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Q&A: McIntosh finds niche as kickoff specialist

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:27 EST

Craig McIntosh's bio on the University of Kentucky athletics Web site doesn't include a picture or much background information. This time last year, McIntosh was a UK freshman focusing on Army ROTC and student government. But McIntosh earned a spot on the football team in a pre-season tryout and has stepped into the full-time role of kickoff man for the Wildcats, replacing Tim Masthay. McIntosh is averaging 61.2 yards on his 24 kickoffs, with two touchbacks. He spoke this week about his first year on the team.

Question: So just how exactly did you get to this point?

Answer: I was here last year, but I wasn't on the team. I played one year of high school at Lexington Christian, but I didn't get a lot of looks from colleges. At first, I decided not to try out at UK. I didn't know if I loved the sport. But last summer I was reading the paper and saw they needed a kickoff guy. I knew I had the potential, and I figured if I could make the team I'd have the chance to show Coach (Steve) Ortmayer that I could get the job done. I signed up on the first day of classes and made the team. I was happy just to make the team. I had no real intentions of playing this season.

Q: What made you decide to try out all of a sudden?

A: I didn't want to regret not trying. There's no harm in that. If they said no, I'd just go back to doing what I was doing. But if there's a chance, you might as well take it.

UK's Lindley returns, hopes for strong finish

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:42 EST

This wasn't how Trevard Lindley's senior season was supposed to go.

Lindley bypassed the NFL Draft, where he was projected to be a second-round pick, to return to Kentucky in 2009. He received pre-season accolades as an All-Southeastern Conference and All-America candidate.

Lindley got off to a nice start with an interception-return touchdown in the season opener against Miami (Ohio). But he suffered a high-ankle sprain in the fourth game against Alabama and has been a spectator ever since.

"It's been frustrating," Lindley said. "When they've played away I've had to sit and watch at my house, and when they're home, I'm just there on the sidelines. It's my last year, and I really want to be out there playing. I've just been rehabbing and trying to get better."

Lindley finally will get back on the field Saturday against Eastern Kentucky and will be in the starting lineup. Although he's not 100 percent, his presence should be a big boost to a defensive unit still smarting from a 31-24 loss to Mississippi State last week.

UK basketball notes: Nov. 6

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:57 EST

Krebs catches on to dribble-drive

Senior Mark Krebs acknowledged there was a reason not to take bows for the kudos sparked by his performance against Campbellsville on Monday.

"I guess it was not the best thing for the team," said Krebs of a former walk-on singled out for praise for simply playing the way the coach wanted.

UK Coach John Calipari praised Krebs after Monday's game for driving assertively to the basket, which triggers UK's dribble-drive offense. Calipari repeated the verbal pat on the back Thursday.

"I'm glad I wasn't scared and I wasn't nervous," Krebs said. "I did what I need to do. Just do what (Calipari) asks. Play hard and play smart and take it from there."

Calipari challenges Cats to improve

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:57 EST

Before Kentucky's first exhibition game, Coach John Calipari noted how much teaching he had to do.

Before the second, Calipari reflected on a change in teaching methods.

This week, Calipari instituted a curfew, ordered two-a-day practices (the first beginning at 6:15 a.m.) and generally went from counselor at Camp Cal to Parris Island drill sergeant.

"It's a new Coach Cal," freshman DeMarcus Cousins said Thursday. "Intense and focused. It's not the laid-back, chilled Cal no more."

Calipari attributed the change to what he saw in Kentucky's opening exhibition game against Campbellsville. Although UK won, the coach did not like how the players went about it. Fatigue set in, causing the coach to question the team's conditioning. Few took the initiative and drove assertively to the basket, the trigger mechanism for Calipari's dribble-drive offense. Defensive alertness waned.

UK defensive line wants redemption

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:44 EST

University of Kentucky defensive coordinator Steve Brown admits he didn't get much sleep Saturday night. Watching your defense get chewed up for 348 yards on the ground — 252 of those coming from one man, Anthony Dixon — would have most coaches reaching for the Ambien.

Auburn runs the same type of spread offense as Mississippi State, has arguably a better quarterback (Chris Todd) and a back (Ben Tate) similar in style and production to Dixon, yet Kentucky shut down the Tigers.

So the question lingers: How could a Kentucky defense that looked so good against Auburn look so bad against Mississippi State?

UK played more of its nickel package against MSU than it did at Auburn, which might have freed up some running lanes. But Kentucky Coach Rich Brooks said because the Bulldogs used more three- and four-receiver sets than Auburn, it made more sense to put an extra defensive back out there than to have a linebacker covering a receiver.

Instead, Brown said, the problems stemmed largely from one or two guys being out of position.

Newton finding his way as UK's starter

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:44 EST

The education and growth process of Morgan Newton continues.

Newton, a four-star quarterback from Carmel, Ind., arrived at Kentucky this summer as one of the most talked-about recruits of the Rich Brooks era. The coaching staff had touted Newton as a challenger for the starting job when he signed, but once practices began the word was that Newton wasn't ready to play as a true freshman.

Then when Mike Hartline went down with a knee injury at South Carolina, Newton was somewhat surprisingly thrown into the starter's role the next week at Auburn. And after three games, the results have been mixed.

Newton showed a surprising amount of poise for a rookie making his first start on the road in the Southeastern Conference, contributing a touchdown run in UK's big win over the Tigers. He didn't play a big role in a 36-13 win over Louisiana-Monroe the following week, and his performance in Kentucky's 31-24 loss to Mississippi State was the typical glass-half-full/glass-half-empty game of a rookie quarterback.

Newton showed the ability to be a playmaker in the clutch, coming through on several big third-down conversions. He hit freshman LaRod King for 18 yards on third-and-8 in the first quarter and added an 8-yard run on third-and-4 in the second quarter.

Dribble-driver's licenses don't come easy

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:42 EST

Monday's exhibition victory over Campbellsville showed that Kentucky players still have much to learn about new coach John Calipari's dribble-drive offense. Especially the drive part.

During his post-game news conference, Calipari repeatedly returned to the idea that driving to the basket keys the offense and that too few players went one-on-one against a Campbellsville defender.

"We had a lot of guys who either didn't want to be the guy to beat (the defender) off the dribble or weren't capable of beating their man off the dribble," Calipari said. "And you can't play this offense without that.

"Somebody's got to take a man and get it started. When you see that, you'll see gaps open up."

Kentucky was playing without its best one-on-one offensive player, point guard John Wall, who sat out the exhibition as part of his punishment for associating with an agent during the recruiting process.

Flu's spread gives Brooks a headache

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:44 EST

If a 31-24 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday wasn't enough to make the Kentucky football team sick, now the Wildcats have been hit by the flu bug.

Six players missed Tuesday's practice with flulike symptoms: senior linebacker Micah Johnson, senior offensive lineman Christian Johnson, senior running back Alfonso Smith, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Dave Ulinski, true freshman defensive end Patrick Ligon, and true freshman linebacker Ridge Wilson. Junior linebacker Jacob Dufrene made it through only 30 minutes of practice before he was sent home.

"The illness is finally getting to us," Kentucky Coach Rich Brooks said. "Injuries are one thing, but the sickness bug has really hit us good right now. That usually means there's going to be a lot more to follow. We just have to deal with it the best we can.

"It's as many guys as we've had at one time. We've always had the flu every season. But it's usually one or two guys here, one or two guys there, not this many at once."

Three of the affected players are being counted on to play key roles in Saturday's game against Eastern Kentucky. Micah Johnson, slowed by a strained knee in the Mississippi State game, leads the team in tackles with 66. Christian Johnson has started all eight games at right guard. And with Derrick Locke doubtful because of a knee injury, Smith is expected to team with junior Moncell Allen to get most of the backfield carries.

Some UK fans need a reality check

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:42 EST

The following popped up in the blog comment box from a reader after Kentucky's first exhibition basketball game Monday night:

"So in two months we'll be better? WHAT DOES THAT mean about UNC and UConn?

(His caps, not mine.)

That came after a weekend of listening to Kentucky football fans complain that Rich Brooks is too old and Joker Phillips too inept for the grid Cats to ever "take it to the next level," whatever that means.

Today's sports fan doesn't need a better seat, a cheaper beverage or more games in high-def.

Calipari's first win an eye-opener

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:42 EST

The setting for his first game as Kentucky coach warmed John Calipari's heart.

"You know, it was neat to walk into an exhibition game and look up in the rafters, and it's packed," he said afterward. "I was, like, stunned."

Well, the attendance was 21,384, more than 1,600 shy of capacity, but let's not quibble.

Although Kentucky easily beat Campbellsville 74-38 in Monday's exhibition, the way the Cats went about it cooled Calipari's ardor.

"Then I look up with six minutes to go, and we have 53 points," the UK coach said. "A running, pressing team!"

We can't judge UK by exhibition, but we can try

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:42 EST

You can't really tell anything. Remember that. Remind yourself. You can't tell anything.

Not in a college basketball exhibition with a (very talented) major college team against an NAIA squad of uncertain pedigree.

Especially not when the major college program is in the first game of a brand-new coaching regime.

Ah, but making judgments out of games like Kentucky's 74-38 exhibition victory over Campbellsville is irresistible.

So let's not fight it.

Calipari taking time to teach 'everything'

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:32 EST

During a scrimmage on Saturday, Kentucky freshman DeMarcus Cousins did something seemingly reasonable and unremarkable. He took himself out because he was tired.

"We gave him a standing ovation," UK Coach John Calipari said on Sunday. "That's what you do. They don't know."

In continuing preparation for Monday's exhibition against Campbellsville and the season that follows, Calipari noted how he's having to take nothing for granted.

"This team is going to be more me teaching how to win mentally," Calipari said. "How to prepare (and) how to think than it's going to be 'here's a drill' and 'here's a play.'

"We're just so young, and they don't know. You're teaching everything. How to act in this situation. How to approach practice every day."

UK notes: Who chose games Wall will miss?

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:11 EST

Kentucky Coach John Calipari said Sunday that he did not make the decision on what games heralded freshman John Wall must sit out as part of the punishment for having some recruiting expenses paid by an agent.

In announcing Wall's punishment Friday night, UK said the freshman would sit out Monday's exhibition game against Campbellsville and the season opener against Morehead State on Nov. 13.

Calipari said that "they" told him what games Wall would miss. The UK coach did not identify who "they" were.

Were "they" the NCAA staff? UK's athletic administration? A fan poll on CoachCal.com?

As part of the punishment, the NCAA ordered Wall to pay back $787.58. That payment would go to a charity, the Lexington Hope Center, which UK said would help pay for Thanksgiving meals for the homeless.

Team's focus worries Brooks

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:09 EST

This time last week the Kentucky football team was talking about improving its bowl pedigree.

Now, after Saturday's 31-24 loss to Mississippi State, the Wildcats are going to have to fight, scratch and claw just to get to a fourth straight bowl game.

UK (4-4, 1-4 SEC) faces Eastern Kentucky this week before a two-game road trip to Vanderbilt and Georgia. Then the Wildcats close out the season at home with Tennessee, who blew out South Carolina 31-13 on Saturday.

Brooks admitted to being concerned about how his team will bounce back from the tough loss.

"I worry every week about the mental frame of mind and focus and mental preparation," Brooks said. "With that loss we go from a team that could have done something that maybe the previous teams weren't able to do and win more games and climb up the SEC ladder to maybe a team that might break that bowl streak."

UK's 'Wildcat' was on endangered list

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:55 EST

Kentucky had a lot going against it Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium.

Cornerback Trevard Lidley missed another game with his high ankle sprain. Middle linebacker Micah Johnson was limited by his strained knee.

Running back Derrick Locke played through a painful bruised knee. Center Jorge Gonzalez played through a bum shoulder.

And the Kentucky defense couldn't tackle Mississippi State's Anthony Dixon.

Even with all that going against it, you still had to wonder why UK didn't go to the one thing going for it?

MSU running game whistling Dixon

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:54 EST

During the Urban Meyer era, Kentucky has had faint little success slowing down Florida.

In a game the Wildcats really needed, they had no luck stopping the attack of Meyer's old offensive coordinator.

With running back Anthony Dixon running around, through and over a shockingly porous Kentucky defensive front, Mississippi State hung a 31-24 defeat on UK Saturday in a chilled Commonwealth Stadium.

Dan Mullen, who called the plays for the Florida offense that hung 63 points on the Cats last season in The Swamp, is the new Mississippi State head man.

At MSU, he doesn't have a Tim Tebow or a fleet of sleek skill players surrounding him.

Wildcats get run over

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:44 EST

Kentucky did not wear black jerseys for its "Blackout" game against Mississippi State on Saturday night. But the Wildcats did leave Commonwealth Stadium black and blue thanks to MSU tailback Anthony Dixon.

Dixon, a 6-foot-1, 235-pound senior, bludgeoned the UK defense for 252 yards on 33 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs to a 31-24 win over the Cats on Homecoming Night. Dixon scored the game's decisive touchdown on a 3-yard run late in the third quarter.

Dixon is Mississippi State's all-time leading rusher and is now over 3,600 career yards but had never really done too much damage against UK in the past, rushing for just 137 yards in three previous meetings. But Dixon looked like Adrian Peterson on Saturday night.

"You've got to give him credit; he ended up being a lot better than we thought," UK defensive coordinator Steve Brown said. "He's a daggone-good back. For someone to be able to rush for that many yards, we've got to take a close look at what we're doing schematically and personnel-wise."

The Kentucky defenders were also complimentary of Dixon's big night but felt their mistakes and poor tackling had as much to do with it as anything.

Cats lose Wall for exhibition, one game

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:33 EST

Sitting out two games and paying what amounts to a $787.58 fine. That's how the NCAA said heralded University of Kentucky freshman guard John Wall can gain full eligibility.

Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive had said that Wall faced amateurism issues tied to the player's AAU Coach, Brian Clifton. Clifton had also been an agent for FIBA, the governing body for international basketball, while coaching the AAU team that included Wall.

UK announced Friday night that Wall had been certified. But the player will sit out UK's exhibition game against Campbellsville on Monday and the regular-season opener against Morehead State on Nov. 13.

The NCAA ordered Wall to repay the $787.58 incurred as traveling expenses paid by Clifton during an unnamed number of unofficial recruiting visits. The money will go to charity. Wall chose Lexington's Hope Center, which is expected to use the funds for Thanksgiving dinners for the homeless, UK spokesman DeWayne Peevy said.

NCAA spokesperson Gail Dent wrote via e-mail that the repayment amount "is based on the amount of benefits received." Asked how the NCAA determined the number of games Wall had to sit out, Dent wrote that it "is based on the specific circumstances of the case and guidelines set by NCAA members." Dent said she would have to ask whether those guidelines could be made public.

UK-Miss. State becoming 'rivalry game'

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:42 EST

Saturday's Mississippi State-Kentucky football game could turn out to be one of attrition. Both teams come in battered and bruised after several weeks of facing quality competition.

And judging by what's happened in this series over the past few years, it also figures to be an all-out battle to the finish.

Three of the past four games have been decided by a touchdown or less, and you could make the case that MSU has become Kentucky's fiercest rival in terms of competitiveness and drama.

In 2006, UK receiver Dicky Lyons drew Coach Rich Brooks' ire for popping off the week of the game and then went out and made a miraculous TD catch in the Cats' 34-31 win.

The next year, State handed Kentucky one of the toughest losses of the Brooks era when it came to Commonwealth Stadium and beat up UK 31-14. That loss dropped what many still feel was Brooks' best Kentucky team down a notch or two in the bowl-selection process.

Cats No. 4 and No. 5 in pre-season polls

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:57 EST

Coach John Calipari's first Kentucky basketball team enters the season ranked No. 4 in The Associated Press media poll and No. 5 in the USA Today-ESPN coaches' poll released Thursday.

Kentucky, which finished 22-14 under coach Billy Gillispie and failed to make the NCAA Tournament last season, is ranked behind No. 1 Kansas, No. 2 Michigan State and No. 3 Texas in the AP Top 25.

The coaches' top five were Kansas, Michigan State, Texas, North Carolina and Kentucky.

Kansas was a runaway No. 1 in both polls, securing 27 of a possible 31 first-place votes from the coaches and 55 of 65 from the media.

Kansas has all five starters and the top nine scorers back from last season's team that went 27-8 and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks also feature a recruiting class considered among the nation's best.