September 11, 1998
Eastern Kentucky (1-0) at Kentucky (1-0)
Sat. Sept. 12, 1998, 1:30 p.m.
Commonwealth Stadium (cap. 55,380)
Wildcats HeadlinesHome opener as the Wildcats play host to No. 9-ranked Eastern Kentucky First meeting between Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky UK coming off record-breaking 68-34 win over Louisville in the season opener Wildcats lead the nation in scoring offense, total offense
On the TubeLive TV – No live television for this game.
Delay TV – The UKTV Network, which features 13 stations and cable systems, will televise the game on a delayed basis.
Rob Bromley calls the play-by-play and former Wildcats star Derrick Ramsey provides analysis. Dick Gabriel handles reports from the sidelines.
Check local listings for the UKTV Network station and telecast time in your area.
On the Radio
The University of Kentucky Football Radio Network will carry the broadcast on approximately 80 stations. The network includes flagship station WVLK (590 AM) in Lexington and 50,000-watt stations WHAS (840 AM) and WSAI (1530 AM).
Tom Leach is in his second season calling the play-by-play for the Wildcats. Former Wildcats star Jeff Van Note is the analyst and Dick Gabriel is the sideline reporter.
Ticket Information
No tickets are available at this time.
Kentucky Results and Schedule (1-0, 0-0 SEC)Sept. 5 UK 68, Louisville 34 (A)Sept. 12 Eastern Kentucky, 1:30 p.m.Sept. 19 Indiana, 1:30 p.m.Sept. 26 at Florida, TBAOct. 3 at Arkansas, 7:00 p.m.Oct. 10 South Carolina (Homecoming), 7:00 p.m.Oct. 17 at Louisiana State, 9:00 p.m., ESPN2Oct. 24 Georgia, 7:00 p.m.Oct. 31 openNov. 7 Mississippi State, 1:30 p.m.Nov. 14 Vanderbilt, 1:30 p.m.Nov. 21 at Tennessee, TBA
All times are Eastern and subject to change.
Eastern Kentucky Results and Schedule (1-0, 0-0)Sept. 5 EKU 43, Kentucky State 13 (H)Sept. 12 at KentuckySept. 19 at Western KentuckySept. 26 at Middle TennesseeOct. 10 Tennessee StateOct. 17 Murray StateOct. 24 at Tennessee TechOct. 31 at Tennessee-MartinNov. 7 Southeast MissouriNov. 14 Appalachian StateNov. 21 Eastern Illinois
Series History
This is the first meeting between the two schools in football.
How Experienced are the Tentative Starters? Sr. Jr. Soph. RFr. Fr.UK 10 5 6 0 1EKU 8 8 6 0 0
The Ouch Report (two-deep only)
Kicker Marc Samuel (strained groin muscle) is questionable.
Four Former Wildcats at Eastern KentuckyFour former University of Kentucky players will be wearing the maroon and white of Eastern Kentucky when the teams meet on Saturday. Stephen Brown was a walk-on punter with the Wildcats from 1994-96. He played in one game as a holder during the 1995 season. TB Derick Logan was the SEC Freshman of the Year at Kentucky in 1996. Logan rushed 190 times for 700 yards and five touchdowns during the ’96 season.
DE Anthony Watson came to UK and redshirted in 1995. As a redshirt freshman in 1996, he played in nine games as a reserve and totaled 21 tackles, including five quarterback sacks and three tackles for loss. In 1997, he started nine games and totaled six tackles. From 1995-97, CB Tony Woods played in 22 games and started 11. He missed games in the 1996 and 1997 seasons because of injuries. He totaled 71 tackles, seven pass breakups, and one interception during his three seasons at UK.
A Look Back at the Louisville Game
Kentucky got its season off to a flying start as the Wildcats won the inaugural game in Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium with a 68-34 win over Louisville last Saturday.
The Wildcats rolled up school records for total offense (801 yards), passing yardage (571), first downs (37), and passing first downs (24) while scoring the most points in a game since 1951. Kentucky also tied its own SEC record with eight touchdown passes.
Junior quarterback Tim Couch led the offense by completing 29 of 39 passes for 498 yards, seven touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Couch broke the SEC record for total offensive yards per play by averaging 11.9 yards on his 42 rushing and passing plays. Couch also tied his own SEC records for touchdown passes in a game with seven and touchdown responsibility (rushing and passing) in a game with seven.
Couch broke his own school records for total offensive yardage (498) and passing yardage (498).
Senior wide receiver Craig Yeast caught nine passes for a career-high 150 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore fullback Derek Homer paced the ground game with 123 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries.
The UK defense played better than the score might indicate. The Wildcats allowed 286 yards and 18 points through the first three quarters before going exclusively with reserves in the final quarter.
Seven Players Made Their First Starts
Seven Wildcats – all on defense – made their first career starts in the season opener at Louisville. The first-time starters included DE Gordon Crowe, DE Matt Layow, LB Marlon McCree, and all four defensive backs, CB Jeremy Bowie, CB Marvin Love, SS David Johnson, and FS Jeff Zurcher.
True Freshmen Get the Call
A total of 18 true freshmen played in the season opener, including 15 players in the 1998 recruiting class.
True freshmen from the 1998 recruiting class who played include Dougie Allen, Mike Beirne, Chris Demaree, Richard Hardin, Vincent Harrison, David Johnson, Dennis Johnson, Martez Johnson, Anthony Kelly, Adrian Patton, Ronnie Riley, Matt Schneider, Kendrick Shanklin, Anthony Wajda, and Jamal White.
In addition, true freshman walk-ons Neal Brown and Nick Heald played, as did true freshman Mike Kamphake, who signed in January but counts as part of the 1997 recruiting class.
UK in the NCAA Stats
After one week of play, Kentucky leads the nation in scoring offense (68 points per game) and total offense (801 yards per game). The Wildcats also rate 26th in rushing with 230 yards per game.
Individually, quarterback Tim Couch is second in the nation in total offense (498 yards per game) and third in passing efficiency (240.9 rating points).
Fullback Derek Homer is 23rd nationally in rushing with 123 yards per game. Wide receiver Craig Yeast is 12th in receptions (9) and receiving yardage (150 yards) and is 21st in all-purpose yardage (178 yards). Kicker Seth Hanson is ninth in field goals (two) and 14th in scoring (14 points).
“Air Raid” Offense
Offensive Line – Kentucky’s all-senior starting line has a total of 96 starts during their careers. LT Jonas Liening is in his fourth year as a starter. RT Kris Comstock and C Jason Watts are three-year regulars. RG Mike Webster and LG Jeremy Streck are in their second year as starters The second-team line got a full quarter of work at Louisville.
Tight Ends – Jimmy Haley and James Whalen, Jr., each made their first touchdown receptions at UK in the Louisville game. Haley’s spectacular one-handed 21-yard TD grab was chosen the CNN/SI “Play of the Day.”
Running Backs – Fullback Derek Homer carries the bulk of the rushing load.
His 123-yard effort against Louisville was the third 100-yard game of his career Halfback Anthony White is both a runner and pass receiver. He gained 66 yards on six carries at Louisville True freshmen Kendrick Shanklin and Martez Johnson saw action at Louisville.
Wide Receivers – Eleven wide receivers caught passes at Louisville, led by Craig Yeast, who snagged nine for 150 yards and two touchdowns Quentin McCord caught three for 99 yards, including two scores.
Quarterbacks – Tim Couch was magnificent in his 1998 debut (see Louisville game recap on the previous page for his accomplishments) Senior backup QB Matt Mumme saw his first Division I-A action in the Louisville game and completed 7-of-8 passes for 73 yards and one TD.
Scouting the Defense
Defensive Line – DT Marvin Major got the team’s only sack at Louisville Eight defensive linemen recorded tackles in the opener, led by DT George Massey with five stops.
Linebackers – Ten linebackers made at least one tackle at Louisville, with John Rader leading the way with eight tackles, including one for a loss.
Secondary – Nine defensive backs made at least one tackle at Louisville SS David Johnson paced the secondary in tackles with six, including one for loss CB Jeremy Bowie had his first collegiate pickoff and he also broke up one pass CB Eric Kelly had two pass breakups.
A Look at the SpecialistsKickers – Seth Hanson made both field goal attempts at Louisville, including a career-long of 41 yards, and 8-of-9 extra points. Hanson also handled kickoffs against the Cardinals in place of Marc Samuel, who has a strained groin muscle.
Punters – Jimmy Carter averaged 37.5 yards on two punts at Louisville, with neither punt returned.
Preseason Honors for the WildcatsKentucky was ranked No. 24 in the preseason by Sports Illustrated. Quarterback Tim Couch was a first-team preseason All-America pick by Street and Smith’s and Lindy’s and a second-team All-America choice by Athlon Publications.
Wide receiver Craig Yeast was a third-team pre-season All-America choice by Athlon Publications. Couch and Yeast were consensus preseason All-SEC picks.
Scoring in the Blue Zone (20-and-in)
Kentucky: 27 points on five opportunities (three touchdowns, two field goals).
Opponents: 21 points on four opportunities (three touchdowns, one field goal).
Head Coach Hal Mumme
Hal Mumme (Tarleton State, 1975) has a 6-6 record in his second season as head coach of the Wildcats. He was voted 1997 GTE Region 2 Coach of the Year by his peers in the American Football Coaches Association. He is in his 10th season as a collegiate head coach and has a career record of 71-33-1 (.681).
Mumme had a 40-17-1 mark from 1992-96 at Valdosta State and took the Blazers to the NCAA Division II national playoffs in 1994 and 1996. He was named 1994 Georgia Coach of the Year by the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, the 1996 GTE Region 2 Coach of the Year by the AFCA, and the 1996 Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year.
Mumme had a 25-10 record from 1989-91 at Iowa Wesleyan College. He took his team to the Steamboat Classic bowl game in 1989 and ’90 and to the NAIA national playoffs in 1991. He was named the NAIA District Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1991.
For more on Mumme, see pages 22-27 of the Kentucky football media guide.
“Mummeball”
New UK coach Hal Mumme is known for his unconventional ways. Here are some examples of his off-the-beaten-path approach:
Throwing the football: Mumme’s offensive goal is to throw the ball to set up the run. His run-pass ratio at UK in 1997 was 36 percent run and 64 percent pass.
Taking risks: In the 1997 season, Mumme went for it 38 times on fourth down and made 21, including three out of four on fake punts. He also tried seven onside kicks, recovering one.
Limited hitting in practice: The Wildcats had four scrimmages in the spring and none in August. Otherwise, hitting in practice is limited to work on technique; there is no full-scale hitting or tackling to the ground.
“We’re not going to get anybody hurt if we can help it,” Mumme says. “Why have a car wreck during the week when you’re going to have one on Saturday?”
“Mummeball is more classroom than battlefield,” wrote JohnClay of the Lexington Herald-Leader. “The head coach is not aSchwarzkopf but an alchemist, busy turning ordinary metals into gold.”
The approach paid off with fewer injuries in 1997, when only four players missed games because of injury. A total of 18 players missed games because of injury in 1996 under a conventional practice system.
Open practices: All practices are open to fans and media. “I think the guys like crowds,” Mumme says. ” I know when I was playing I liked to perform in front of crowds. I think it makes them practice better.” As for the fear of having his plays stolen, Mumme replies, “There aren’t many secrets anymore. Everybody pretty much knows what everybody is doing.”
Punting the ball out of bounds: UK’s punts are designed to go near the sideline or out of bounds. The strategy improved Kentucky’s net punting from 32.7 yards per punt in 1996 to 37 yards per punt in 1997.
Playing true freshmen: Other than offensive linemen, Mumme believes in playing true freshmen. In the season opener, 15 of Kentucky’s 25 players in the 1998 signing class saw action.
Junior varsity team: Mumme continues to field a junior varsity team again this season. See below for a story on the JV squad.
Fourth-Down Analysis
In 1998, Kentucky has made one out of two on fourth-down conversions. The one successful fourth-down conversion did not lead to a score. The one missed conversion did not result in a score on the ensuing opponent possession.
In 1997, Kentucky made 21 of 38 on fourth down. The 21 successes eventually resulted in 15 touchdowns and no field goals for the Wildcats. The 17 missed conversions resulted in five touchdowns and no field goals on the ensuing opponent possessions.
UK Football History
The Kentucky Wildcats are in their 108th season of intercollegiate football. The first Southeastern Conference school to introduce football (1881), Kentucky has an all-time record of 505-477-44 (.514).
Kentucky has two SEC championships, 1950 and 1976. The Wildcats have been to eight bowl games, most recently the 1993 Peach Bowl, and have the best bowl game winning percentage (.625) of any Southeastern Conference school.
Kentucky’s highest in-season national ranking is third, by The Associated Press, on Nov. 20, 1950. UK’s highest final ranking is sixth in the AP poll in 1977.
Junior Varsity Team
One of Coach Hal Mumme’s innovations was the start of a junior varsity team.
The team is comprised primarily of walk-ons, in addition to a few scholarship players who are not being redshirted. The team will practice for approximately one month before playing a five-game schedule.
UK graduate assistant coach Chris Hatcher is in his second season as the head coach of the JV team. The Wildcats JV posted a 2-3 record in 1997.
Here is the schedule for the JV team:Thurs. Sept. 24 Campbellsville JV 6:30Thurs. Oct. 1 Hargrave Military Academy 6:30Thurs. Oct. 8 at Georgetown College JV 5:00Thurs. Oct. 15 Georgia Military College 3:00Sun. Oct. 25 Tennessee-Chattanooga JV 2:00
Checking the OpponentsHere’s what Kentucky’s opponents are doing this week:
Louisville (0-1) at UtahEastern Kentucky (1-0) at KentuckyWestern Michigan at Indiana (0-0)Northeast Louisiana at Florida (1-0)Arkansas (1-0) openGeorgia (1-0) at South Carolina (1-0)Arkansas State at Louisiana State (1-0)Mississippi State (1-0) at MemphisVanderbilt (0-1) at AlabamaTennessee (1-0) open
What’s Going on in the South End Zone?
The work in the south end zone is the beginning of the expansion of Commonwealth Stadium.
By the beginning of the 1999 season, both end zones will be enclosed and 40 suites will be constructed. Capacity will increase to approximately 67,500. The project will cost approximately $24 million.
Catscellaneous
Junior QB Tim Couch and junior LB Jeff Snedegar are the team captains for 1998.
There is excellent continuity on the UK coaching staff. All nine of the Wildcats’ full-time assistant coaches return for the 1998 season, although there were two changes of assignment. Tom Adams, who coached the defensive tackles in 1997, takes over the entire defensive line this season.
Kentucky is in its 26th season in Commonwealth Stadium. The Wildcats have a record of 85-67-4 (.558) in Commonwealth since the stadium opened in 1973.
UK has led or tied for the league lead in most players on the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 10 of the last 14 years.
Seven current players are walk-ons who were awarded full scholarships – P Jimmy Carter, WR Garry Davis, TE Paul McGonagle, C Mike Riddle, FB A. J. Simon, DE Grayson Smith, and SS Jeff Zurcher.
No, junior punter Jimmy Carter of Dunwoody, Ga., is not related to the former United States president.
The Kentucky cheerleaders won an unprecedented eighth national championship at the 1998 Universal Cheerleaders Association competition in January. The Wildcats cheerleaders have won the last four national titles – 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998.
Wildcats on the Web
Visit the official University of Kentucky Athletics worldwide web site at www.ukathletics.com.
The official Southeastern Conference web site is www.secsports.com.
