Kentucky's Phillips says football Cats 'not that far away'

Kentucky's season-ending 27-10 loss to Pittsburgh in the BBVA Compass Bowl left a sour taste in a lot of people's mouths.

And the Cats were left with a lot of question marks heading into the 2011 season.

Three top offensive playmakers (quarterback Mike Hartline, running back Derrick Locke and wide receiver Chris Matthews) have completed their eligibility. And top juniors Randall Cobb and Danny Trevathan are considering forgoing their senior seasons and entering the NFL Draft.

But UK Coach Joker Phillips said Tuesday night he feels good about the direction of the program after completing his first season with a 6-7 record. Phillips pointed to several factors from the 2010 season that offer hope for the future: UK's win over archrival Louisville, the program's first victory over South Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier, playing eventual national champion Auburn to the wire, and several young players he expects to emerge in the future.

"We're not that far away," he said. "We were a couple of bounces away from winning eight games. We were also a couple of bounces from winning four. We've got enough good players here. We've got to get more good players here. And that to me speaks volumes to where our program is at, that we've got two guys with the opportunity to consider going to the NFL."

Ivana Bozilovic Cristina Dumitru Cat Power January Jones Christina DaRe