Rivalry Week Monday Links

A few sites to keep an eye on this week:

A Sea of Blue

John Clay's Blog

Chip Cosby's Blog

LHL Sports

Monday's stories:

--Like Louisville, Kentucky's deepest position might be running back.

Senior Alfonso Smith is Dixon's heir apparent and sits atop the depth chart at tailback. But it looks as if Brooks will once again employ the tailback-by-committee approach he's used for most of his time at UK.

Kentucky used five different tailbacks in its 42-0 win over Miami last week, and all five ran the ball effectively. Smith had 36 yards on seven carries; junior Derrick Locke, No. 2 on the depth chart, led all rushers with 61 yards on eight carries; third-stringer Moncell Allenadded 57 yards on eight carries; redshirt freshman CoShik Williams had a team-high 10 carries for 39 yards, and true freshman Donald Russell picked up 30 yards on seven fourth-quarter carries.

--Both teams are coming off bye weeks, something Steve Kragthorpe didn't necessarily want.

Kragthorpe said UofL "tried like heck" to find a foe for Week2 and had two lined up, only to see both back out. So the Cards were left with an open week after beating Indiana State 30-10 in the opener. UK also had a week off after blanking Miami of Ohio 42-0.

"It's very different," Kragthorpe said last week. "It's something I have never done before, play one game and then have (an open date). It's different, but that's just the way it worked out. It's also different for the guys in Lexington."

UK and UofL were among just eight FBS schools with open dates after their openers.

"It's kind of like the high school or pro teams that have preseason games, but our game did count on the schedule," UofL running back Victor Anderson said. "It's different than what we're used to. The guys got a feel for the game atmosphere, and then we had a week off before the big game.

"It gives us time to prepare, because this is like the state championship."

--Current line: Cats by 12.

--Defensive tackles Joe Townsend and Tyler Jessen were cleared for contact last Thursday, while tight end Nate Nord also returned to action.

--Eric Crawford breaks down some depressing comparative scores.

Red 122:That's how many points worse than Cincinnati U of L is. It's simple math. The Cards beat Indiana State by 20. Quincy beat the Sycamores by 6. U of L is 14 points better than Quincy, which lost by 69 to Southeast Missouri, which lost 70-3 to Cincinnati on Saturday. I know, comparative scores are meaningless. Here's something that isn't: UC is the new Louisville, piling up ridiculous offensive numbers while dispatching opponents at the first sign of weakness.

--And finally, John Clay discusses the undeniable lack of buzz surrounding this year's Battle for the Governor's Cup.