UK football 2009: What if?

It’s just about time for Christmas, and the Music City Bowl isn’t too far off either. It’s a time most fans are being thankful for what they have, but that doesn’t mean you can’t think about what could have been.

The Cats finished 7-5, right in the middle of a muddled SEC race. It took a couple of shockers on the road to get there (Georgia, Auburn), but there were also a few close losses that could have gone the other way if not for one thing or another. So let’s ask the questions.

What if Jeremy Jarmon hadn’t been ruled ineligible?

DeQuin Evans was passable on one end, though he disappeared at times in the SEC. He finished with 6 sacks. The rest of the ends? A total of 2.5 sacks between Taylor Wyndham, Chandler Burden, and Collins Ukwu. Jarmon would have commanded double teams and helped everyone else on the line. His leadership would have also helped UK in some of the toughest spots of the season. Every time you saw a tailback burst through the line without being touched, you can bet things would have been a least a little different if Jarmon was still in blue.

What if Trent Guy hadn’t muffed a punt?

With the drop of one ball, Guy might have saved UK’s season and prematurely sealed the fate of Steve Kragthorpe. The muffed punt set up an all-important UK touchdown that helped a fourth quarter comeback effort in the 31-27 victory. If Guy, an electric returner, had held onto the ball and given the Cards better field position, UK could have easily lost the game. With the loss, they could have lost their confidence and the season could have imploded. Don’t discount this one play. At the least, UK would have been 6-6. At worst, the team could have fallen apart instead of forging an identity as a fourth quarter team.

What if Trevard Lindley hadn’t gotten hurt?

Everyone remembers UK’s 28-26 loss at South Carolina as a game in which Mike Hartline appeared to turn the corner before injuring his knee on a play that should have been blown dead before the snap. But it was also the first game UK played without Lindley, who suffered a high ankle sprain against Alabama. To make matters worse, Paul Warford also sat the game out and UK was forced to start a true freshman and a true sophomore. The result? Gamecock freshman Alshon Jeffery had 3 touchdown receptions to lead Carolina past the Cats. That wouldn’t have happened with a healthy Lindley in coverage. Lindley returned and started the last four games, but was never 100 percent and gave up some big plays no one expected him to down the stretch. His injury really hurt the Cats.

What if Randall Cobb had gotten the ball in the Mississippi State game?

Cobb actually touched the ball more than most realize against the Bulldogs (2 catches and 8 rushes), but those numbers were still down from what he usually did, and the difference was the fourth quarter. Down a touchdown and driving with a chance to tie the homecoming game and give UK its third straight win, Cobb was conspicuously absent from the fourth quarter gameplan. It was the same story against South Carolina, when Cobb drove UK the length of the field for a touchdown before being pulled for Will Fidler at QB on the 2-point conversion. Rich Brooks and Joker Phillips were questioned after the game (as was Steve Brown, whose defense gave up 252 yards to Anthony Dixon), and Cobb said he would have liked to have had the ball. At the end of the day, we’ll never know why the coaches gave the ball to true freshman Morgan Newton over their best offensive player.

What if The Streak had ended?

The overtime loss to Tennessee hurt UK fans badly, and any number of things could have changed the outcome of the game. Again, Cobb was denied the ball with the game on the line. An aching Lindley gave up a couple big catches late. The defense couldn’t stop the running game. Lost in it all was fullback John Conner, who missed most of the second half with pinched nerves. UK’s rock-hard blocker was in such pain that he couldn’t even lift his arms up from his sides. So, when Morgan Newton swept right on 3rd and 5 with the game on the line, there was no lead blocker who could take out two or three Volunteer defenders. Newton was stopped short, as were the Cats’ hopes of a dream season.