The Day After Post

What can I say that hasn't already been said... UK gets their first SEC opening victory since 1987. That's 19 years since they last accomplished the feat against, you guessed it, Ole Miss. Here are the thoughts that I have after the game from yesterday:

Offense:

The offense looked good. Andre Woodson threw for 290 yards and 3 TDs WITH NO TURNOVERS, Rafael Little did some good things both by catching the ball out of the backfield and running the ball, Tony Dixon turned in another solid performance at running back, and HOW ABOUT DICKY LYONS JR?!?!?!? Dicky Lyons Jr. is turning himself into a superstar here at UK. He now has 6 touchdowns in 3 games. That's incredible. He's getting good coverage on him due to the fact that defenses are keying on Keenan Burton and Jacob Tamme. It's a very thankless role what Tamme and Burton are doing but it has been integral to the success of the passing game for UK this year. As teams start to focus their attention on Lyons, look for Burton and Tamme to make some noise. It seems to be Woodson's MO that he takes a little while to warm up. He overthrew some recievers in the 1st and early 2nd quarters but when he calmed down he seemed to get in a zone. His recievers bailed him out when he was off though, they made some great athletic catches.

It was interesting to see the versitility of the UK offense this game. They ran all sorts of sets including a spread option. Being able to change their offensive looks will keep defenses guessing and the spread option can be helpful in slowing down blitzing defenses. This could work in their advantage against a strong defense like Florida.

Defense:

The defense still scares me but the difference in this game is the fact that they came through when it counted. Myron Prior came through with a huge fumble recovery and interception in this one that really helped to thwart any chances Ole Miss had of coming back in this game. Wesley Woodyard also turned in another solid performance at linebacker. It was really good to see people like Trevard Lindley (who broke up some passes) and Marcus McClinton (who forced a fumble after a reverse from Ole Miss threatened to gain 20+ yards). If the secondary continues to improve, UK could make some more waves in the SEC. There were still some missed assignments in this one but the bottom line is when the defense had to make a big play they did. This is the second game in a row that they have stopped a team trying to go for it on fourth down in their territory. That is a HUGE confidence booster for the Cats. It's also good to see that Brooks and Archer can plug in multiple people at linebacker and defensive line and still get the same productivity. It helps keep the defense fresh and it also helps if coaches have to make adjustments during the game. They can take time to talk to a player without worrying about their replacement's productivity.

Special Teams

Sieber looks like he's going to be the one taking the kicks for UK. He looked good hitting his PATs (as every kicker should) and he also looked good kicking a 41 yard field goal. Hopefully he can stay consistent. The return game was also strong for the Cats as it's been all year. Little and Burton have done a great job returning kicks.

General game notes:

These teams were very evenly matched. The offensive production for both teams was nearly the same. The difference in this one was the fact that Ole Miss shot themselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers. That proved to be the difference maker in this one. A good sign for UK was that they were able to capitalize on these Ole Miss mistakes. The only concern that I had was that there were chances for UK to put the game away in the 2nd quarter that they messed up. One was after UK stopped Ole Miss on a fourth down attempt (the following drive was a punt) and UK also had a blocked field goal attempt in the last play before halftime. I'd like to see them do a better job closing out teams in those early opportunities. However, I can't complain too much, they played a good game.

This week it's off to the Swamp.