Solid Performance from UK ...

With college football finally back in action, I could not have been more pleased with Kentucky's opening performance against Miami (Ohio). Now, granted I do realize it was Miami (OH), but it was still a great start for the 2009-2010 UK football program. In terms of confidence going forward, it was an even greater win. The defensive gave a stellar performance in shutting out Miami in the 42-0 win. As always, speculation seems to swirl around Kentucky's offensive at the beginning of the season, and as a true blue fan I must say I was curious as to how the offensive would perform in terms of putting points on the board and moving the ball down the field. After a sluggish first quarter, I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the offensive performance. I thought the majority of the players showed a great deal of poise for an opening game. Here are a few of my thoughts on the game, keeping in mind it was still Miami (OH):

- I am now a believer of Coach Brook's statement regarding the improvement of Mike Hartline. Through three quarters, Hartline finished with a very solid performance going 18-27 for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Hartline showed great improvement from last year in not only quarterback play, but also leadership. I felt as though he was more comfortable and confident in the pocket and not afraid to throw the ball down field. He finally looked like a quarterback poised to accept a leadership role. Hartlines play earned him a spot on the SEC's "Other Outstanding Performances" category for week 1. A great confidence boost for the junior QB heading into the season.

- The wide receivers, particularly Randall Cobb, all gave outstanding performances. Randall Cobb is simply an amazing athlete. There isn't many positions this man can't play. It is great for UK to have a "do-everything" type of player because he is clearly Hartline's go to receiver. With the emergence of Chris Matthews, hopefully he will be able to shoulder some of the responsibility at the WR position. Both of these players showcased great skills and even better decision making throughout the course of the game.

- All of the UK running backs had solid performances, but it was great to see Derrick Locke back on the field again showing us how explosive he is even after reconstructive knee surgery. The speedy back was still able to rely on his quickness and sped bursts to get him into the end zone for a touchdown. As UK fans, we are all certainly thrilled to see him back because he is a huge asset in the backfield.

- UK's defensive was able to get off to an impressive start in the shutout. The defensive star of the day was the best corner in college football, Trevard Lindley. He was able to make tackles in the open field, disrupt WR's, break-up passes and even returned an interception for a touchdown. Lindley was impressive on all levels of the defensive game. His play earned him the SEC Defensive Player of the Week for the opening weekend in college football.

With all this being said, it was a great performance for the UK football team as a whole. With UK having an early bye week this weekend, which I hate, the UK players should look even more confident and more polished when we play U of L. It is great to see college football back in full force and effect.