Kentucky Wildcats: Head Coach Joker Phillips on the Hot Seat to Start Season

By Reginald McIntyre Jr.
CFB Writer

At the University of Kentucky, the sport of basketball reigns supreme, but does the same passion exist for the sport of football?

ESPN.com’s SEC blogger Edward Aschoff feels this is the case, because he believes head coach Joker Phillips is facing a “crucial year” in order to stay off the hot seat.

“After Kentucky made a bowl game for five straight years, the Wildcats fell a win short in 2011, causing Phillips’ seat to get a little warmer The one saving grace was the fact that Kentucky ended a 20-plus-year losing streak to rival Tennessee. But Kentucky has to show progress this fall or Phillips’ job security could come into question” Aschoff said.

The Kentucky Wildcats plays in the Eastern Division of the toughest conference in college football– the SEC.

Sure, the Wildcats are not a powerhouse football program, but they play in a powerhouse football conference, and that means you have to produce.

Phillips has gone two seasons without a winning record or a bowl victory, boasting an 11-14 overall record as head coach.

Kentucky will only return four starters on offense and five starters on defense from a team that went 5-7 this past season.

If Phillips wants to win, he will have to find some consistency at the quarterback position.

Senior Morgan Newton started the season as quarterback, but was benched for sophomore Maxwell Smith this past season. Freshman Patrick Towles, who was a Parade All-American, could be in the mix as well if Newton or Smith cannot get the job done this season.

Whoever takes command of the quarterback position this upcoming season will be throwing the football to senior wide receiver La’Rod King, who is the Wildcats biggest threat on offense. He was the No. 11 best player at the wide receiver position in the SEC last year, with 40 catches for 598 yards and seven touchdowns.

Kentucky, however, has to replace their two starting cornerbacks and four linebackers, which includes Danny Trevathan, who led the team in tackles and was First Team All-SEC the past two seasons.

The Wildcats will face a lot of daunting offenses this season including Georgia, Arkansas and South Carolina, so the defense will be the unit to watch.

College football bloggers, including myself and Aschoff, believe the Wildcats will have to start the season 3-0 in order to make a bowl game, because they now have to deal with the Missouri Tigers on their schedule along with their familiar SEC foes.

If the Wildcats want to start the season 3-0, they will have beat their arch rival, the Louisville Cardinals, who are the preseason favorite to win the Big East.

Will Kentucky win six games to become bowl eligible, or will Phillips feel the hot seat this season?

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Follow Reginald on Twitter: @McIntyre_II

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