Kentucky head coach uncertain over QB position

Mark Stoops and Nick Saban share the same problem: They are both uncertain as to who their QB will be when the season starts on Labor Day weekend.

Now, that’s about all Kentucky’s head coach and Alabama’s head coach have in common going into the 2014 season. Many people figure Kentucky will finish last – again – in the SEC East. The same people think Alabama will finish first and go to the first College Football Play-Off as the SEC’s representative. Oh, and both teams have a SEC losing streak. Alabama’s is 1. Kentucky’s is……16.

“We’re still unsettled on who the starter is going to be,” Stoops said. “But I’m very confident that we’re going to improve at that position.” He added that redshirt freshman Reese Phillips has impressed him.  “He was a guy throughout spring that may have been the most consistent.  He was a guy that just did a nice job of managing the offense and staying away from negative plays.  Very impressed with Reese.  He’s got a good chance to win the battle.  We’ll see where it goes, but he’s right in the thick of things.” He will be competing with sophomore Patrick Towles and freshman Drew Barker – now that current incumbent Maxwell Smith blew out his shoulder in the Spring.

He added that he would “love” to see bowl committees change their ‘6-win’ rule to allow teams with tougher schedules to get bowl eligibility. “I’d like to see them amend that a little bit.  Maybe we got some pull here in the SEC.” He added with some desperation: “Maybe if we could win four or five, we could get bowl‑eligibility. I’d take that,” then he quickly added: “But, no, we’re out to win each game and win as many games as we can.”

According to Stoops, the decision to have the Kentucky – Louisville game moved down to Thanksgiving weekend is a “permanent” one so the game is playing alongside other SEC-ACC match-ups like Florida/Florida State,  South Carolina/Clemson and Georgia/ Georgia Tech.