Kentucky preview: Ailing 'Cats get Morriss makeover

Guy Morriss didn't ask for a long-term contract and he didn't receive one. All he requested was a chance, which he got.

Now it's up to the 50-year-old former NFL offensive lineman to make the best of that opportunity in what can only be described as not the best of situations.

"I feel like I've been preparing for this job my whole life," Morriss said the day he was promoted to head football coach at Kentucky, replacing Hal Mumme, who resigned in the wake of an NCAA investigation into rules violations within the Wildcat program.

Wildcats at a glance

SportsLine.com rank: 78

2000: 2-9 overall; 0-8 SEC (6th East)

Coach: Guy Morriss -- First year as a head coach

Returning starters: 17, 8 offense, 7 defense, kicker, punter

Players to watch:
QB Jared Lorenzen, 6-4, 275, So.
TB Chad Scott, 5-01, 178, So.
OT Antonio Hall, 6-5, 300, So.
OG Kip Sixbery, 6-4, 320, Jr.
TE Derek Smith, 6-6, 265, Jr.
DE Dennis Johnson 6-7, 261, Jr.
DT Jeremy Caudill, 6-3, 296, So.

Primary strengths: The offensive line is experienced, talented and deep. Jared Lorenzen took every snap last season and should be a much more poised quarterback. Just a touch of offensive balance should help a lot.

Potential problems: There's a new defensive coordinator and scheme but most of the same players return from last year, when UK was the worst defense in the SEC. The secondary is young and unproven. Offensively, wide receiver firepower is lacking.

Overview: Morriss has a monumental task in front of him, pulling together a team torn apart in the offseason by an internal investigation that revealed dozens of NCAA violations and led to the resignation of coach Hal Mumme.

In 15 years in the NFL and nearly 15 more as an assistant coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels, Morriss played and coached for a lot of men. He said he'll take a little from each into his first head coaching experience.

Kentucky returns 14 starters but went 2-9 last year, including 0-8 in the SEC. The school self-reported more than three dozen rules violations to the NCAA, and submitted a list of suggested penalties that, if accepted, would severely hamstring recruiting efforts in coming years.

Morriss, who served as Mumme's offensive line coach and associate head coach for four seasons, signed a one-year contract. Athletic director Larry Ivy hasn't set any hard and fast guidelines, but it's a good bet that Morriss' hopes of coaching the Wildcats in 2002 might not hinge directly on the number of wins they attain this fall, but certainly on the manner in which the team performs.

That's fine with Morriss, who says, "I see no reason why we can't be successful here."

Mumme's high-scoring offense set school records and brought excitement to Kentucky football, but his tenure was marked by a sieve of a defense and the apparent NCAA violations.

Morriss says he hopes to incorporate some of Mumme's "Air Raid" offense, but the Wildcats will run the ball more often and with more purpose. QB Jared Lorenzen, the "hefty lefty" who set six NCAA freshman passing records last year, will be under center more and you'll see more two-back formations, with a true fullback leading the way.

Veteran John Goodner was hired as defensive coordinator, and in the spring installed an eight-man front.

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