WildcatRick
08-18-2008, 02:34 AM
Kentucky coach Rich Brooks is self-effacing when it comes to his -- how to put this delicately? -- seniority. On Wednesday, Brooks will turn 67, which only adds to his luster as the oldest coach in the Southeastern Conference.
And while Brooks describes himself as "a relative youngster" compared with two longtime friends in the business, Penn State's Joe Paterno (81) and Florida State's Bobby Bowden (78), he acknowledged that the challenges never get any easier, especially in the SEC.
"It's just a great league," Brooks said. "I mean, it will change a little bit year to year. One team has a run of being very, very good, and they might fall off. And by 'falling off,' that means they're not playing for the SEC championship or national championship; they're just winning bowl games or playing in bowl games. It's great, in my mind, that now we're part of the conversation. We intend to stay there."
Are the Wildcats part of the conversation? Maybe, but just barely. Even though Brooks thinks he might have the best defense he has coached in his six seasons at Kentucky, the Wildcats need to fill some holes if they hope to repeat last season's magic.
Kentucky went 8-5 last fall, capping the year with a Music City Bowl victory over Florida State. Led by quarterback Andre Woodson, who threw for 3,709 yards and a school-record 40 touchdowns, the Wildcats scored a school-record 475 points. Brooks has some regrets -- after rising to No. 8 in the national rankings by beating top-ranked LSU, Kentucky dropped four of its next five -- but the team, for at least a few weeks, captured the attention of a basketball-crazed campus.
Link (http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/aug/18/brooks-keeping-cats-in-sec-mix/)
And while Brooks describes himself as "a relative youngster" compared with two longtime friends in the business, Penn State's Joe Paterno (81) and Florida State's Bobby Bowden (78), he acknowledged that the challenges never get any easier, especially in the SEC.
"It's just a great league," Brooks said. "I mean, it will change a little bit year to year. One team has a run of being very, very good, and they might fall off. And by 'falling off,' that means they're not playing for the SEC championship or national championship; they're just winning bowl games or playing in bowl games. It's great, in my mind, that now we're part of the conversation. We intend to stay there."
Are the Wildcats part of the conversation? Maybe, but just barely. Even though Brooks thinks he might have the best defense he has coached in his six seasons at Kentucky, the Wildcats need to fill some holes if they hope to repeat last season's magic.
Kentucky went 8-5 last fall, capping the year with a Music City Bowl victory over Florida State. Led by quarterback Andre Woodson, who threw for 3,709 yards and a school-record 40 touchdowns, the Wildcats scored a school-record 475 points. Brooks has some regrets -- after rising to No. 8 in the national rankings by beating top-ranked LSU, Kentucky dropped four of its next five -- but the team, for at least a few weeks, captured the attention of a basketball-crazed campus.
Link (http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/aug/18/brooks-keeping-cats-in-sec-mix/)
