BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — It’s been 38 days since the Kentucky football team last played a meaningful down in Knoxville, Tenn.So one can imagine the Wildcats have been itching to get back into a game week after such a long layoff and play in this week’s BBVA Compass Bowl against Pittsburgh. “Our guys are definitely ready to play,” UK head coach Joker Phillips said Tuesday. “We’ve been beating on each other and we’re ready to go against some opposite-color jerseys.”Tuesday’s practice at Hoover High School in Hoover, Ala., was Kentucky’s 14th practice since the end of the regular season against Tennessee. The Cats practiced before the Christmas holiday, broke for a few days, returned before New Year’s, and then broke again before traveling to Birmingham, Ala.Phillips related the postseason practices to spring practice but said he has had no problem with the long layoff. “I think this has definitely helped us,” Phillips said. “I really like the timing. We’ll get two more physical practices in. We’ll have a total of 16 practices and we’ll have a walkthrough on Friday. It’s given us a chance to develop some of the young kids, which is what we tried to do early. Now we’re focusing on getting ready.”Of all the bowl games, the BBVA Compass Bowl has had more than its fair share of preseason storylines. From the coaching carousel currently going on at Pittsburgh, to the additions of assistant coaches Rick Minter and Steve Pardue to the Kentucky staff, the suspension of UK quarterback Mike Hartline, and even the ongoing mystery of Randall Cobb’s future, there has been little football played and plenty of distractions.Cobb is happy just to get back on the field and put all those distractions aside.”We’re getting into game week now,” Cobb said. “A lot of guys complained early on, but we’re happy to be down here and happy for the opportunity to play in a bowl game. We’ve definitely taken it on here lately, not only today but in the last couple of weeks, just knowing the task at hand and what this can do for our program.”If there was any notion that Kentucky was disinterested in playing in a late-season bowl game, senior running back Derrick Locke squashed that perception.”It’s a bowl game,” Locke said. “How many people are going to get a chance to have a bowl game? Of course we’re not satisfied with where we ended up, but hey, we’re playing another game. Other people are either playing, doing other stuff or sitting around at home on their butt. We’re doing what they love to do, so we’ve got to take pride in that, be happy about that and take advantage of the opportunity.”The game will carry significant importance. The Cats enter the game 6-6. A losing record would cast a shadow over Phillips’ first season as head coach, while a victory would be the program’s fifth straight winning season, a continuance of Kentucky football’s recent and uncharted string of success.With Pittsburgh breaking in its second coach since parting ways with Dave Wannstedt, Phillips was asked if there were any last-week adjustments in how to prepare for Pitt and interim head coach Phil Bennett.”No,” Phillips said. “What we’ve got to is go on what we see on tape. We’ve got to assume they will do what we saw on tape, but you’ve also got to be ready to adjust should they come out and have some changes. We expect those guys to be physical like they’ve been. We expect those guys to run the ball and we expect those guys to be physical on defense.”One of the biggest positives of a long bowl season that Phillips has continued to emphasize is player development. Each bowl season, the additional practices have benefited a handful of players, most recently wide receiver Chris Matthews. This year, sophomore linebacker Ridge Wilson has made the biggest strides, Phillips said.”Ridge has been playing outstanding for us in these practices,” Phillips said. “He’s learning how to play. He’s a guy that doesn’t really know how to go hard every play, so we’ve used this in trying to learn how to push it.”Conference pride: After an 0-3 start to bowl play, the SEC picked it up on New Year’s Day by beating up on its conference rival, the Big Ten. As it stands entering Tuesday’s Nokia Sugar Bowl, the SEC is 3-3 in bowl games this season, but the SEC East is 1-3. Phillips is hoping UK can continue to carry the banner for the SEC.”Playing in our conference headquarters city, we’re taking a lot into consideration that we’re playing for this conference,” Phillips said. “We’re playing for Kentucky, there’s no question about that, but we’re also playing for this conference, which is located right in this city, so we want to represent well.”Kentucky, Arkansas, LSU and Auburn still have bowl games remaining for the league.Six former Cats in NFL playoffs: Six former Kentucky football players will be playing in the NFL playoffs. On Saturday, fullback John Conner and the New York Jets will take on tight end Jacob Tamme and the Indianapolis Colts. On Sunday, punter Tim Masthay and the Green Bay Packers will visit cornerback Trevard Lindley and the Philadelphia Eagles. Defensive tackles Corey Peters (Atlanta) and Myron Pryor (New England) are on teams that earned byes in the first weekend of playoff action.
Junior wide receiver Randall Cobb
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