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24
Kentucky
It's bombs away again in Lexington, with a pass-happy coach
and the nation's most prolific drop-back
quarterback
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Couch shattered records as a
sophomore and promises higher marks this
year.
(Bob Rosato)
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Unless you
are in the habit of cheering for Kentucky, this will come
as bad news: The Wildcats' attack—which generated 31.6
points per game and set 51 school records last
season—should be even more explosive this year. That
comes from reliable sources. "There's a
lot we can do better," says coach Hal Mumme, who
continually refines his patented aerial assault. His
quarterback agrees. "The more you know, the more
points you can put on the board," says junior Tim
Couch, who broke or tied 17
Kentucky marks in his
first year as a
starter.
Entering the second season of the Mumme era in Lexington,
the coach-Couch combo looks all the more formidable. A
former Kentucky high school sensation, Couch was not
enamored of coach Bill Curry's option offense and was on
the verge of transferring
after his freshman year. Instead, Curry was replaced in
December '96 by Mumme, with whom Couch clicked immediately.
Last season the Wildcats finished 5-6, their best record
since 1993, and beat SEC rival Alabama for the first time
since 1922. Better yet,
Commonwealth Stadium crowds averaged a record 59,110, up more
than 18,000 from the year before. With sirens wailing in
the background at home games—"Air
Raid" became the team's slogan—Couch led the nation in
passing yards, with 3,884. More bad news for the
opposition: He says his arm has gotten even stronger in the
off-season.
Couch's backup is Mumme's son, Matt, a senior who sat out
last season after following his father from Valdosta State.
With the younger Mumme available—he's been running
Hal's offense since the sixth
grade—the coach is considering
redshirting sophomore quarterback Dusty Bonner and two promising
freshmen, Chase Harp and Mike
Scipione.
On defense, Kentucky expects a few newcomers to contribute
immediately, including
6' 7", 256-pound Dennis Johnson. The national defensive
player of the year, out of Harrodsburg (Ky.) High, Johnson
chose the Wildcats over Notre Dame. He will line up both at
linebacker and on the line to take advantage of his
versatility and to prevent
offenses from keying on
him.
The defense as a whole will play more aggressively than
last season's unit, which yielded 392.3 yards and an
SEC-worst
32.9 points per game. In spring practice the average 40 time for
this fall's projected starters was 4.57, compared with 4.75
by the starting 11 the year before. Mumme's staff also
installed some new defensive schemes in the spring.
"We'll get up and
challenge the receivers more," says sophomore free safety
Willie Gary, the only returning full-time starter in the
secondary. Kentucky's receivers, a talented bunch in their
own right, back up Gary's claim. "All I have to say
about our defense is that I'm glad
we don't have to play against it," says senior wideout
Craig Yeast, the top returning pass catcher in the
conference
(73
receptions).
Junior linebacker Jeff Snedegar, who came to Lexington as a
quarterback, led the team in tackles last year, with 97,
despite playing most of the fall with a torn rotator cuff.
"When he gets in the huddle," defensive
coordinator Mike Major says, "he
commands a lot of
respect."
The Wildcats hope to command respect all around this
season. Their goal is to ring in 1999 at a bowl game.
"It's not out of our reach," Yeast says.
"It's just a matter of which bowl game we're going to
push ourselves to get
to." —Dana Gelin
Fast Facts
1997 record: 5-6 (2-6, 5th in SEC
East)
Final ranking: unranked
| 1997 Averages | Offense | Defense |
| Scoring | 31.6 | 32.9 |
| Rushing Yards | 108.6 | 170.8 |
| Passing Yards | 365.4 | 221.5 |
| Total Yards | 474.0 | 392.3 |
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Pivotal Players
Tim
Couch, who finished ninth in the
Heisman voting last year, completed 66.4% of his passes, best in
the
nation.... Junior halfback
Anthony
White set a school record for receptions by a running back, with
59....
Former
strong safety
Marlon McCree had an
impressive spring at linebacker, a position he played in
high school. He has bulked up about
25 pounds since last
season.
Key Games
Schedule strength: 47th of
112
Sept. 26 at Florida
Contender or pretender? Kentucky has lost 11 straight to
Florida and hasn't won in Gainesville since
1979.
Oct. 24 vs. Georgia
Like the Wildcats, the Bulldogs (10-2 last year) will be
scrambling for bowl position in the SEC.
Bottom Line
With Couch at the controls, Kentucky appears headed for a
winning season and its first bowl appearance since
'93.
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