Hartline calling right shots in ’Cats’ new-look offense

TUSCALOOSA | Mention the University of Kentucky football team and the first response you are likely to get is “great defense.” Press for a second impression and you’ll hear “great special teams.”

The Wildcats do, however, have an offense. It just isn’t the offense they had a year ago.

In 2007, with Andre Woodson at quarterback, UK was one of the most explosive units in the Southeastern Conference, averaging 36.5 points and nearly 444 yards per game.

Coming into Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. game at Alabama, the undefeated Wildcats won’t be carrying the same load of explosives. Woodson was drafted by the New York Giants last April. In August, sophomore Mike Hartline won the Kentucky quarterback job by default when his main competitor, Curtis Pulley, was kicked off the Wildcat team for disciplinary violations.

Pulley was considered the more dynamic player of the two, but Hartline has done what the UK coaches have asked as a “game manager.”

“Mike’s doing a good job of taking care of the football,” said UK offensive coordinator and head-coach-in-waiting Joker Phillips in a telephone interview. “He is not taking sacks and not putting our defense, which is playing really well, in bad situations.

“We don’t have an Andre Woodson this year. We don’t have a Keenan Burton. We haven’t had a healthy Randall Cobb (a multi-purpose freshman who can play either wide receiver or quarterback for UK) very much. So we have to scheme people and control the ball.”

Hartline has completed 72 of 123 passes this season for 633 yards but has thrown just one interception. Western Kentucky picked off a Hartline pass in last week’s 41-3 loss to the Wildcats, snapping a streak of 98 straight throws without an interception for the sophomore.

Kentucky does have three solid running backs, led by Alabama native Tony Dixon, and speedster Derrick Locke. Still, the priority list for Hartline is ball security and field position.

“We have to avoid turnovers and sacks, because it makes it tough on our offense in those situations,” Phillips said. “You’ve got to be able to handle pressure. You’ve got to be able to change protections. You’ve got to know when to get rid off the ball. That’s what we talk about when we talk about managing the football game.”

The Alabama defense knows Kentucky will play a physical, ball-control style — something the Crimson Tide has not faced frequently this season.

“Kentucky is a good team,” said Crimson Tide defensive end Brandon Deaderick, a native of Elizabethtown, Ky. “In college football, especially in the SEC, anybody can win. We know we are in for a challenge. They have a balanced offense (with) good, fast back and a solid front.”

Phillips said a knee injury that will sideline right tackle Justin Jeffries will leave UK with three first-year starters in its offensive front five.

“Justin had started 16 straight games for us,” Phiilips said. “Now (redshirt freshman) Billy Joe Murphy becomes a starter. Our right guard (Jess Beets) is a first-year starter, our center (Jorge Gonzalez) is a first-year starter. There is some experience but there also three new guys who got either no snaps or very few snaps last year. We are still trying to guide those guys where we can run the ball effectively.”

For the second straight week, a relatively inexperienced center will be matched up against Crimson Tide nose guard Terrance Cody, who has been a disruptive influence on opposing offenses this season.

“We’ve got to give our center some help (against Cody), but the guard can’t stay long because of the way their linebackers run around,” Phillips said. “The guard is going to have to do what he can and still try to create some interference for the linebackers. But the center will have to have some help.”

The Wildcats do have some potential playmakers at wide receiver, although Phillips stresses that UK is “very young” at that position.

“We’ll play four true freshmen,” Phillips said. “We would play five if Randall Cobb were healthy. There is some talent there, but also some missed assignments and bonehead mistkes. But there’s talent and we think that they will step up at some time, hopefully all at the same time.”

The veteran of the receiving corps is senior Dicky Lyons Jr. He leads UK with 25 catches for 189 yards and one touchdown.

“Dicky’s done well, but he has to understand (that) he can do more,” Phillips said. He’s got to be a leader on our football tem. These young guys look up to him.

“Our whole offense has to be sound, because (Alabama) is a very sound defensive unit. They play with low pad level. They are always under control. They play hard, run to the football and tackle well. They are one of the best coached units I’ve seen in a long time.”

Reach Cecil Hurt at cecil.hurt@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0225.