Kentucky Wildcats

The Lowdown
Coach: Rich Brooks
(2nd season, 4–8)
2003 record: 4-8
SEC finish: 1-7 (t-5th East)
'03 I-A Offensive Rankings:
Rush: 85th (125.1 ypg)
Pass: 75th (202.2 ypg)
'03 I-A Defensive Rankings:
Rush: 88th (186.7 ypg)
Pass: 26th (195.6 ypg)
2004 Schedule
Date Opponent
Sept. 4 at Louisville
Sept. 18 Indiana
Sept. 25 at Florida
Oct. 2 Ohio
Oct. 9 Alabama
Oct. 16 South Carolina
Oct. 23 at Auburn
Oct. 30 at Mississippi State
Nov. 6 Georgia
Nov. 13 Vanderbilt
Nov. 27 at Tennessee
Depth Chart: Offense
5 returning starters in bold
Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr.
WR 19 Keenan Burton So. 6 John Logan Fr.
WR 4 Glenn Holt Jr. 2 Scott Mitchell Jr.
LT 72 Michael Aitcheson So.   Micah Jones Fr.
LG 70 Jason Rollins Sr. 60 Trai Williams So.
C 62 Matt McCutchan Jr. 58 Travis Slaydon So.
RG 61 Matt Huff Sr. 60 Trai Williams So.
RT 57 Hayden Lane So. 74 Ernie Pelayo Jr.
TE 84 Jeremiah Drobney Jr. 88 Jamir Davis Jr.
QB 7 Shane Boyd Sr. 3 André Woodson Fr.
FB 41 Ronald Johnson Jr. 25 Alexis Bwenge Jr.
TB 5 Arliss Beach Jr. 26 Draak Davis Jr.
Depth Chart: Defense
9 returning starters in bold
Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr.
DE 98 Vincent Burns Sr. 54 B. Jay Parsons Jr.
NT 45 Lamar Mills So. 63 Ricky Abren Fr.
DE 99 Ellery Moore Sr. 91 Trey Mielsch Jr.
OLB 9 Durrell White So. 46 Joe Schuler Fr.
ILB 55 Chad Anderson Jr. 52 Justin Haydock Sr.
ILB 59 Dustin Williams Jr. 34 Dennis Johnson Jr.
OLB 50 Raymond Fontaine Jr. 90 Cedric Koger Jr.
CB 32 Earven Flowers Sr. 36 Antoine Huffman Jr.
CB 24 Bo Smith Jr. 21 Warren Wilson Jr.
SS 1 Mike Williams Sr. 31 Claude Sagaille Sr.
FS 42 Muhammad Abdullah Jr. 14 Dallas Greer Fr.
Special Teams
Ps. No. Player Yr. Ps. No. Player Yr.
K 89 Taylor Begley Jr. P 93 Sevin Sucurovic Sr.
KR 26 Draak Davis Jr. PR 26 Draak Davis Jr.

The hard part is just beginning for Kentucky coach Rich Brooks. When he took the position after the 2002 season, he knew exactly what he was getting into -- scholarship reductions, a program with a losing history and a school with fans who normally use football season to pass the time until basketball starts. Undeterred, Brooks dove head-first into the job. He should have checked for water.

Due to recruiting violations under former coach Hal Mumme and his recruiting coordinator Claude Bassett, the 'Cats are limited to 80 scholarships this season, five fewer than the limit. Most likely, they'll field a team with about 75 recruited scholarship players.

The Wildcats went 4–8 in Brooks' first season. It wasn't the kickoff that Brooks hoped for, especially considering that the team was full of veterans who expected to capitalize on the seven-win season in '02. Now, optimism is in scarce supply outside the fence of the Nutter football complex. This collection of 'Cats lacks experience, and much of the offensive line was washed away by graduation.

"It can be hard when you have a new coaching staff come in," Brooks said. "I think we have a bunch of hungry guys that want to win. They want to do things the right way and they understand that we are here to help them."

Offense
Shane Boyd calls this a new era for Kentucky football. But this new era was supposed to start three years ago. It was during the 2001 season that former coach Guy Morriss called Boyd the Wildcats' quarterback of the future. Since that time, he has played only sporadically, as Jared Lorenzen reclaimed his job in 2002 and '03. When he has played, Boyd has looked like a running back trying to play quarterback.

Now the homegrown senior has his chance to show everyone that he should have been playing all along. The offense belongs to him, and it's an offense that made the most of the talents of running quarterbacks when coordinator Ron Hudson was at Kansas State. "This is the start of something new," Boyd proclaimed.

For this new era to take off, Boyd will have to prove that he can move the ball through the air. He completed just 34.9 percent of his passes in a backup role last season. If Boyd can improve his accuracy, he'll find a number of weapons at receiver, including Keenan Burton and Glenn Holt, but an inexperienced offensive line could hurt. Only Matt Huff and Jason Rollins return with any starting experience.

Defense
Defensive end Vincent "Sweet Pea" Burns is a little too short and too light by most standards to be a dominant lineman, but his statistics say otherwise. Burns led the SEC in tackles for a loss with 18, and his 72 total tackles were the most by a UK defensive lineman since 1991. Ellery Moore, another senior, has played a significant number of snaps the past two seasons, while sophomore Lamar Mills began to fulfill some of his promise last season at nose tackle.

"Our depth should allow us to rotate more guys in this season," said Brooks.

The line will be backed up with a veteran crew of linebackers, starting inside with Chad Anderson and Dustin Williams. Anderson moved into the starting lineup early last season and progressed well enough to lead the team in tackles. His 11.4 stops per game were the best in the SEC. Williams is solid against the run and carries a reputation for being one of UK's hardest hitters.

The 'Cats always seem to be short of talent at cornerback, but that might not be the case this season with Bo Smith and Earven Flowers.

Specialists
Taylor Begley has handled the place-kicking chores the past two seasons, connecting on 15-of-24 field goals and 71-of-77 extra points. UK coaches have been pleased with his range, but they'd like to see him be more consistent. Anthony Thornton returns after handling the punting duties last season, but he'll compete with Sevin Sucurovic.

Final Analysis
The 'Cats lack an answer for their inexperience on the offensive line. The veterans on the defensive front whipped the offensive linemen in many of the one-on-one drills, and the O-line struggled to give Boyd adequate protection in the passing game. The line must improve in fall camp for the 'Cats to move the ball consistently.

Depth up front and the sure tackling of Anderson and Williams could give Kentucky its best defense since the Bill Curry days. If the Wildcats expect to escape the cellar, the defense will have to be stout, the kicking game must improve dramatically and the offense must find ways for its weapons -- Burton, Holt and Arliss Beach -- to flourish without a standout line.

• Click here for a complete list of 2004 Team Previews from Athlon

To Purchase the 2004 College Football Preview from Athlon Sports, click here.