LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Admit it, you had reservations when Joker Phillips announced Mike Hartline would be the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future of the 2010 Kentucky football season.Admit it, you Mike Hartline doubter. When Hartline marched on to the field for the very first snap of the Phillips era, you had butterflies floating in your stomach.You thought, “This won’t last long. We might even see Morgan Newton later today.”And then Phillips dialed up a first-play bomb and let who he called “the best man for the job” air it out. On the very first play of the game in two all-important debuts for two different head coaches, Hartline connected with La’Rod King for a 38-yard reception. The next play Derrick Locke rushed right and spun back left for 32 yards and a touchdown.Before anyone knew it, Hartline went from just outside the doghouse to the penthouse.Admit, even with all that built up anger towards Hartline in the past, he kind of won you over now.   “That’s something Mike wanted to come out and do, to prove to everybody (that he could get the job done),” said junior wide receiver Randall Cobb, once the opposition in a quarterback controversy two years ago. “I think he had the team behind his back already. It was just getting the fan support and the media support behind him to show that he’s put in a lot of work this offseason to earn the spot that he has.”It was a sense of vindication for Hartline after what seems like a career of weathering pessimism. The same guy that took the brunt of criticism for the last few years for the Cats’ passing ineffectiveness is now 3-0 as a starting quarterback against Louisville after leading Kentucky to a 23-16 victory Saturday in front of 55,327 fans at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.Hartline finished an ultra-efficient 17-of-26 for 217 yards with no picks. “He was the guy that I praised the most with our football team,” Phillips said. “Mike has taken a lot of criticism, and you know what, he’s handled it like a man. He hasn’t come out here and had the sour look on his face. He had the bounce in his step. … He did more than manage the game. He made plays to win the game.”Those of you that scoffed at the notion that Hartline gave Kentucky “the best chance to win” when he won the job, Phillips was telling the truth. Although hype was built up around the three-man battle, there were rumblings in and around the program that Hartline was quietly going about his business and maturing into the quarterback some had always hoped he would be.Whether it was experience or an urge to prove people wrong, Hartline developed a sense of leadership this fall camp and took on the role of the calm veteran. In the face of the uncertainty of the quarterback battle, Hartline stood tall, answered questions and went out and won the job. Now he’s proving why he deserved it.”This is one of those things now that you can cherish and be happy about after the game is over with is being the quarterback Kentucky has,” Hartline said. “I’m just so happy to be around this group of guys with the way they worked this week, the way they’ve been working in the offseason.”Sounds like a different guy, huh? One that’s more mature, more confident and more ready to lead this UK football team than he’s been before.One of the biggest criticisms about Hartline is his supposed lack of ability to throw the deep ball. Phillips and Hartline wasted no time in trying to prove those doubters wrong with that first-play bomb. Hartline finished with seven passes of 15 yards or more.”(The first play) helped alleviate (the pressure) a lot,” Hartline said. “Especially pregame, I was the most nervous but the most prepared I’ve ever been for this game.”Maybe the most overlooked part of Hartline’s game is his ability to use his feet. Though the 6-foot-6, 210-pound senior won’t beat Derrick Locke in a 40-yard race or break anyone’s ankles on the corner, he has a much underrated ability to move when under pressure.”I thought he did a tremendous job of having some awareness in the pocket and of moving around,” offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Randy Sanders said. “I can’t remember a sack.”There wasn’t one, even in times where a defensive lineman or two was in his face or a linebacker was just a step behind him. Hartline had the presence of mind to know where he was in pocket and when it was time to get out.Sometimes he completed the pass, sometimes he ran with it and other times he just tossed it out of bounds. As Phillips said after the game, “he managed the pressure.” He refused to give up a negative play.”It comes with working with your guys, understanding what they can do and where the pressure is coming from,” Hartline said. “We worked on our scramble drill this season. We want to get out of the pocket and get guys moving. We have really big receivers. They can make plays. As long as I can get them the football we’re in good shape.”Hartline did it late in the first quarter when he ran right and connected with Matt Roark for 25 yards to the Louisville 1-yard line and did it again early in the third quarter on a third down when he eluded a would-be sack and turned it into a 33-yard pass to Chris Matthews.It makes one think that we could see Hartline more on the move this season.”We need to move him around,” Sanders said. “We’ve got to be able to make plays off scrambles. I don’t know many we had, but we had three or four big plays on scrambles and were able to keep some drives alive and keep our offense on the field.”So admit, you Kentucky fan. Mike Hartline played a good game and is capable of leading this year’s offense.”I’m obviously proud of him,” Sanders said.You should be too.