TheCatsDomain.Com Message Boards: Rafeal Little back for Vandy game

This is topic Rafeal Little back for Vandy game in forum UK / NCAA Football at TheCatsDomain.Com Message Boards.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://www.thecatsdomain.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=004912

Posted by eleem (Member # 884) on 11-05-2007, 03:25 PM:

Rich Brooks stated today that it is likely that Rafeal Little will be back for the Vandy game. Keenan Burton is still questionable but likely will play. Big news for the Cats and the Nashville experience.

Link

Posted by boomdaddy (Member # 2644) on 11-06-2007, 04:25 AM:

I hope Little has a huge game and stays healthy for the rest of the season. The team definately misses his talent on the field.

Posted by Brandon (Member # 108) on 11-06-2007, 07:27 AM:

those deep thigh bruises can be scary things.

I hope he does a Darren Mcfadden and runs for 400 yards against Vandy.

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 11-06-2007, 10:34 AM:

Brandon, i would be happy if he only ran for 375. Why be piggish.. [Wink]

Posted by Bluecat (Member # 516) on 11-06-2007, 01:02 PM:

I knew before the season started that this team had the ability to be something special but ONLY if they all stayed healthy. Little who is the 2nd BEST RUSHER in the ELITE SEC, has sat out several games and Burton also has been injured as well as some others, We lost Warford and Micah Johnson also has been injured.

Rich Brooks has done and outstanding job with the hand he has been dealt.

Posted by Brandon (Member # 108) on 11-06-2007, 01:49 PM:

400 is just a nice round number. 375 is good too.

Little is a great running back. I would take him as my starter if I were picking an All-SEC team.

Posted by Knoxville Cat (Member # 2891) on 11-06-2007, 02:33 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Bluecat:
I knew before the season started that this team had the ability to be something special but ONLY if they all stayed healthy. Little who is the 2nd BEST RUSHER in the ELITE SEC, has sat out several games and Burton also has been injured as well as some others, We lost Warford and Micah Johnson also has been injured.

Rich Brooks has done and outstanding job with the hand he has been dealt.

I do commend Brooks for the wins against LSU and Louisville, although the Cards are down this year, those wins generated national publicity and excitement. On the other hand, the loss at South Carolina was a bad one, especially now that South Carolina has lost to Vandy, UT, and Arkansas, all average teams, in consectutive weeks. The loss at home to Miss. State was a really bad loss as a 14 point favorite and Miss. State starting a true freshman QB. Little's injury was unfortunate, but we defeated the #1 team in the country without him, along with 3 other defensive starters in McClinton, Johhny and Roger Williams, and no Ricky Lumpkin. All those guys were back for Miss. State. The LSU win was a big one and we were able to do it short-handed, proving to me that our depth this year is a lot better than in years past. I'm anxious to see how the rest of the year shakes out, but if we finish 7-5 and 4th or 5th in the East race, and go to a sub-par bowl game, then I still believe the jury's out on whether or not Brooks is capable of taking this program to the next level.

Posted by Tiptree (Member # 844) on 11-06-2007, 03:44 PM:

I would settle for 98 yards rushing from Little -- as long as that includes 3 or 4 touchdowns! [Big Grin]

Posted by Tiptree (Member # 844) on 11-06-2007, 03:49 PM:

Knoxville,

I think Brooks has taken the team to the next level -- being ranked at all is 'the next level' for a team that had sunk to the depths that UK had upon Brooks' arrival.

Are we where we would like to be? No.

Are we where we might have been (had everything gone exactly right this season)? No.

Are we on an upswing? YES!

Can Brooks sustain our upward mobility? I think so. He needs more success on the recruiting circuit, but that will be easier with every win UK puts on the scorecard. Time will tell if we can move from 2-and-3 star recruits to 4-and-5 stars. Personally, I think the question is moot -- Brooks will likely retire in a couple of seasons anyway.

Posted by prophet (Member # 2089) on 11-06-2007, 04:16 PM:

My thoughts precisely, Tiptree.

Posted by Brandon (Member # 108) on 11-06-2007, 05:01 PM:

Pretty good take, Tiptree.

I think Brooks has 2 or 3 more seasons. Perhaps long enough to get this years recruiting class graduated and then he will call it a career. I wouldn't be surprised to see Joker take over the reigns.

Posted by Knoxville Cat (Member # 2891) on 11-06-2007, 06:17 PM:

We went 8-5 last season, winning the Music City Bowl. If we win less than 8 this year, go to the same bowl or less, that's not the "next level" I'm referring to. One has to remember that Hal Mumme had us in the Outback Bowl in 1998, with a 11-game season. UK now plays 12 games, which usually gives a team one more "gimme" game. We were 7-4 that year to finish out the regular season. I think finishing 7-5 now is the equivalent to 6-5 with a 11-game season, like we finished in 1999. I know Kentucky has been down for a long time and we are ranked 25th in the country, but this is also a year when there are a lot of teams with 2 or 3 losses and would have been an ideal year to compete for the SEC. Are we ranked because of how good we are or by other teams' mediocracy? We'll see how we finish the rest of the way, but anything less than a 8-4 finish is taking a step back from last season. This will be the most talented UK team we have for awhile looking at our recruiting for the future. Until we start getting some Top 25 classes, then expect a good two-year stretch every now and then, but 4-8, 5-7, and 6-6 seasons most of the time.

Posted by ukcatfannfl (Member # 1425) on 11-06-2007, 08:49 PM:

Gents - didn't our coach(name escapes me but went to baylor) prior to brooks arrival get us to 7-5 with a bowl appearance? You guys know I am a huge Brooks fan but give credit where credit is due. Mumme took us to the cellar and he (whatever the hell his name is) did a great job considering what he had left on the table!! [Smile]

Posted by Knoxville Cat (Member # 2891) on 11-06-2007, 10:01 PM:

Yeah, Guy Morris was the interim coach in 2002 for one season. We had slipped significantly in Mumme's last couple of years and Hal left after the recruiting scandal. That team was led by Jared Lorenzen and Artose Pinner, who led the SEC in rushing that year. They were unable to go to a bowl due to probation, but definitely had a good football team. If you remember, that was the year of the "Bluegrass Miracle" against LSU when Morris was dowsed with Gatorade prematurely. Morris did a fairly good job, but we had some good talent as well. It now looks as though his days at Baylor are numbered because they are horrible.

[ 11-06-2007, 10:04 PM: Message edited by: Knoxville Cat ]