Central Michigan

LEXINGTON - Kentucky had 28 missed assignments on offense, breakdowns in the kicking game and missed tackles on defense. For coach Rich Brooks, that's more than enough reason his team should be over last week's 50-10 victory over Eastern Kentucky University and focusing on this Saturday's game against Kent State, a team that opened its season with a 23-14 victory at Iowa State. However, during his press conference on Monday, Brooks was asked if beating Eastern in the opener instead of playing Louisville in the opener changed the perception of the win. "It is a heck of a lot easier building off a win than a loss any time.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP)- Josh Clemons didn't want to brag on himself. He said his 87-yard touchdown run that eventually proved to be Kentucky's game-winning score over Central Michigan on Saturday wasn't because he was faster than the defense he outran. The 5-foot-10, 201-pound running back also said it also wasn't because he was tougher than the would-be tacklers that bounced off him behind the line of scrimmage. "I don't know about all that," Clemons said. "I was just trying to get out of there.

LEXINGTON- Kentucky quarterback Morgan Newton didn't notice much of a difference between the season opener and the home opener. “Last week we played the worse game we could play offensively,” he said. “This week we probably played the second worse game we could have played offensively.” The difference was Kentucky's ability to make plays, especially in the second half of a 27-13 triumph over Central Michigan Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium. “We made things happen,” Newton said afterward.

Central Michigan is not the biggest name on Kentucky's schedule, but Saturday's game could be the biggest game on UK's schedule. Don't laugh. Think about. If UK wins, the Cats are 3-2 going into October and Big Blue Madness will be about football, not Tubby Smith's basketball team. Commonwealth Stadium will be packed with Big Blue fans for the South Carolina game. But if UK loses to Central Michigan, the Rich Brooks watch starts again, fans will lose interest in the program and the countdown to basketball season will officially begin.

Army Major Brian A. Owen was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel Monday at the Joint Spectrum Center in Annapolis, Md. He was pinned by Army Colonel Michael Carroll, and Lt. Col. Owen's wife, Jo. Lt. Col. Owen works as a program manager for the Joint Spectrum Center, overseeing ordnance electromagnetic environmental effects. He supports the deconfliction of DoD ordnance and radio emitters in coalition and joint military operations. Lt. Col. Owen is a 1981 graduate of Rosman High School in Rosman, N.C. He received his bachelor's degree in 1986 from the Appalachian State University, in Boone, N.C. He received his master's degree in 2001 from Central Michigan University, in Mount Pleasant, Mich.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky is coming off what coach Rich Brooks calls one of its best offensive performances, and the best performance of the year by the offensive line. However, Brooks warns not to expect the same big production in this Saturday's Southeastern Conference game against South Carolina. "I don't think we can expect a shootout in this thing. Their defense is not allowing those shootouts," Brooks said Sunday. Kentucky beat Central Michigan 48-36 and amassed 373 yards.

LEXINGTON¿ - Winston Guy isn't down on his teammates. The Kentucky senior is confident the offense will rebound from its dismal showing last week that produced two touchdowns in a 14-3 victory over Western Kentucky last Thursday at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn. The Wildcats (1-0) managed just 190 yards, including just three through the air against the Hilltoppers. It wasn't the kind of showing that many expected considering quarterback Morgan Newton's past experience, but Guy thinks the Wildcats will get back on track in their home opener against Central Michigan Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium.

LEXINGTON - When Kentucky junior Jodie Meeks talks about today's annual matchup against rival Louisville, the as-of-late king of the 3-pointer keeps invoking the same word: relax. "The build-up going into the Louisville game is a lot of emotion, and what we have to do as players, and what the coaches try to tell us is to not get so emotional and just try to relax," he said of the heated back-and-forth between Kentucky blue and Cardinal red. "When you relax, you play your best basketball.

When Kentucky junior Jodie Meeks talks about Sunday's annual matchup against rival Louisville, the as-of-late king of the 3-pointer keeps invoking the same word: relax. "The build-up going into the Louisville game is a lot of emotion, and what we have to do as players, and what the coaches try to tell us is to not get so emotional and just try to relax," he said of the heated back-and-forth between Kentucky blue and Cardinal red. "When you relax, you play your best basketball. It's good to have butterflies before the game, but just try to stay relaxed.

LEXINGTON - Central Michigan coach Dan Enos wasn't sure that Kentucky's improved offensive performance in the second half Saturday was all that complicated to figure out. “Offensively, it seemed like they just started getting (Josh Clemons) the ball. I don't think he carried it in the first half,” Enos said after Kentucky rallied for a 27-13 win. “That was the big adjustment that I saw. He became a main part of the game. Clemons, to me, is a good football player. I believe he's a true freshman, but he is going to be a good football player.” Kentucky fans might think Clemons already is after his game-changing 87-yard touchdown run - the longest ever by a Kentucky freshman - late in the third quarter.