KSU, Kentucky equally confident

Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky.

Kentucky just wants to move forward after a rough opener.

Kent State also wants to continue its winning ways, just without another football folly with players running in the wrong direction.

So something has to give tonight at Commonwealth Stadium when Kentucky tries to get on track after losing its opener, 32-14, to Louisville. The short week hasn’t allowed the Wildcats much reflecting time, which is just as well considering there wasn’t much to look back on.

But they can look ahead to the home opener, which the Wildcats have won six consecutive times.

Kent State counters with its own self-confidence after a blowout of Towson State featuring plenty of highlights, including one the Golden Flashes won’t ever forget.

Linebacker Andre Parker returned a muffed punt 58 yards but in the wrong direction, a sequence made more comical by Towson tacklers chasing him down.

“The first thing I was thinking was, ‘why aren’t the officials blowing the whistle?’ ” Kentucky coach Joker Phillips said. “It’s dead. They probably were but everyone was so excited about trying to make blocks and make a tackle. The funny thing was watching the coaches’ reactions. You couldn’t really see the Kent coaches but you could see the Towson coaches like, ‘Don’t tackle him, don’t tackle him, don’t tackle him.’

“Sometimes, 18- to 22-year olds react in strange ways, but he reacted quick and stuck with it.”

But now the Golden Flashes’ focus is on Kentucky.

What Kent State saw of the Wildcats on film might differ from what it’ll face this weekend. Kentucky is expected to unveil a bunch of new faces as they seek identities on both sides of the ball along with depth.

Necessity forced the issue on offense, with muscle spasms knocking out running back CoShik Williams. Junior Raymond Sanders will start, but Phillips said he’ll also use junior Jonathan George and freshman Dyshawn Mobley.

As much as the Wildcats need continuity at skill positions, Phillips said the long term is more important. Of course, the Wildcats can afford to tweak things in the ground game since the passing game’s looking up thanks to Maxwell Smith, who threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns against the Cardinals.

Williams “is a tough guy, there is no doubt about that,” Phillips said of his tailback, who rushed for 62 yards on 10 carries against Louisville. “We have to have him for the long haul. We’re not taking (Kent State) for granted by any means but we need him full speed. The guy busts his gut on every play, whether it’s practice or pregame so we have to make sure we have to take care of him.”