When Franklin native Joker Phillips presided over his first University of Kentucky spring football game Saturday, April 24, a Russellvillian was part
of the show at Commonwealth Stadium.
Mikie Benton, a three-sport standout for the Russellville Panthers before his graduation in 2008, is a member of the Wildcat secondary. He was
redshirted in 2009 and was on the squad last year in Coach Rich Brooks' final season at the UK helm.
Benton tells The LoJo, "I played decent. I had a pass break up and like four tackles. I got some pretty good playing time. I was running with
the second Team. No big plays really; the pass break up came on a 1st and 10 play. Stats weren't kept on the game."
Phillips, who was well-known to Russellvillians he was leading the Franklin-Simpson Wildcats to back-to-back state football championships in 1979 and
1980, tells theFranklin Favorite, "I'm living the dream now. Very few people get to do what they want to in life,"
Now that the former coach-in-waiting is in charge, he has some big personnel decisions to make.
For all the talk about the three-way battle for the starting quarterback position, it was a sophomore battling for the backup running back position
that caught the eye of most fans during the April 24 annual Blue/White Spring Game.
Behind an offensive line that features four new starters, the Kentucky ground game rushed for 307 yards and two touchdowns in front of approximately
9,000 fans at Commonwealth Stadium.
Sophomore Donald Russell, one of two tailbacks vying for the running back position behind senior Derrick Locke, carried the ball nine times for 118
yards and two touchdowns in leading the offense (Blue team) to a 60-25 win over the defense (White team).
The offense vs. defense scrimmage scoring system didn't tell the full story of Saturday's game, as the defensive line put pressure on the quarterbacks
all afternoon, but Phillips was pleased with what he saw on both sides of the ball.
"In the scrimmage today, I liked the competition," Phillips said. "We have to get the defense off of the field. We weren't very good last year on third
downs and getting off the field. That means third-and-1, third-and-2 and even third-and-longs weren't very good. That has been a huge emphasis to get
off the field. I think the offense did a good job moving the ball. There were some big plays, but the offense didn't get the ball in the end zone
enough, especially our number 'ones (first team).' I thought the 'twos' (second team) did a good job getting into the end zone and we made some big
plays with our running backs."
The headline entering the game, as it has been throughout the spring, was the three-man race at quarterback. Senior Mike Hartline was thought to be the
frontrunner after a solid spring - and he did nothing to squash that notion Saturday after throwing for 124 yards and a touchdown on 11-of-24 passing -
but Phillips said the quarterback race will continue through the summer and likely into August.
"I always want to stand behind the quarterbacks and see how they handle themselves in the huddle and I thought all of them commanded respect when they
got in the huddle and also managed the line of scrimmage," Phillips said. "The thing I liked about all three of them is they were able to get
themselves out of trouble with their feet, with their legs."
Hartline started the day with the "ones" and was moving the ball down the field until he threw back into pressure on a third-and-2 from the 34-yard
line. Senior linebacker Danny Trevathan, who drew positive reviews from Phillips for his ability to fly to the ball Saturday, intercepted the pass to
give the White six points under the scrimmage scoring system.
Hartline redeemed himself three drives later at the end of the first quarter. The 6-foot-6, 206-pound quarterback out of Canton, Ohio, rolled right on
second-and-15 and hit sophomore E.J. Fields on a fade route in the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. The score gave the Blue a 13-7 lead.
really good plays," said Hartline, who was also under center for the game's final touchdown drive, capped by an 8-yard scoring scamper up the middle by
Russell. "The biggest thing I tried to do was just keep drives alive, keep getting first downs (and) keep them moving. There were a couple of
three-and-outs, but overall I drove the ball pretty well and my offense did pretty good every time of converting third downs. There were just little
throws that I need to make, a few throws that got away, but we need to keep our composure and technique all the way down the field."
Redshirt freshman Ryan Mossakowski (6-of-13 for 37 yards), who sat out in 2009 while he recovered from a shoulder injury he suffered in high school,
started strong on the day. Mossakowski scrambled 18 yards on his very first play and later connected with junior wide receiver Matt Roark for 16 yards.
The offense eventually settled for a 34-yard field goal from junior Ryan Tydlacka to go up 8-6.
Last year's second-half starter and wildcard in the quarterback race, sophomore Morgan Newton, started slow but played well late in the second half.
His drive just before halftime epitomized both the potential and inexperience he and Mossakowski are trying to balance.
Newton started the drive with a 41-yard bomb to senior wide receiver Chris Matthews, the longest pass play of the day. A few plays later, with just
seconds left on the clock, Newton showcased his feet with a brilliant scramble to elude two tacklers before firing a 19-yard dart to senior wide
receiver Gene McCaskill.
The play appeared to set up a touchdown late in the second quarter, but junior safety Winston Guy picked off an underthrown 2-yard pass by Newton to
end the first half. The six-point pick by Guy cut the offense's lead to 26-21 entering the half.
Still, Newton (6-of-12 for 92 yards) and Mossakowksi have closed the gap on Hartline, making for an even more interesting summer as the UK football
team heads into the 2010 offseason.
"I'm not disappointed (with not naming a starter)," Phillips said. "The reason I'm not disappointed is because I think we can win with all three of
those guys. I really do."
The team will now head into Phillips' first offseason before summer practice in early August. UK's first game of the 2010 season will take place Sept.
4 at Louisville.
Asked what he was looking for from his team in the offseason, Phillips said he wanted his players to stay out of the headlines and continue to develop
under "Operation Win."
"We've been in the hunt before in the SEC East," Phillips said. "We expect to be in there longer."