Cobb: UK can keep winning

Kentucky Coach Joker Phillips, retired coach Rich Brooks’ hand-picked successor, has some big shoes to fill as he tries to build on the Wildcats’ success under Brooks.
Kentucky Coach Joker Phillips, retired coach Rich Brooks’ hand-picked successor, has some big shoes to fill as he tries to build on the Wildcats’ success under Brooks.

Fifth in a series previewing SEC football teams.

— Not since Kentucky’s glory days more than 50 years ago have the Wildcats been as relevant on the football field as they’ve been recently.

Rich Brooks coached Kentucky to winning seasons and bowl appearances in each of the past four seasons, something the Wildcats had never done before, not even during the days of Paul “Bear” Bryant (1946-1953), when Kentucky posted eight consecutive winning seasons but only three consecutive bowl appearances.

The question for Kentucky is whether it can build on its string of success now that Brooks has retired and handed coaching responsibilities to his hand-picked successor, Joker Phillips.

At least one Wildcats player said he believes Kentucky can keep it going.

“Coach Brooks laid a great foundation for us, as far as taking us to four straight bowl games and ... bringing the whole program up,” receiver Randall Cobb said. “But Coach Phillips, right now I think, has changed the whole mentality of the program.”

Cobb joins the returning quarterback tandem of Mike Hartline and Morgan Newton and senior tailback Derrick Locke in an experienced Kentucky backfield.

“If we buy into Coach Phillips’ program and what he wants, there’s no doubt we’ll win ballgames,” said Locke, a 907-yard rusher in 2009.

But the Wildcats might not be as strong defensively without key run-stoppers Corey Peters and Micah Johnson and big-play cornerback Trevard Lindley.

Cobb, a senior, gives the Wildcats one of the most versatile players in the country. He is likely to play receiver, punt returner, kick returner and Wildcat quarterback this year.

“Definitely, Randall Cobb will be the sorest guy in the league,” Phillips said.

Cobb came in from a workout this summer and put an idea into Phillips’ head.

“I came up to him and I said, ‘Coach, what do Deion Sanders and Troy Brown have in common?’ ” Cobb said. “He said, ‘They played both ways.’ I was like, ‘There you go,’ and I just walked off.”

Said Phillips, “He’s now trying to convince me that he can play DB. We’re not ready to do that yet. But he’s a guy that has to touch the ball, and has to touch the ball in numerous positions.”

Hartline started the first five games at quarterback until suffering a season-ending knee injury in a loss at South Carolina, forcing true freshman Newton to pull off his redshirt. Newton started the next week and directed a 21-14 victory at Auburn, Kentucky’s first victory over the Tigers in 43 years.

Newton finished 5-3 as the starter, including a 34-27 victory at Georgia that gave the Wildcats three consecutive SEC road victories for the first time in 32 years.

Hartline has the edge in experience, but he’ll have to improve on his touchdown to-interception ratio if he wants to keep the starting job. Hartline has thrown 15 touchdown passes but had 16 passes intercepted during his career.

Phillips said he sees a three-way race at quarterback between Hartline, Newton and redshirt freshman Ryan Mossakowski.

“Our quarterback situation, we use it as a positive, because we’ve got two quarterbacks that have won in this league,” Phillips said.

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Locke and Cobb are proven playmakers, but Phillips said he wants to add a dynamic quarterback to the mix.

“It’s important that your quarterback now - we are three years removed from Andre Woodson - so it’s important that our quarterbacks are winning games for us instead of just managing games,” he said. “That’s what’s happened the last couple of years.”

Locke lobbied for Hartline at SEC media days last week.

“I feel like he’s the guy,” Locke said. “He had a great spring. ... You can just look at him now and tell how mature he is. He knows he belongs back there.

“I’m not saying we can’t win with the other guys, but Mike’s a senior now, and he knows it’s now or never.”

NEXT VanderbiltAbout the Wildcats LAST YEAR 7-6, 3-5 (5th in SEC East) RETURNING STARTERS Offense 5, defense 6 SURE THING Randall Cobb’s versatility UNSURE THING Offensive line, linebacker OFFENSIVE MVP WR Randall Cobb DEFENSIVE MVP DE DeQuin Evans SEC TITLE SCENARIO A significant number of factors will have to fall Kentucky’s way. Mike Hartline or Morgan Newton must take charge and execute at quarterback, the offensive line must be more physical, Randall Cobb must cut loose like never before, and the defense will have to be better than projected. It helps to have a solid, tough-nosed runner in Derrick Locke, but the truth is the Wildcats have fewer weapons than the upper crust of the SEC East.

Sports, Pages 15 on 07/26/2010

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