Oct. 23, 2002
“Morriss Bucking for SEC Coach of the Year” reads the headline in Tony Barnhart’s Wednesday column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Here is the text of Barnhart’s column:
“When Hal Mumme was fired at Kentucky in February of 2001, Guy Morriss became the interim head coach because, more than anything, he was there. Morriss had never been a coordinator, but he was a solid football man who could be trusted. At that moment, Kentucky needed that quality more than any other.
“Conventional wisdom was that Morriss would manage the program until Kentucky could hire a ‘name’ coach to rebuild in the wake of NCAA sanctions. Kentucky went 2-9 last season and was expected to fare no better this fall.
“Instead, Kentucky is 5-2 heading into Saturday’s game against Georgia. In both of its losses, 41-34 to Florida and 16-12 to South Carolina, Kentucky led in the second half. The Wildcats upset Louisville in their opener and last week shocked Arkansas in Fayetteville.
“Another surprise is the way Kentucky is winning. In less than two years, Morriss has transformed the Wildcats from a finesse passing team to a fundamentally sound team that can block, tackle, run the ball and play defense.
” ‘When you become a head coach, you’re always curious to find out if your plan will work,’ Morriss said. ‘We haven’t turned the corner, but I’m convinced we’re headed in the right direction.’
“Kentucky is convinced, too. The interim title has been removed, and he has been given a multi-year deal.
“If Kentucky finishes .500 or better, another title should come Morriss’ way: SEC coach of the year.”
Wildcats in the SEC Defensive Statistics: Listed below are the Wildcats in the Southeastern Conference defensive statistics released by the league office.
Tackles for loss: David Johnson fourth with 9.5 TFL; Vincent Burns tied for eighth with seven
Pass breakups: Quentus Cumby and Leonard Burress tied for seventh with six PBU
Fumbles caused: Vincent Burns tied for third with two FC
Fumble recoveries: Vincent Burns and David Johnson tied for second with two FR
Quarterback hurries: Otis Grigsby tied for third with 11
As a team, Kentucky is second in the league in fumble recoveries with nine. The Wildcats are fifth in tackles for loss with 53.
Pinner Leads SEC Fan Poll: Artose Pinner, the SEC’s leading rusher at 111.6 yards per game, also leads the current fan poll – “Who is the best running back in the SEC East?” – on the league’s official website, secsports.com.
As this was written, Pinner was drawing 29 percent of the vote, followed by Georgia’s Musa Smith (25 percent), Florida’s Earnest Graham (25 percent), Andrew Pinnock of South Carolina (17 percent), and two percent each for Vanderbilt’s Kwane Doster and Tennessee’s Jabari Davis.
Fans may vote by logging on to a href=”http://www.secsports.com”>secsports.com.
Homecoming Parade: The Homecoming Parade begins Friday at 8 p.m. The parade route is Commonwealth Stadium to Stoll Field. Immediately following the parade is a pep rally at Stoll Field. There is no charge and the public is invited.
Team Will Have “Cat Walk” at 1:30 p.m. as Wildcats Arrive at Gate 9: Fans are encouraged to meet the team when the Wildcats arrive at 1:30 p.m. at Gate 9. The players will make the “Cat Walk” from Gate 9 to their stadium entry point at Gate 12. Blue cat paws are painted along the “Cat Walk” route on the south side of the stadium and fans are encouraged to line up on the sidewalk and cheer the team as it enters the stadium.
The “Cat Walk” has been organized by the families of the players, a group named the Wildcat Football Family Association.
Fans Encouraged to Get in Stadium Early: UK Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart has issued a challenge to fans and the student body to be in their stadium seat by 3 p.m. Saturday.
“With a national television audience and a top-five opponent, I challenge all of our fans to get in their seats early and make the Commonwealth Stadium atmosphere electric on game day. Our fans have a Big Blue opportunity to play a key role as the ’12th Man’ in this game and show the nation what Kentucky football is all about.”
The Georgia game is sold out, UK’s third sellout of the season.
Game Day Activities:
The Peach Bowl Challenge Trailer will be at the stadium, parked in the grass area between the red and green parking lots. The trailer contains an obstacle course. Fans are invited to compete on the course, and the fan with the best time will be entered in a drawing. The winner of the drawing gets a free trip to the Peach Bowl and the opportunity to kick a field goal for $1 million. Rules will be available at the trailer.
The Kentucky women’s basketball team will be giving away posters and signing autographs at the Launch Pad from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Approximately 50,000 pom-pons will be distributed in the stands approximately 15 minutes before the game.
Oct. 26 is “Make-A-Difference Day,” a national celebration of community service and volunteer work. Videos portraying UK athletes’ community service will be shown on the DiamondVision video boards during the game.
The Louisville Valley Sports Little League World Series champion team will be introduced between the first and second quarters.
The Homecoming Queen and her court will be introduced at halftime.
