CBS college football analyst Tony Barnhart knows Kentucky doesn’t get as much national pub as some of its Southeastern Conference brethren, but you can most definitely count him as a fan of UK’s big-play guys.”When you talk about Randall Cobb, you talk about a guy who is as good an all-purpose player as there is in this country,” Barnhart said. “I have talked to a lot of people and they ask me about Randall Cobb and say ‘Look what he has done. He can run it, he can catch it, he can throw it.’ He does all kinds of things, and when you have a player like that, the defense has got to respect it.”Cobb isn’t the only player that has impressed Barnhart. “I think Derrick Locke gives them such a stable-force back there with his ability to run the football,” Barnhart said. “You need to have that in the SEC. Randall Cobb cannot be as good as he is unless he has Derrick Locke back there as a legitimate running threat. You put them together and have a smart and efficient quarterback and I think Kentucky’s skill players are as good as anybody’s.”= = =

“I think this is going to be a really close game. Totally winnable game for Kentucky. I think there will be a lot of points in this game.”So says ESPN2 college football analyst Bob Davie, who will be working the game with Mark Jones Saturday night.”I think Kentucky is good,” Davie said. “Joker has always done a really good job with the scheme. They give you a lot of different looks; little more of a pro-style offense and then you’ve got two of the most exciting guys in the SEC in Cobb and Locke. Defensively, they’re playing better than what the statistics (say).” In an interview on “The Leach Report” on WKJK radio in Louisville, I asked Davie what game plan he would draw up to defend Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton, who leads the SEC’s top run game and is second in the country in pass efficiency.”You have to be ready for the up-tempo (game), so you have to keep it simple and get lined up very quickly,” Davie said. “They make a lot of plays because of the chaos they create.  The second thing, even though I know (Newton) can throw it, I’m going to get a bunch of people up around that line of scrimmage. I think you have to attack them. You can’t sit there and let them know exactly where you are. You have to blitz them.”On the other side, Davie had complimentary things to say about Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline.”I’ve always been a fan of his,” the former Notre Dame and Texas A&M coach said. “He’s a cerebral guy (and) does a lot of good things at the line of scrimmage. (He is) more experienced, more confident. I don’t think he’s looking over his shoulder at Morgan Newton.”= = = Randall Cobb is a happy guy most of the time, but smiles have been few and far between this week. After two straight losses, Cobb’s eyes have had laser-like focus through all of his interviews this week. He and other UK football leaders are hoping to send the message that the play of the last two weeks is unacceptable, and Cobb liked what he saw on the practice field Thursday. “It was a really good practice, everybody taking care of their assignments,” Cobb said. “We wanted to make sure we prepared to win on Thursday, unlike the last two weeks. This gives us an idea of what we’re going to play like on Saturday.”= = =If you’re into looking for omens, consider this one: The last time Kentucky beat Auburn at home was 1966. That 17-7 win came on the heels of a road loss — to Ole Miss.