2010 Kentucky Recruiting Class

Kentucky Wildcats 2010 ... Head Coach: Rich Brooks

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2009 Record: 7-6

9/5 Miami Univ. (Cin.) W 42-0
9/12 OPEN DATE
9/19 Louisville W 31-27
9/26 Florida  L 41-7
10/3 Alabama L 38-20
10/10 at S Carolina L 28-26
10/17 at Auburn W 21-14
10/24 ULM W 36-13
10/31 Miss St L 31-24
11/7 E Kentucky W 37-12
11/14 at Vanderbilt W 24-13
11/21 at Georgia W 34-27
11/28 Tennessee L 30-24 OT
MUSIC CITY BOWL
12/27 Clemson L 21-13

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2008 Record: 7-6

8/31 at Louisville W 27-2
9/6 Norfolk State W 38-3
9/13 Middle Tenn W 20-14
9/20  OPEN DATE
9/27 Western Kent. W 41-3
10/4 at Alabama L 17-14
10/11 South Carolina L 24-17
10/18 Arkansas W 21-20
10/25 at Florida L 63-5
11/1 at Miss St W 14-13
11/8 Georgia L 42-38
11/15 Vanderbilt L 31-24
11/22 OPEN DATE 
11/29 at Tennessee L 28-10
Liberty Bowl
1/2 East Carolina W 25-17

Kentucky Wildcats

The Top Five Prospects
TE	Alex Smith	6-5	260	Cincinnati, OH
RB	Brandon Gainer	6-0	194	Miami, FL
WR	Jerrell Priester	5-9	185	Allendale, SC
RB	Raymond Sanders	5-8	175	Stone Mountain, GA
LB	Tim Patterson	6-5	225	Louisville, KY
The Rest of the Class
DB	Mychal Bailey	6-0	206	Summit, MS
QB	Tyler Brause	6-4	220	Bucyrus, OH
DE	Alvin Davis	6-4	225	Jesup, GA
DE	Nermin Delic	6-4	220	Dalton, GA
DE	Mike Douglas	6-5	225	Largo, FL
OL	Teven Eatmon	6-7	280	Bucyrus, OH
DB	Josh Gibbs	6-0	200	Santa Clarita, CA
DE	Justin Henderson	6-4	228	Bamberg, SC
DE	Farrington Huguenin	6-4	240	Columbia, SC
LB	Jabari Johnson	6-2	220	Stone Mountain, GA
DT	Brice Laughlin	6-3	270	Summerville, SC
K	Joseph Mansour	6-3	174	LaGrange, GA
DT	Tim McAdoo	6-2	310	Murfreesboro, TN
LB	Malcolm McDuffen	6-3	205	Hopkinsville, KY
TE	Tyler Robinson	6-4	250	Alcoa, TN
DE	Donte Rumph	6-4	260	Fork Union, VA
TE	Ronnie Shields	6-5	220	Stone Mountain, GA
DB	Eric Simmons	6-0	185	Atlanta, GA
RB	Miles Simpson	6-2	195	Independence, KY
DB	Dale Trimble	5-10	175	Gadsden, AL
LB	Avery Williamson	6-2	220	Milan, TN

Dec. 27
MUSIC CITY BOWL
Clemson 21 … Kentucky 13
In a game dominated by defense and the cold, windy weather, the two passing games produced early with Kentucky taking the lead on a 17-yard Chris Matthews catch and Clemson tying it up in the final seconds on the first quarter on a 32-yard Jacoby Ford grab. The Wildcats wouldn’t get back into the end zone managing Lones Seiber field goals from 39 and 44 yards out, while Clemson was able to take the lead for good on a one-yard Jamie Harper run in the second. C.J. Spiller moved into second on the all-time total yardage list and ran for an eight-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. UK held on to the ball for 34:26, but the Tigers were able to close out the final 5:27 after Newton was stopped just short on a 4th-and-8 run down to the Clemson 25.
Player of the Game: Clemson RB C.J. Spiller ran 15 times for 67 yards and a touchdown, caught three passes for 58 yards, and returned two kickoffs for 47 yards.
Kentucky: Passing: Morgan Newton, 13-23, 98 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Derrick Locke, 18-64, Receiving: Derrick Locke, 6-30
Clemson: Passing: Kyle Parker, 8-14, 141 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jamie Harper, 8-79, 1 TD, Receiving: C.J. Spiller, 3-58 
What It All Means: The lack of offensive pop was painfully evident. Derrick Locke tried to carry the offense, and he led the team in catches (six) and in rushing (64 yards), but Randall Cobb was held in check, Morgan Newton didn’t get anything going down the field, and the nation’s 114th ranked passing offense and 90th ranked overall attack sputtered over after scoring on a nice early drive. This is a young team with plenty of promise and potential, and this should be an interesting team to watch grow. But this was a tough loss in a game that was there for the taking and the UK streak of bowl wins (three) was stopped.

Nov. 28
Tennessee 30 … at Kentucky 24 OT
Kentucky’s Lones Seiber forced overtime on a 23-yard field goal, but he missed a 49-yard field goal in overtime. Tennessee didn’t need a field goal attempt as Montario Hardesty ran for a 20-yard touchdown, his third scoring dash of the day, to get the win. Kentucky started off the scoring on a 56-yard interception return for a score from Sam Maxwell, and kept pace with a 17-yard Randall Cobb run and a one-yard Derrick Locke dash. But Hardesty paced the balanced Vol attack with scoring runs from 13 and nine yards out, while Luke Stocker caught a 16-yard touchdown pass. UT outgained UK 446 yards to 261 in its 26th straight win in the series.
Player of the Game: Tennessee RB Montario Hardesty ran 39 times for 179 yards and three scores and caught two passes for 11 yards
Kentucky: Passing: Morgan Newton, 10-22, 69 yds
Rushing: Randall Cobb, 18-101, 1 TD, Receiving: Randall Cobb, 4-24
Tennessee: Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 13-23, 220 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 39-179, 3 TD, Receiving: Gerald Jones, 5-113
What It All Means: Micah Johnson 16 tackles, but the defense couldn’t come up with enough game-changing plays, outside of the early pick six from Sam Maxwell, to overcome a mediocre day from the offense. The coaching staff once again got creative with Randall Cobb, but Morgan Newton and the passing game never got off the ground. UK blew a chance at being a lock for a New Year’s Day bowl game, but it’s still going to be in the mix for a good post-season game. The team should be a lot better with a few weeks to rest. 

Nov. 21
Kentucky 34 … at Georgia 27
Down 20-6 at halftime, Kentucky rallied for 28 second half points helped by four takeaways and Randall Cobb scoring runs from one and 12 yards away. LaRod King added a 21-yard touchdown catch to get the Wildcats within seven, and Derrick Locke tied it taking a pass 60 yards for a score. The one-yard Cobb run sealed it. Georgia had one final chance, but Joe Cox was picked off by Sam Maxwell and the Wildcats held on. Georgia outgained UK 487 yards to 260, and got two Cox touchdown passes in the second quarter along with two first half field goals from Blair Walsh.
Player of the Game: Kentucky RB Derrick Locke ran 16 times for 80 yards, and caught two passes for 80 yards and two scores, and returned three kickoffs for 85 yards
Kentucky: Passing: Morgan Newton, 9-17, 137 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Derrick Locke, 16-80, Receiving: Derrick Locke, 2-80, 2 TD
Georgia: Passing: Joe Cox, 12-30, 291 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Caleb King, 18-77 & Washaun Ealey, 19-77, Receiving: Orson Charles, 4-73, 1 TD 
What It All Means: Is Kentucky New Year’s Day bowl bound? The Wildcats, spurred by a big second half, were able to get by Georgia on timely defense and opportunistic offense, and now they’re a win over Tennessee from securing the No. 2 spot in the East with the possibility of either the Outback or the Capital One Bowl. The offense is doing a great job of being creative and mistake-free. Morgan Newton wasn’t outstanding, but he didn’t throw any picks and he got the ball to his receivers where they could do something with it.

Nov. 14
Kentucky 24 … at Vanderbilt 13
Randall Cobb ran for scores from 21 and three yards and Derrick Locke ran for a 14-yard score as Kentucky became bowl eligible. Vanderbilt had a 13-10 lead at halftime on a 21-yard John Cole catch and two Ryan Fowler field goals, but UK scored 14 unanswered points. The Cats ran for 308 yards and held Vanderbilt to 209 yards of total offense.
Player of the Game: Kentucky RB Derrick Locke ran 25 times for 144 yards and a score, caught two passes for three yards, and completed a pass for 41 yards.
Vanderbilt: Passing: Mackenzi Adams, 11-24, 127 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Warren Norman, 12-52, Receiving: John Cole, 5-61, 1 TD
Kentucky: Passing: Derrick Locke, 1-1, 41 yds
Rushing: Derrick Locke, 25-144, 1 TD, Receiving: LaRod King, 2-41
What It All Means: It might not be pretty and it might not mean a spot in the BCS, but no matter how it happened, Kentucky is bowl eligible again. Considering all the problems the team has had, that’s a major accomplishment. Derrick Locke ran extremely well, and Randall Cobb showed once again why he’s one of the SEC’s most important players, but the passing game was awful, Mike Hartline was lousy completing just two of six passes with an interception, and Mike Newton wasn’t much better with four of seven completions with a pick. Now it’s time to get greedy and get to a good bowl, but to beat Georgia or Tennessee, the offense has to find more balance in a big hurry. 

Nov. 7
at Kentucky 37 … Eastern Kentucky 12
Morgan Newton threw two touchdown passes in the third quarter, from 14 yards out to Maurice Grinter and from 18 yards away to Chris Mathews, and Donald Russell ran for a 79-yard score as UK pulled away in the second half. The Colonels stayed alive early on with a nine-yard Marcus Williams run, but the Wildcats went on a 20-point scoring run, starting by a one-yard Alfonso Smith touchdown, to end the drama.
Player of the Game: Kentucky QB Morgan Newton completed 20-of-29 passes for 187 yards and two scores.
Eastern Kentucky: Passing: T.J. Pryor, 9-28, 137 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: H.B. Banjoman, 9-3, 1 TD, Receiving: Orlandus Harris, 5-97
Kentucky: Passing: Morgan Newton, 20-29, 187 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Donald Russell, 3-92, 1 TD, Receiving: Chris Matthews, 7-56, 1 TD
What It All Means: Sometimes a win like this is needed to pad the stat sheet, but for Kentucky, it was a needed break in the middle of the season to give the inexperienced players some desperately needed live action. Freshman QB Morgan Newton has a ton of talent, but he hasn’t been sharp against the SEC teams he has had to face. He needed work, and he got it against a not-that-bad Eastern Kentucky secondary. Bowl eligibility needs to be sewn up next week Vanderbilt or else the pressure will be on to win at Georgia or against Tennessee. With so many injuries and so many issues, the Cats need can’t hope to pull off any upsets.

Oct. 31
Mississippi State 31 … at Kentucky 24
Anthony Dixon ran for a Mississippi State record 252 yards with touchdown runs of one and three yards out, and O’Neal Wilder caught a 67-yard touchdown pass to keep bowl hopes alive. Kentucky got short touchdown runs from Derrick Locke, Morgan Newton, and Randall Cobb on the way to a 24-17 fourth quarter lead, but MSU outscored the Cats 21-7 in the third quarter. MSU ran for 348 yards, but only converted 1-of-9 third down chances.
Player of the Game: Mississippi State RB Anthony Dixon ran 33 times for 252 yards and two touchdowns, and he caught two passes for 14 yards.
Mississippi State: Passing: Tyson Lee, 10-17, 145 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 33-252, 2 TD, Receiving: O’Neal Wilder, 2-72, 1 TD
Kentucky: Passing: Morgan Newton, 11-18, 119 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Derrick Locke, 17-103, 1 TD, Receiving: La’Rod King & Chris Matthews, 2-31
What It All Means: Uhhhhh, the run defense? With quarterback issues, Kentucky doesn’t have the firepower to keep up with most teams right now, Morgan Newton just isn’t getting the passing game going enough, so the defense has to start coming up with bigger performances. The great game in the win over Auburn is a distant memory after getting steamrolled by Mississippi State, but there’s no reason to panic quite yet with Eastern Kentucky and Vanderbilt up next to all but assure a bowl spot. But there can’t be the problems up front like the defense had this week. 

Oct. 24
at Kentucky 36 … ULM 13
Randall Cobb did a little bit of everything for Kentucky with a 73-yard punt return for a score and an 11-yard run for a touchdown, and he also caught a 25-yard touchdown pass on the way to a 28-7 halftime lead. The defense came through late to put the game away with a 50-yard Randall Burden interception return for a score. ULM got a ten-yard Luther Ambrose touchdown catch, and a three-yard Frank Goodin run, but lost three fumbles inside the UK 20.
Player of the Game: Kentucky WR Randall Cobb completed 2-of-4 passes for 46 yards, and ran three times for 41 yards and a score, and returned two punts for 84 yards and a score.
ULM: Passing: Cody Wells, 21-44, 267 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Frank Goodin, 16-55, 1 TD, Receiving: LaGregory Sapp, 7-121
Kentucky: Passing: Will Fidler, 8-13, 82 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: John Conner, 6-46, 1 TD, Receiving: Randall Cobb, 4-27 
What It All Means: The Wildcats got up early and coasted the rest of the way, but this wasn’t a smooth performance. The defense suffered a blow when LB Micah Johnson hurt his leg, and it struggled in the second half to stop the mediocre ULM passing game. The D had a hard time getting off the field. Fortunately, there shouldn’t be problems against Mississippi State, Eastern Kentucky, or Vanderbilt over the next few weeks before the Georgia game. Now is the time for the Cats to go on a nice run.

Oct. 17
Kentucky 21 … at Auburn 14
Running mostly from the Wildcat formation, Randall Cobb ran for 109 yards with a four-yard touchdown run to give Kentucky the win. On a cold night, Auburn never heated up with just 215 yards of offense and ten penalties (Kentucky didn’t commit any) and got one of its touchdowns on a Neiko Thorpe 69-yard blocked field goal return. Ben Tate gave Auburn a 14-7 halftime lead on a one-yard run, but it was all Kentucky in the fourth quarter with Will Fidler, who came in to replace an ineffective Morgan Newton at quarterback, running for a two-yard score the drive before Cobb took over the game. The two teams combined for 20 completions on 47 passes for 170 yards.
Player of the Game: Kentucky WR Randall Cobb ran 12 times for 109 yards and a touchdown and he caught a pass for 12 yards
Auburn: Passing: Chris Todd, 10-24, 80 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ben Tate, 31-132, 1 TD, Receiving: Terrell Zachery, 4-24
Kentucky: Passing: Morgan Newton, 5-13, 39 yds
Rushing: Derrick Locke, 19-126, Receiving: Chris Matthews, 2-30 
What It All Means: Having a playmaker like Randall Cobb helps out in a variety of ways. He saved the offense with his big plays late, and he and RB Derrick Locke are carrying the team. The Wildcat passing game sputtered, and Morgan Newton was awful in place of starting quarterback Mike Hartline, and Will Fidler came in and tried to get the offense moving. But it’s the running game and the pass rush that beat Auburn, while the run defense did what it could with Micah Johnson and Danny Trevathan each coming up with 14 tackles. Now, after the huge win, the Wildcats have to take advantage of an easy stretch against ULM, Mississippi State, Eastern Kentucky, and Vanderbilt to secure a bowl bid.

Oct. 10
at South Carolina 28 … Kentucky 26
Stephen Garcia connected with Alshon Jeffery for touchdown passes from 10, 28, and 22 yards out, and Garcia ran for a one-yard score, but it was a fight. Kentucky matched USC play for play with Derrick Locke running for an 11-yard score and Ashton Cobb catching a seven-yard touchdown pass in the first half, and Randall Cobb pulling the Cats within two on a two-yard run with 4:34 to play. The Gamecocks were able to run out the clock helped by a leaping run from Garcia. In a near dead-even game, South Carolina outgained UK 361 yards to 360.
Player of the Game: South Carolina WR Alshon Jeffery caught seven catches for 138 yards and three touchdowns.
Kentucky: Passing: Mike Hartline, 9-14, 139 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Derrick Locke, 24-89, 1 TD & Randall Cobb, 13-89, 1 TD, Receiving: Derrick Locke, 4-20
South Carolina: Passing: Stephen Garcia, 16-23, 233 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kenny Miles, 17-100, Receiving: Alshon Jeffery, 7-138, 3 TD
What It All Means: Kentucky lost the battle and might have lost a lot more with QB Mike Hartline out with a knee problem for a foreseeable future. Junior Will Fidler was a disaster under center against South Carolina, completing 2-of-8 passes for 16 yards, and if he’s not night-and-day better against Auburn, the team will have to get really creative, really quickly. Randall Cobb, who ran 13 times for 89 yards and a touchdown, to go along with his two catches for 62 yards and a score, will have to be more involved, and the ground game that was able to come up with 205 yards against a stout Gamecock run D will have to be even better.

Oct. 3
Alabama 38 … at Kentucky 20
Alabama forced four turnovers with Courtney Upshaw taking a fumble 45 yards for a touchdown, and Greg McElroy threw two short touchdown passes in an easy win. Kentucky stayed alive into the second quarter on two 49-yard Lones Seiber field goals, but a 24-point Tide run, helped by Mark Ingram’s second touchdown run of the day on a 32-yard dash, put the game away. Randall Cobb took a pass 45 yards for a touchdown for UK late in the fourth.
Player of the Game: Alabama RB Mark Ingram ran 22 times for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
Kentucky: Passing: Mike Hartline, 17-31, 168 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Derrick Locke, 20-75, Receiving: Derrick Locke, 6-63
Alabama: Passing: Greg McElroy, 15-26, 148 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Mark Ingram, 22-140, 2 TD, Receiving: Colin Peek, 6-65, 1 TD
What It All Means: The Wildcats were way overmatched, but they kept fighting and made the game a little more interesting late, at least on the scoreboard. Alabama’s defense had a lot to do with the various mistakes, but UK can’t turn the ball over four times against a team this good and hope to have any shot. As rough as it might have been to play Florida and Alabama in back-to-back weeks, now UK has to go on the road for more problems with trips to South Carolina and Auburn.

Sept. 26
Florida 41 … at Kentucky 7
Florida won easily as Tim Tebow ran for two short scores and threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Hernandez, but the focus was on Tebow as he was knocked out of the game late in the third quarter with a concussion. Chris Rainey added a blocked punt for a Gator touchdown as part of a 24-0 first quarter. Kentucky never threatened getting its only score on a two-yard Ross Bogue catch after getting down 31-0. John Brantley stepped in for Tebow and threw an eight yard touchdown pass to Riley Cooper in the fourth.
Player of the Game: Florida QB Tim Tebow completed 5-of-10 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown and ran 16 times for 123 yards and two scores before getting knocked out off the game in the third quarter.
Kentucky: Passing: Mike Hartline, 13-28, 85 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Derrick Locke, 13-36, Receiving: Randall Cobb, 5-24
Florida: Passing: Tim Tebow, 5-10, 103 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Tim Tebow, 16-123, 2 TD, Receiving: Aaron Hernandez, 3-54, 1 TD 
What It All Means: Kentucky got a focused No. 1 team in the nation to deal with. There was no chance from the opening snap. The Wildcat passing game couldn’t do anything to get the offense moving and struggled on third downs, while the run defense was unable to stop Tim Tebow or keep the Gators from scoring at will when it was still a game. Unfortunately, there’s no time to tune up from here with Alabama to deal with next week. To have any chance, the defensive front has to quickly figure out a new wrinkle or the Tide will rumble all game long.

Sept. 19
at Kentucky 31 … at Louisville 27
In a wild back-and-forth shootout, Randall Cobb caught a 12-yard pass for a late Kentucky lead, and the defense held on with a tipped pass for an interception snuffing out one drive, and a missed Hail Mary stopping a final Cardinal chance. Justin Burke threw two fourth quarter touchdown passes for Louisville including a 66-yarder to Trent Guy for its final lead before the Cobb score. Derrick Locke ran for a two-yard score for the Wildcats and answered a six-yard Victor Anderson touchdown run with a 100-yard kickoff return for a score.
Player of the Game: Kentucky RB Derrick Locke ran 15 times for 72 yards and a touchdown, caught four passes for 47 yards, and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
Louisville: Passing: Justin Burke, 15-28, 245 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Victor Anderson, 19-110, 1 TD, Receiving: Scott Long 5-89
Kentucky: Passing: Mike Hartline, 20-27, 178 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Derrick Locke, 15-72, 1 TD, Receiving: Randall Cobb, 6-71, 1 TD
What It All Means: Kentucky wasn’t exactly sharp defensively in the rivalry game, but the offense got the plays needed to pull off the win. There was a solid balance helped by the accurate short-range passing from Mike Hartline, while the special teams provided the pop with a Derrick Locke kickoff return for a score. Micah Johnson had a great day for the UK defense, but to have any shot against Florida next week, the D has to do far better against the short to midrange passes and has to be better at getting off the field. Louisville came up with one big play, but was effective on third downs and was able to keep the chains moving in the second half. 

Sept. 5
Kentucky 42 … Miami University 0
In the first game of the Mike Haywood era at MU, Kentucky won in a blowout with 21 second quarter points making it a blowout, and a Trevard Lindley interception return for a touchdown in the third making it a laugher. Mike Hartline threw two first half scoring passes, including a 27-yarder to Randall Cobb, who also ran for an 11-yard score. Derrick Lock and Moncell Allen each added short scoring runs. MU missed its only scoring chance on a field goal that went wide.
Player of the Game: Kentucky WR Randall Cobb caught seven passes for 96 yards and a score and he ran one time for an 11 yard score.
Miami: Passing: Daniel Raudabaugh, 13-34, 126 yds 2 INT
Rushing: Andre Bratton, 7-37, Receiving: Jamal Rogers, 6-56
Kentucky: Passing: Mike Hartline, 18-27, 222 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Derrick Lock, 8-61, 1 TD, Receiving: Randall Cobb, 7-96, 1 TD
What It All Means: A new era, same production. The Mike Haywood era didn’t exactly get off to a roaring start as the offense did many of the same poor things it did last season, with QB Daniel Raudabaugh struggling mightily with his accuracy to get the attack moving. In a blowout, the ground game never got a chance to find something that worked. Somewhere, the team has to quickly find one thing it does well; Kentucky was able to do whatever it wanted.
What It All Means: It took a quarter to get hot, but everything clicked all at once with Mike Hartline getting time to work and making the most of it. Randall Cobb once again showed why he’s the team’s star playmaker who needs the ball in a variety of ways, but several players got in on the act with big run after big run. This was as perfect an opener as head coach Rich Brooks could’ve asked for.