Kentucky Tailgating

UK had a HUGE win this past Saturday over the evil Gamecocks and their emperor of terror, Steve Spurrier. However, there has been some controversy because of a tweet that Randall Cobb posted following the emotional win. he basically lambasted the fans for things we really deserve being lambasted for. However, it gets bad publicity for the school and was a poor choice. he later came out and apologized saying he made a mistake.

This brings up an interesting subject about fandom and what both frustrates me and fascinates me. I hate it when I hear fans booing their own team. I don’t care if you are meaning it for just the coaches poor decision. The players, kids by the way, hear it and take it personally. They are giving their best. However, it fascinates me that this is not just a UK phenomenon.

Growing up in Chattanooga, TN, I was not around the UK fan base. I was around a lot of fan bases. Chattanooga is on the southeastern border of Tennessee where Georgia and Alabama intersect. As far as fans, there is a large diversity. And one thing I learned, all fan bases are fickle and unreasonable. Any little setback, perceived or real will bring out Jim Bob on the call in shows asking for the guy he wanted fired last year. There will be Bobby Joe booing everyone from the equipment manager to the University President because a draw play was called when it is 3rd down with 7 to go. The problem is, that when people are as passionate about their team as we in the South our with our teams, there are going to be a good amount of crazies who act crazy when the team is not a perfect 13-0 and crown national champions.

People need to remember, including myself, fan is short for fanatic. And we all are crazy football fanatics. Some just hide their crazy better than others.

OK, so we haven’t posted much in the off season. Well, we haven’t been tailgating. However, I am ready for it to start this weekend! Can’t ait to get back to Commonwealth this fall to watch out Wildcats kick some tail and enjoy the company of the Big Blue Faithfull. It won’t be long! Operation Win is coming!

So for the upcoming season, we are going to be stepping it up a notch. Each week we will have a Photo of the Tailgate chosen where you will ahve a chance to win the prestigious bragging rights of having been selected as a PoT winner. Trust me kids, this is an honor that is priceless and looks great on resumes. We also have some other ideas as well that we are working out.

So come back early and often. I’ll try to get us all up to spead on what is happening with the team and our world class tailgate. Also, if you have some pictures from past years you’d like to see shared, leave a comment on the posts and I’ll get in touch. Or email me kevin (at) kentuckytailgating.com

Kevin

It was announced yesterday that Four wildcats made the All SEC team as selected by the AP. This is a great honor for a team that most did not pick to make it back to a bowl, much less guarantee a fourth consecutive winning season.

First team had Randall Cobb who has seen time as a punt returner, kickoff returner, wide receiver, running back, quarterback, heart surgeon, psychologist, and geologist for the University of Kentucky this year.

Second team had Derrick Locke, the speedy running back who was sometimes a threat to throw the ball out of the wildcat package. Joining him was Corey Peter’s, the defensive tackle who seemed to always make HUGE plays when needed. And rounding it out was Sam Maxwell. Maxwell was a bright spot of a pretty good line backing core. The sad thing for this senior is that he will miss the Music City Bowl due to a shoulder injury.

Congrats to these Wildcats and lets hope they can lead us to a fourth straight bowl victory!Nashville should be a great time for all and I will need all of you going to send me some tailgating pictures.

This picture is from a previous Tailgate this year and features a couple of nice looking young ladies with their version of the Randall Cobb Yin and Yang.

The Cats have officially been announced to play Clemson in the Music City Bowl. This will be the second time in four years the two have met in Nashville and this should be a very good match up and very good exposure for Kentucky as the game will be at 8:30 Eastern the Sunday after Christmas, Dec 27th.

And finally on the recruiting front. UK had a very good weekend in this regard with a couple of very nice Corner Backs committing to our beloved Wildcats to suit up this coming fall. First is a 3 star recruit named Dale Trimble. And Second is a four star recruit name Anterio Sloan. Both a extremely good gets by this coaching staff. So the Basketball win over HATED North Carolina got us one step closer to 2000 victories and landed us a couple of talented defensive backs. The future looks bright for the Wildcats!

The word is that UK will be playing in the Music City Bowl. While nothing official about any bowls will be released until after the SEC championship game, yesterday saw a whirlwind of activity as the Outback Bowl chose Auburn instead of UT and fueled speculation about who would end up going where. After all the dust settled, it appears Nashville will be awash in Blue!

Now, who the opponent will be is a bit up in the air. A lot of speculation seems to suggest either UNC or Miami. Although some have said the loser of the ACC championship game will be joining the Cats. Personally, I would like to face Miami. Yes, there would be some buzz about UNC because of the basketball rivalry, but I’d rather take on a traditional football power like Miami. A win against them would be better for recruiting purposes and prestige in my humble and ill-informed opinion.

Regardless Cat fans, get your reservations for Nashville now as they will fill up quickly. Take tons of pictures and send them to me at kevin@kentuckytailgating.com since I will not be able to make the trip.

In spite of the loss this past Saturday, there were a few bright moments as we can see in this video below. I have a ton of pictures that I will be posting as the week goes on.

That was a tough one! Just when you think the Cats would catch a break, that old friend I like to call heartbreak comes by to say hello. I wanted this win so bad. So did the players and fans. Oh well, need to rally and prepare for the upcoming bowl game.

In tailgating news, we had a great time! There was a TON of chili that was enjoyed by all. Lots of corn hole was played and there will be plenty of pictures for me to post early this week. I have a ton to go through.

So tune in early this week and I will have pictures posts, as well as add them to the album. I will also add some best ones from past tailgates at Commonwealth.

While tailgating is done for the year inside the Bluegrass, there will probably be many that go to the bowl game. Also, we are already starting to plan next year’s festivities! It is an exciting time. During the off season I will continue to update on football related news as it comes available as well as some other items, such as Tailgating pictures of the week. You can submit those to me at kevin@kentuckytailgating.com, so send them to me!

Just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a happy thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for. Personally, I am thankful for great friends and family. It is the people in our lives that make this life exciting and fun!

Hopefully we will see a bunch of friends and family tailgating at Commonwealth this Saturday. Come on out early and lets beat the Vols! And since it is senior night, lets show our 26 graduating Wildcats how thankful we are for them.

This coming Saturday’s tailgating against the Tennessee Correctional Travel team will start approximately 10:00 AM. The main menu item will be chili, so be careful around open flames in the evening. I saw a student catch himself on fire the night before the Bama game. Don’t be that guy. for directions, refer to yesterday’s post here. You can also email me at kevin@kentuckytailgating.com any questions.

So come out early and lets cheer on our beloved Cats to victory over the convicts. This is senior night for several players that have done more at UK than any other class, go to four straight bowls. Also, rumors are circulating that Coach Brooks may retire this year. Just in case, lets be loud and send Pawpaw off with a bang!

Freshman defensive back Jansen Jackson has had armed robbery charges against him dropped according to ESPN. Living here in Knoxville this is not very surprising since he was not one of the two to actually hold up the victims with a pellet gun. He was either sitting in the Prius or inside the store at the time of the incident, depending on who you talk to.

However, now that the charges are dropped, Lane Kiffin has a very interesting decision to make. Does he play his very talented Freshman this Saturday or not? No one seems to know here in Big Orange Capital of the world. However, if he does play this kid there will be a storm of criticism. This is not the first time UT has had problems with him. During the Prius backed heist, Jackson was suspended for violating substance abuse rules.

So, assuming Jackson does not play UT’s defense is VERYthin. Especially at linebacker where the Vols are starting a 4th string Middle Linebacker, and are down four total at my last count. You take away Jackson, (whom many Vols consider to be the heir apparent to Eric Berry), from the secondary and you have a Vols defense that is thinner than Kige Ramsey’s anorexic ridden Nicole Richie.

I think this plays in to that Cats strengths, which is running the ball. Make no mistake, UT’s depth 2nd, 3rd, and 4th stringers are still talented. However, the lack of experience and depth can be exploited. I expect this to be an ugly game, but UK can and will pull away in the second half with the solid running of Locke and Cobb. They should be able to wear down UT’s defense and control the game. Cats will win and the streak will end. Then again, my heart has been broken before.