Five games into the season, they were unbeaten and averaging 46.6 points per game.

Then came their stunning, three-overtime, 43-37 triumph over top-ranked LSU, handing the Tigers one of only two blemishes on their national championship resume.

But while that Oct. 13th game proved to be a low point for Les Miles’ team, the heartbreak was just beginning for Brooks and his players.

The Wildcats quickly lost their swagger, dropping four of their last five regular-season games. And it didn’t help that their misery included gut-wrenching setbacks to Florida (45-37) and Tennessee (52-50 in four overtimes).

“We were on the verge of doing some great things,” said Brooks on Friday at the Southeastern Conference Media Days in Birmingham, Ala. “We didn’t quite finish the season the way I would have liked.”

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/jul/26/bbeard-columnb-brooks-says-kentuckys-defense-needs/

[poodoo]

“We were on the verge of doing some great things,” said Brooks on Friday at the Southeastern Conference Media Days in Birmingham, Ala. “We didn’t quite finish the season the way I would have liked.” QUOTE from link
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Thanks from the link, WildcatRick.

Too, what Coach Brooks says here is something RARELY mentioned by UK fans. Last season we beat the eventual national champions, the LSU Tigers, in Commonwealth. As Dick Gabriel has often noted on his show, in Athens UK missed several very real opportunities to beat Georgia, the nation's number-two college football team. As Gabriel has also noted, we SHOULD have beaten Tennessee, although we eventually lost in four overtimes. We barely lost to Florida. Actually, our worst losses were to teams respected far less than those three teams, losses to South Carolina and MSU as we turned the ball over TEN times :icon_frown: (and, by the way, the 17-point to loss to MSU was the worst loss -- and both of those teams played in bowl games).

What's the point? The point is that UT, which took the SEC East's spot in the SEC championship game, had two or three losses (and I don't have my yearbook yet, so I cannot look up the number). Coach Brooks is SO RIGHT that "we were on the verge of doing some VERY GREAT things." Last year's team, adding either a little defense or offense, COULD have been in that championship game, just as the team had believed they could be. They were THAT CLOSE to making their dream come true, although it's essentially not discussed.

Sure, the Cats COULD have, instead, also lost to Louisville, LSU, and Vanderbilt, all of which were VERY close games. Yet, that's irrelevant. The point is that last year's team PROVED that it was GOOD enough to play in that SEC championship game. They still accomplished some great things, BUT they were indeed SO CLOSE to "doing some REALLY great things," as Coach Brooks states here. I will never forget the 2007 team. :) GO CATS!!!