“He’s going to make mine.”
That was the response from ESPN.com SEC blogger Chris Low, when asked about the chances of UK linebacker Danny Trevathan making first-team All-SEC this season.
“It’s really hard. Look at the linebakcers in this league. Jarvis Jones, Donte Hightower, Courtney Upshaw, John Bostic, Chris Mavre. But I could not, in good conscience, leave Danny off,” Low told “The Leach Report” show on Wednesday. “I would hope he would get All-America mantion but it’s rarre for kids to make those lists when they’re on losing football teams.
“He’s one of those guys, if you’re playing on the sandlot or in the Super Bowl, he’s always going to play the same way and that’s what I admire about Danny. He’s been so consistent and he makes big plays and he raises the level of all the people around him,” Low continued. “I know the record is not what Kentucky fans wanted but they’ve got something special in Danny Trevathan.”
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With all of the attention directed toward Trevathan, his fellow senior inside linebacker, Ronnie Sneed, tends to get overlooked. And that’s just fine with him.
“I’m not in in for the recognition. What helps me feel good and helps me sleep at night is when our defense plays good. I was able to get the guys the calls and it worked out really good and we played them tough,” Sneed said.
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Another impressive freshman class for John Calipari–so what else is new.
Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague and Kyle Wiltjer wasted no time in demonstrating that they are as good as advertised. And you can bet that does not surprise ESPN.com’s longtime hoops recruiting analyst, Dave Telep.
“Anthony Davis made one of the greatest first impressions that I have ever seen anyone make. I think Anthony Davis has an unbelievable high ceiling and a desire to get there. Its almost more important. Excellent blocker, good ball skills and this is an impact player by all accounts. Anthony Davis has been on the rise for a year now and he is fantastic,” Telep told “The Leach Report” radio show earlier this fall.
“Michael (Kidd) Gilchrist–warrior, loves to play, hates to lose, gets after it. Teague, fast. He is like the road runner. I have a three-year old son that watches the road runner and he is a lot like the road runner. Very, very quick and ahead of where his brother was and his brother was a mid-first round pick by the Atlanta Hawks,” Telep continued. “I think Wiltjer is a rainbow shooting power forward who can be a 50-50 guy in the perimeter and someone who challenged himself by going to Kentucky without ever taking a visit there. He wants to be good and will have a good career.”
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Limiting big plays will be a key to Kentucky’s chances of beating Tennessee this Saturday.
In only six games, UT quarterback Tyler Bray has completed 42 passes for a gain of 15 or more yards. In 11 games, both Kentucky QB’s have only 31 such plays.
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When Kentucky last beat Tennessee–way back in 1984–it scored on its opening drive and never trailed again, on the way to a 17-12 victory.
But this UK team has yet to score an offensive touchdown in the first quarter since last year’s game at Tennessee. Reversing that trend might also go a long way toward reversing the trend in the UK-UT series.
