University of Kentucky recruit Morgan Newton had a monster game last night as his Carmel Greyhounds defeated Center Grove 33-32. Newton rushed 28 times for 233 yards and two TD’s, including a 71-yard run, and was 12-of-18 passing for 136 yards with 2 TD’s 1 INT.
For the season, Newton has rushed for 476 yards and 5 TD’s and passed for 430 yards and 5 TD’s for the 3-0 Greyhounds.
33-32 over Center Grove
UK offensive tackle Garry Williams had surgery this morning to repair an MCL tear in his knee and will miss 2-3 weeks, UK Coach Rich Brooks announced on Thursday. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Williams is UK’s most experienced offensive lineman, having started 26 consecutive games at left tackle. He is out for at least this Saturday’s home opener with Norfolk State and the Middle Tennessee games on Sept. 13. Kentucky has an open date before a home date with Western Kentucky on Sept. 27.
“We’ll just have to see how rehab comes along,” Brooks said.
Brooks said that either redshirt freshman Billy Joe Murphy or junior James Alexander would start at left tackle in Williams’ absence, with Murphy having a slight edge due to Alexander not being 100 percent after suffering a high ankle sprain in fall camp.
UK freshman receiver Aaron Boyd could make his season debut on Saturday vs. Norfolk State. Boyd missed most of fall camp due to mononucleosis but was cleared for contact this week and went through his first practice in full pads on Wednesday.
UK Coach Rich Brooks said he still hasn’t decided whether to play Boyd, but offensive coordinator Joker Phillips thinks Boyd could provide a boost to a receiver unit that struggled in Sunday’s 27-2 win over Louisville.
“Our mindset is to play him this week, and if we play him this week, we’ve got to play him the next 2-3 weeks,” Phillips said. “If he plays 5-10 snaps, he’s got to look like he can help us for those 5-10 snaps. He’s a little behind, but we’ve got to do some things to give him a chance to have some success. We’ve got to get him in the game if we think he can help us.”
UK’s Military Appreciation Day will be held for the fourth consecutive year during Saturday’s home opener vs. Norfolk State.
UK has distributed tickets for the game to soldiers, staff and cadets at Fort Knox, the Kentucky National Guard, UK Air Force ROTC, UK Army ROTC and the Lexington Veterans Administration Medical Center.
Among the dignitaries in attendance will be four generals:
There will be two special activities during the pregame ceremonies. A group of T-38 Talon jets - led by Captain Penn Brown, a UK alumnus - will do a flyover in conjunction with the national anthem. In addition, a giant United States flag, measuring 300 feet by 165 feet, will be unfurled and cover the field from goal line to goal line and sideline to sideline. The flag will be handled by UK Air Force and Army ROTC cadets, along with soldiers from Fort Knox.
Wildcat defensive tackle Myron Pryor has received his second honor for UK’s 27-2 win over Louisville, this time being chosen as the overall Southeastern Conference Player of the Week by Rivals.com. On Tuesday, Pryor was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week by the league office.
A native of Louisville, Pryor played a role in two defensive touchdowns and a key fourth-down stop against his hometown team. In the second quarter, Pryor knocked loose a fumble that safety Ashton Cobb scooped up and scored from 28 yards away. Later in the quarter, Pryor assisted linebacker Micah Johnson on a 4th-and-1 stop at the Wildcat 21-yard line, turning over the ball on downs. In the fourth quarter, linebacker Johnny Williams caused a fumble that Pryor picked up and raced 72 yards for the game’s final touchdown. Pryor totaled three tackles in the game, one for loss, in addition to the fumble plays.
Defensive coordinator Steve Brown was listed among six coaches considered for National Coordinator of the Week, which was awarded to defensive coordinator Kevin Steele of Alabama. The UK defense held the Louisville to 205 total yards and zero offensive points. It was the first time since 1996 that a UK defense had held an opponent scoreless during a game.
Senior left tackle Garry Williams, Kentucky’s most experienced offensive lineman, is “questionable to doubtful” for the Norfolk State game, Coach Rich Brooks announced after Wednesday morning’s practice.
Williams has been having swelling in his knee and Brooks said the lineman will have an MRI evaluation. Brooks said that redshirt freshman Billy Joe Murphy or junior James Alexander would get the starting nod if Williams is unavailable.
Freshman receiver Aaron Boyd has been cleared to participate in contact drills, Coach Rich Brooks announced at his weekly press conference on Tuesday. Boyd missed most of fall camp and UK’s season opening win over Louisville with mononucleosis. Brooks said that he’ll evaluate Boyd for the next week or two before making a decision on whether to redshirt him.
Brooks also said that freshman receiver E.J. Fields, who has been slowed in camp by a pulled hamstring, would more than likely redshirt the 2008 season.
University of Kentucky defensive tackle Myron Pryor was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Louisville on Sunday. The 6-foot-1, 310-pound Pryor had a forced fumble, tackle for loss and 72-yard fumble return touchdown. Pryor is the first UK lineman to win the award since Dean Wells in 1992. Former UK linebacker Wesley Woodyard won the award last season.
It looks as if a win over Louisville has had another major impact with a University of Kentucky recruit. Central linebacker Ridge Wilson, a three-star prospect, is expected to announce his college choice this week, and high school coach Ty Scroggins said on Monday that’s it’s “99 percent certain” that Wilson will commit to the Wildcats. Wilson also has offers from Indiana, Arkansas and Louisville.
Wilson was in attendance as a guest of U of L as UK beat the Cards 27-2 on Sunday. Morgan Newton, a five-star QB from Carmel, Ind. who committed to Kentucky earlier this month, cited Kentucky’s win over Louisville in 2007 as what sparked his interest in becoming a Wildcat.
And back in 2002, Kentucky got a commitment from Andre’ Woodson after he attended UK’s 22-17 win over Louisville as a guest of the Cardinals.
Several true freshman saw action for Kentucky in Sunday’s win over Louisville. The one who had the biggest role was receiver/punt returner/quarterback Randall Cobb, who had a team-high three catches for 31 yards. Receiver Gene McCaskill caught one pass for 10 yards, and receiver Eric Adeyemi saw a few snaps as well. Winston Guy and Danny Trevathan played on the kickoff team. Brooks said that one or two more true freshmen could see time in the coming weeks.
Chip has been a full-time sportswriter for the Lexington Herald-Leader since 1997 and has been covering the University of Kentucky football team since 2000. A native of Louisville, Chip graduated from UK in 1996. He also covers University of Louisville basketball for the newspaper. E-mail Chip
Subscribe Feed (RSS)