On flinging the football...

Conventional wisdom suggests that the key to Saturday's matchup is the line of scrimmage. Running the ball down the field till the other side breaks. Both coaches have expressed that as priority uno, and both coaches have backfield weapons that make such thinking reasonable.

But not for us. The problem with conventional thinking is that it's conventional. There's nothing wrong with a 3-yards and a cloud of dust philosphy if you have the personnel to enact it; but it takes size and depth, and we don't have either. I know, Coach Strong brought aboard Mike Sanford and his spread offense to prevent just that; but I think it likely, for the first game of his first season, for a coach to default to the strengths that already exist on his squad, namely Vic Anderson and a tenured O-line. My point is, I don't think the Cards can win this game if the primarily plan is to grind it out against the Cats.

Success must come from fast points, from putting the pressure on UK by airing it out. And I'm not talking about quick slants designed just to keep the other defense honest. I'm talking about 4 or 5 receiver sets to confuse the defense, prompt a breakdown, and put six points up in less than six seconds.

I don't expect to see the second unveiling of Petrino's Blitzkrieg on Saturday, and I don't think the Cards need to resort to gimmicky trick plays (though one would be awesome). But the Cards have experienced route-runners on this team, and UK's biggest question mark lies in an inexperienced secondary. With Krag's unimaginative playcalling the last three years, there's no gametape available for them to scout what some of these guys can do.

Fling the football. Take chances. If and when we get near midfield, take two shots downfield. What's the worst that could happen? An INT? As good as a punt there, and the chances of a gamebreaker or a pass interference call outweigh the risk.

Put points on the board, or get to the red zone, that'll shift the nerves to the opposing sideline. Then unleash Vic Anderson and Bilal Powell. I'm no General Patton, but I hope the Cards gameplan is thinking outside the box. We lose this matchup through conventional warfare.