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People are going to point their finger at Heisman hopeful Andre Woodson for the lost against University of South Carolina last night and the way I see it is that he is not all to blame.  And I know what you are saying ”Look at the two lost fumbles, both by the way returned for touchdowns.  Also look at the unfortunate interception toss at the opponents’ goal line”, but the bottom line is that Kentucky lost 38-23 in a nationally televised game.  Its a shame really, because it wasn’t the Kentucky QB’s fault. Not all of it.

If you look at No. 8 ranked S. Carolina’s defense and ask yourself is this the best defense the Cats have seen so far? Its just a hunch, but if the hunch is right Woodson still hit on 23 of 40 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. But he got hit just as much. Carolina blitzed one way and then another. The Gamecocks sent linebackers. They sent defensive backs. They faked soft and then rushed hard.Thats what happened early, right after Kentucky’s Trevard Lindley punched the ball loose from Carolina’s Weslye Saunders on the two-yard line, the ball bouncing out of the end zone for a touchback.  Two plays later, there was Woodson being blind-sided on the same two-yard line, this time Carolina’s Eric Norwood picking up the resulting fumble for a touchdown. Same thing in the second half, when Woodson threw to John Conner that landed at the fullback’s feet.  Again, it was Norwood who scooped and scored, this time motoring 53 yards for the touchdown.

Thing was, Woodson tried to throw the ball as aggressive as he could but the Gamecock’s Casper Brinkley put pressure on Woodson while he was trying to make the play. In between was that second-quarter interception, the one that cost the Cats points.  Fooled, the QB lobbed a pass that Gamecock Casper Munnerlyn picked off at the goal line with no UK reciver in sight. While chasing Munnerlyn, Woodson found injury to go with insult. Dicky Lyons Jr.’s knee inadvertently hit Woodson’s head. But the way Woodson has been playing, 325 passes without an interception until last week, it was an unusual play.  By now, we’re used to Andre throwing touchdowns and being careful with the ball, and making the play that needed to be made.  But then, Andre was used to getting time to throw, too, against decent defenses, not a true SEC defense in a hostile environment on a night when the Cats made too many mistakes to win.  Among them Woodson missing an open Keenan Burton at the Carolina 25-yard line early in the game.  But he is human and humans make mistakes (remember that Heisman people).