Lineman

They battled over his weight, academics and practice habits. At times, Christian Johnson even thought Kentucky coach Rich Brooks actually disliked him and had given up on him. Yet when the Kentucky coach told his team after Sunday's Music City Bowl that he was "80 percent sure" he was retiring, one of the players who took the news the hardest was Johnson, a senior offensive guard. "It hurts. I ain't going to be right for a little while," Johnson said with tears in his eyes after Kentucky's 21-13 loss to Clemson.

Seeing the success that Myron Pryor and Corey Peters, two Louisville natives, had playing football at the University of Kentucky had an impact on Brandon Dunn's decision to commit to the Wildcats. Several sources have confirmed that Dunn, who is playing in a basketball tournament in London and has been unavailable for commet, made his commitment to Kentucky after watching the Wildcats practice last weekend. He was a two-way starter for Pleasure Ridge Park this year and coach Jason Hiser thinks his star linemen is only going to get better in the years ahead.

BOWLING GREEN ? There was a brief time in August where winning a state championship was not that important to Hagen Foster. That's because the Boyle County senior offensive linemen didn't know what was wrong with him as he was riding to a Somerset hospital with assistant coach John Hodge after getting sick at preseason camp in Russell County. "I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know if I would die right there or what," said Foster. Thankfully, he recovered and Friday he was part of another dramatic comeback as he helped the Rebels beat Lone Oak 42-39 in overtime in the Class AAAA state championship game here.

When I checked my e-mail Sunday, I found this: "Mr. Vaught, I am Christian Johnson's biggest fan. I met Christian after a game next to the tunnel and he gave me a glove. " That came from 8-year-old Clay Ferguson of Lexington, and thanks to his parents, Heather and Gene Ferguson, I got the rest of a very heart-warming story involving Johnson, the Kentucky offensive guard who will be playing his final game in Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday when the Wildcats host Tennessee.

Grant Aumiller knows the more attention he draws, the better it is for his team. Such is the life for a defensive tackle, and few do it better than Aumiller, who has led a dominant Boyle County defense and has been named The Advocate-Messenger Lineman of the Year. He has 87 tackles and a fumble recovery this season, and had 79 tackles last season as the Rebels reached the Class AAAA semifinals. "Yeah, a lot of teams double team more," he said. "It actually is probably better if I'm double teamed, because it leaves a linebacker or someone else open to make a play.

LEXINGTON ? Senior tackle Corey Peters had one of his best games in Kentucky's 24-13 win at Vanderbilt last week and has been named Southeastern Conference Defensive Lineman of the Week for his effort. He had five tackles, including 1.5 for losses, and a quarterback pressure. Both his tackles for loss led to Vanderbilt punts and his quarterback pressure forced an incomplete pass. His play helped the Wildcats limit Vanderbilt to just 209 total yards, the lowest total UK had allowed against a SEC opponent since 1996.

LEXINGTON ? Kentucky center Jorge Gonzalez has been named Southeastern Conference offensive lineman of the week for his play in UK's 36-13 victory over Louisiana-Monroe. The senior helped the Wildcats amass 330 yards of total offense and average 6.3 yards per play in the victory. Gonzalez had the key block on Randall Cobb's 11-yard touchdown run and graded out at 86 percent when the coaches evaluated the film. He also did not allow a sack. "I knew he had a great game and to grade out that high is really hard," said UK senior guard Christian Johnson.

Even though Rockcastle County hasn't played a game, Boyle County coach Larry French thinks he knows what to expect Saturday. "We only got to see them in a scrimmage against Hazard. But we know they will load up and come right at you. They have a big offensive line and can run the ball pretty effectively on anybody," French said. "They run a lot of power football with some play-action passes. " Boyle will face Rockcastle in the opening game of the Bob Allen Pigskin Classic at Admiral Stadium.

Kentucky's quest to add depth to future defensive lines - and jump start its 2010 recruiting class - could get a boost if Columbus, Ohio, defensive end Derrick Bryant decides to play for the Wildcats. The 6-4, 230-pound Bryant, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds, had 85 tackles, including 12 quarterback sacks, and broke up seven passes for Brookhaven High School last season to get the attention of big-time schools from coast to coast. He's had a variety of scholarship offers including Michigan, his favorite team growing up. Others who have offered include Oregon, UCLA, Michigan State, Kansas, Illinois, North Carolina and Virginia.